CAB80-25 — Page 343

Page 343

Page 343

·

287

VIII.

SHIPPING.

21. At present, whatever system is adopted, shipping threatens to become a bottleneck. Three ships out of four of the recent fast convoy, arrived safely at Piraeus. The fourth grounded in a storm at Gibraltar and has now sailed via the Cape.

22. There will now be a gap in the arrival of regular supplies, as for the present we can only assume that ships will proceed by the Cape route. Convoys are few and far between, but the risk may have to be taken of sailing the faster ships independently, at any rate, in the less dangerous section of the voyage.

23.

According to present arrangements, one ship will sail in convoy via the Cape early in February. A second slow ship will at once take her place at the loading berth, with a view to sailing about the middle of the month with motor transport, steel, such other Army and Air Force supplies as are available, and civil supplies to make up. - Preliminary arrangements are being made for a further slow

ship to begin loading at the beginning of March, but she will not be ready to sail until about the middle of the month, involving an interval of about a month between her arrival and that of the Mid-February shipment.

24. This is not a satisfactory position, but unless, and until `more military supplies can be found, whether by the adoption of the principle proposed in paragraphs 8 and 9 or otherwise, there is no object in exploring further the shipping and convoy problem. If, however, the principle is adopted, this will be necessary.

25.

IX.

CONCLUSIONS.

Our conclusions may be summed up as follows:

Adequate supplies to Greece of arms and

(a)

(b)

ammunition, cannot be permanently secured by present methods. As regards ammunition, all existing stocks for the over-numerous types of Greek guns have been or are being purchased.

After that, supplies can only be manufactured in America, eventually at the expense of our own types of ammunition, They will not reach Greece until the end of the year, Some supplies, however, can be manufactured in Greece, and steel and other materials must be allotted for this purpose. The A. A. defence of the Greek ammunition factory should be considered in the interests of ourselves as well as of Greece.

From the point of view of what would serve

Greek interests best, the only satisfactory $olution is the early rearmament of the Greek forces with British standard weapons. To re-arm Greece however, either from our present holdings or production in the

Immediate future would have a most detrimental effect on our own armament programme, and would defer considerably. the date at which our present grave deficiencies would be met,

!

Page 343

Page 343

Page 343