WINTER AND THE BLOCKADE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20065, 11 October 1939, Page 5

WINTER AND THE BLOCKADE

AID IN DESTROYING NAZISM PATROLS STILL ACTIVE IN SAAR AREA PART PLAYED BY BRITISH AIRMEN SCOUT WORK AND PAMPHLET •'RAIDS" (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. October 11, 10.50 a.in.) LONDON, October 10. A French Army communique issued in Paris says that, enemy patrols continue active, particularly in the .Saar area. French and German artillery has been active : iiv the same regions. The Paris correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain states that the French show no disposition to strike, but are content to let the winter and the blockade destroy Nazism. A communique issued in Berlin by the German High Command declares that minor patrol and artillery activity was experienced on the Western Front. In a statement, in the House of Commons to-day, the Air Secretary, Sir Kingsley Wood, said that day and night reconnaissance aircraft had been entering into enemy country, testing the defences and observing troop movements and concentrations. A complete photographic, map of the Siegfried Line had been made. Many photographs taken from only a few hundred feet up had gone to the composition of the map. Messages to German People. The distribution of messages to the German people over large areas of enemy territory had been combined with successful reconnaissance work. It was interesting to note, as regards the interest taken by the German people, that a number of the messages were recently found in the possession of German prisoners, notwithstanding the pains and penalties threatened against persons in Germany who picked up such communications. Sir Kingsley Wood added: “I observed that the German official bulletin, in acknowledging such a flight over Berlin the other night, would have the world believe that the Berlin citizens slept quietly during its progress. Our airmen, on their return, spoke of the firing and searchlights they encountered, so we can only conjecture that the people of Berlin must be very heavy sleepers. The next day, we may hope, they were wakeful enough to peruse what Herr Hitler describes as these ‘wretched leaflets.’ ”

After referring to the smooth establishment of the Royal Air Force in France alongside the French squadrons, the Minister said that recruitment for the Royal Air Force was being maintained on a voluntary basis. In the first fortnight of the war, no fewer than 10,000 volunteers had been accepted and waiting lists were being constituted, pending further expansion of the training facilities, which, already had been vastly enlarged, and the training much accelerated. Plans for a great training organisation embraced the Dominions. Sir Kingley Wood stated that Britain’s latest fighters had been established to be superior to their German counterparts.