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Supplies of Raw Material.
5。
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The only immediate source of supply to the Greek Army is their one armament factory. Supplies of steel and brass for this arsenal (Poudreries Cartouchieres Hellenique) have been shipped, but, owing to an accident at Gibraltar, the ship cannot arrive before the middle of March, As a result, manufacture of Small Arms Ammunition in Greece will be possible during the next few weeks.
no
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Further shipments are being arranged, and the Greeks have been urged to purchase from the United States the shell steel originally ordered by France, but which now belongs to
US.
India might be a source of supply of brass and steel. recommend that the Ministry of Supply should arrange with the India Office for cargoes of brass and steel to be sent in the small merchant ships which India is now sending to the Middle East. Similarly South Africa might send steel and we suggest that the South African Government might be asked to help as a matter of urgency,
Supply of British Artillery and Ammunition.
8c To afford really effective assistance to Greece it would probably be necessary to despatch, say, 114 Field and 48 Medium equipment, with at least 2,000 rounds per gunc This is equivalent to the artillery armament of two British divisions. The despatch of this equipment to Greece would mean virtually disarming Home Forces temporarily to this extent, since there are no reserves of Field or Medium artilleryweapons and most formations are short of their establishment in guns, whilst additional units have still to be equipped.
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The ammunition situation at home is also such that we can hardly contemplate reducing our present holdings. The existing Field ammunition for example, would probably only suffice for about 14 days intensive fighting on a Continental scale. Our S.A. A. situation is, if anything, rather less satisfactory,
10.
We have already sent the Greeks 24 75 mm. guns, with 2,000 rounds apiece but, as the remaining 75's constitute
a large proportion of our present field artillery equipment, and we only hold about 1,200 rounds of ammunition for each, we cannot recommend a further depletion of our stocks of these guns and the ammunition for them.
One of the most urgent requirements of Greece has been stated to be mountain artillery. This we cannot, in any case supply.
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A note on the artillery situation at home and in the Middle East is attached A
11.
We are therefore faced with the alternatives of seeing the Greek effort possibly brought to a standstill within the next few weeks through lack of armaments and ammunition, or of taking the most dangerous (and
demoralising) course of withdrawing weapons and ammunition from our om inadequately equipped troops and sending them to Greece by the quickest route.
/ Annex II.
We
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