25 DAYS AFTER TWO BLITZKRIEGS

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 186, 3 May 1940, Page 10

25 DAYS AFTER TWO BLITZKRIEGS

Poland And Norway HOW ONE SUCCEEDED AND ONE WENT WRONG (By Observer.) This is the 25th day since news of the N'tizi invasion of Norway and Denmark was announced —it was on April 9 —to a shocked and angered world, within a few hours we knew it was ail over with Denmark. Today we don't know at all accurately what the position is with Norway. But this we do know —that a flying start on the wings of surprise and treachery, and 25 days of relentless pursuit have not sufficed the German eagle to gather yet another victim to its protective breast. The campaign in Norway is the first of Adolf Hitler’s lightning strokes, bloodless or with war, to go wrong.

For curiosity I have been turning back to recent history, to recall the situation at the end of 25 days from September 1 last year. On that, day Hitler launched the initial blitzkrieg of physical warfare of his career—against Poland. On September 26 the German High Command issued a communique, “The campaign in Poland is ended.” And so it was, save for routine mopping up of the remnants of the routed Polish forces.

Hitler’s first blitzkrieg of blood and fire had proceeded uncannily to time table, and by his reckoning was a not-too-dearly-bought success. Poland was over-run primarily because it was geographically impossible for the Allies to lend any sort of aid So Hitler’s western blitzkrieg went to a comfortable triumph at the end of 25 days. But Hitler ought by now to be tlie most chagrined man on earth. At this moment the German High -Command should have been able .to telegraph. “The campaign in Norway is ended.” It is far from ended. The Allies can get to Norway —through heartbreaking obstacles, it is true—and the northern blitzkrieg has gone wrong. That, is the position after 25 days. What it will lie at the expiry of another 25. or 50 or JOO. not Corporal Hitler, nor the High Command, no" anyone else can say. On our side there appears to lie an unwonted disquiet over the situation. Early and spectacular achievements by the Royal Navy, and tlie news of Allied landings on the sixth day after Hie Germans first swarmed ashore from beneath closed hatches of their troopships presented a false picture of the military situation. Our minds bad conditioned themselves into the dun gerous delusion that the eviction of the invaders might not lie too hard. Tlie Big Minefield. The laying of mines round the German coast gave us pleasurable anticipation. One speculative report from London on April 12 proclaimed: "The passage of German ships from the Baltic or the North Sea to Norway will be impossible. Tlie invading forces in Norway will be cut off from Germany, except for tlie limited contact by air.” In. our exultation we overlooked tlie fact that the Admiralty, which was the authority concerned in the o|x>ra!ion. made no such statement. or claim. AH it said was that the minefield rendered the waters perilous to navigation. Had we noted tliat point we might have saved ourselves a lot of heart-burning from later news that German transports are continuing to get through. In any ease the strength and weakness of minefields were never explained from any authoritative source at the time when an explanation was requisite. After the welter of conflicting reports, mostly emanating from neutral or uninformed quarters, we can't do better than wait patiently for official communiques. Afr. Churchill, on .April 11, said, inter alia, in the House of Commons :—

“The moment we get any news—be it bad or good—once we can rely on it. we shall present it to Parliament to be broadcast, and to tlie Press. lam all for propaganda and publicity, hut the best propaganda is result* and I must say that these are coming to hand in no unsatisfactor y manner.”

Since that, date the First Lord has remained silent, though we can be sure not inactive.