BEARING FRUIT

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 197, 18 May 1944, Page 5

BEARING FRUIT

British Assistance To French Patriots HOME AND ABROAD (British Official Wireless.) (Received May 17, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, Muy 16. A telegram, from General Juin reporting the routing of the German regiments iu the Gustav Line gives proof of the ability of France to rise again into the ranks of the great Powers. A cardinal point in British policy always has been to promote the resurgence of France. Even in the darkest hour Mr. Churchill made the French the imaginative offer of equality of citizenship with Britain. France’s leaders then failed to respond, but Britain gave all her support to the movement of General de Gaulle —at first small, but believed by the Britisli to represent the true France.

In spite of all difficulties, the British support has always been maintained, and the underground movement in France has been inspired and helped from London. One important aspect of this process is the eare taken by the R.A.F. bombers in attacking German targets in France to inflict the minimum damage on the population. The Germans are trying by propaganda to make the population resentful of these attacks, but all the evidence sho/ws that it is fully understood they are a necessary move for the earlier liberation of France. Moreover, Swiss reports state, for instance, that when Annecy was raided an R.A.F. plane circled over the town to give warning for 20 minutes before the bombers arrived. The deadly .accuracy of the R.A.F. bombing enabled the Annecy ballbearing -tforks to be almost completely destroyed with negligible civilian loss. The British attitude to France is now bearing fruit in the magnificent performance of the French troops and in the readiness of the French population to cooperate against the Germans even at terrible risk. '