LIGHT ON A SOMBRE SCENE

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 249, 22 October 1942, Page 5

LIGHT ON A SOMBRE SCENE

GENERAL SMUTS SURVEYS WAR JAPAN'S DOOM IS SEALED

B.O.W.

RUGBY, Oct. 21.

"When we survey the world heaving to-day in its agony, we see everywhere the same spirit lighting up the sombre scene," said Field Marshal Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa, addressing a united assembly of the Houses of Lords and Commons to-day. "The spirit of man is nelther dead :nor ctecadent. It will never bend the knee before the new slavery. The light of freedom which guided our slow, faltering advance through the ages still shines in the night which has overtaken us. Its glory is still with us, and we shall foliow it with all our strength and devotion to the new dawn which. surely awaits our race. But the rough, terrible passage before us calls for all our combined resources, all our concentrated will and effort, all our highest leadership to carry us to our goal. There is no place for complacency or wishful thinking. The mortal struggle is on and will become more cruel and desperate as the end draws nearer." The General said that the people of Britain were the real heroes of this epic world-wfde drama. Their spirit was untaending and unbreakable. Though they had suffered greatly and lost many things they had not lost the most precious thing of all. Rather had it in - creased. The soul of the country remained. The glory had not departed from the land. Britain's glory was to have stood in the breach and kept the way open to man's vast future. This was the glory of the spirit which saw and knew no defeat or loss, but increasingly nerved, nourished and sustained the will to final victory. But, said General Smuts, the spirit of resolution, endurance and sacrifice was not confined to Britain. Other Allied nations, each in its own degree, shared this spirit.

CATASTROPHE AND REPRIEVE.

Examining the war situation, the speaker said that our role in the first three years had necessarily been defensive. We could barely maintain our self-defence against the terrible odds. In cases where we were in honour bound to take the offensive in support of other small peoples we suffered reverses which still further weakened us. However, we should never regret the help we did our best to bring Norway, Holland and Greece in their hour of need. In these common sufferings the United Nations were born, but these efforts were indeed beyond our resources at the time and we suffered discouraging reverses. Only in Africa could we assume the offensive. The most deadly eatastrophe of all had been the fall of France. It was an awful moment in history. The sudden fall of a great nation and world Power was phenomenal &nd almost unknown in history, and this particular blow was as unexpected as it was deadly. The enemy looked upon it as also for us the end, and this infatuation providentially saved us. Instead of immediately turning on London, the enem'y persevered on his plannecl course to Paris and gave us our opportunity to recover our breath and prepare for the blitz on London. SAVED ALLIED CAUSE.

"The defeat of the Luftwaffe in that supreme crisis saved not only London and Britain, but, I firmly believe, the whole Allied cause and the future of the world," declared General Smuts. "The fall of France was followed by another fatal mistake on the part of Hitler. Baulked in his air attack on London he saw that it was unsafe to attempt an invasion of Britain before first clearing his rear in Russia. The magnitude and duration of the Russian resistance surprised not only Hitler but probably everybody else. Probably no such losses on both sides have ever been suffered in the history of war. If the Russian losses are terrible it is equally true that the German army is bleeding to death in Russia." The appalling blood-letting which was necessary for Hitler's ultimate defeat was being administered by the Russians and they alone could do it, the speaker isaid. In spite of their losses in men, material and territory, the Russians showed not the least sign of giving in, and the bitter defence would go on to the bitter end. This impression was confirmed by all inside information. Hitler had done his best to avoid Napoleon's example, but history might yet record that the course he aetually adopted was even more fatal than Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. The course for all of us to foliow was clear. Whatever help in whatever form we could give Russia to sustain her in her colossal effort should be given in the fullest measure with the utmost speed. She was bearing more than her share of the common burden. DOOR OPENED TO JAPAN. After the fall of France, said General Smuts, the Vichy regime opened the door to Japan in Indo-China and the brown flood poured into Siam, Malaya, and Burma. The Dutch East Indies and other island groups In the Far East were doomed to fall ■before the Japanese, and the flood had been stopped just short of the shores of Australia and New Zealand. The Allies had been blamed for these tremendous set-backs, which had ■been hinted at as a sign of the approaching downfall of the British Commonwealth. As a matter of fact, the situation developed as the logical sequel to the downfall of France and nothing else. They mourned a series of losses of territory, particularly the great Dutch East Indies, and deplored their lack cf greater opportunity to help China, but those things would pass. For Japan, as for Hitler's Germany, the writing was^ oh the wall, and all that would remain would be Japan for the Japanese. Japan had sealed her own doom through her attack on Pearl Harbour, which had consolidated and crystallised American opinion as nothing else could have done. Three steps which had marked the climb of the Democracies out of the abyss were the defeat of the Luftwaffe over London, the treacherous attack by Germany on Russia despite ■the peace treaty between them, and Pearl Harbour in its timely effort in carrying the United States into the war. THE SECOND FRONT. "We have mueh to* be thankful for," said General Smuts. "But no less than for the colossal mistakes of our enemies. Will a fourth blunder be committedi?

Will Japan, in spite of her peace treaty with Russia, launch a treacherous attack against her? Only time will show." Turning to the question of a second front, the Field Marshal said that he would not discuss the future strategy of the war, but would leave the subject to amateur strategists. He would emphasise, however, that one phase of the war had ended and another begun. The final alignment of the two sides had been completed. The resources of the United Nations were on the increase, while those of the enemy were on the decline. The United Nations' manpower was steadily growing, while that of the enemy was being constantly depleted, the speaker asserted. The spectre of want, and starvation had appeared in the subject countries and there was growing unrest against the totalitarian masters. The situation was ripening for great developments. Time had hitherto been on the side of the United Nations, and once the time came to take the offensive it would be folly to hesitate. Nor were the United Nations likely to do so. "On this point," added General Smuts, "it would be unwise for me to say more." Contrasting the Nazi ideology with the principles of democracy, he said the real issue in the struggle had become perfectly clear. There was a challenge to all the democratic peoples held dear. This war was a new crusade and a new flght to the death for man's rights and liberties. VISION OF THE POST-WAR WORLD.

Envisaging the post-war world, he said that with the exberiences of the last war they ought this time to hammer out something more clear and practicable than before. They could not hope to establish a new order at once in the bleak postwar world, but there were certain social and bconomic problems that could be taclded almost at once on an international scale to make a better world and a richer life for man. There was no reason why they should not thankfully and sincerely. attempt to carry out the task which would lie before them. People were searching their souls for the causes of war, and one of the post-war tasks would be to build a new kind of human solidarity and a new spirit among men that would remove those causes. TRIBUTES TO GREAT STATESMA'N. Mr David Lloyd George, the "Father of the House of Commons," presided at the joint meeting of the Commons and the Lords addressed by Field Marshal Smuts. Mr Lloyd George said that they greeted one of the foremost statesmeh of his generation, who was exceeded in calmness and discernment by no one in his age. "No one knows better than I Field Marshal Smuts's great experience of the last war, or the value of his judgment on that occasion. He will tell us something about this war, and from his words of wisdom we may gather some eomfort and some confidence of deliverance from our present difficulties." Mr Churchill, expressing the thanks of members after the South African Premier had spoken, said that he had tried hard in Cairo to persuade him to visit Britain. "I felt that his presence here at a time when the war hangs heaviiy upon us would be a great reinforcemcnt of our eouncils and our spirit," said the Prime Minister. "His wisdom, knowledge and experience are invaluable to those charged with executive responsibility. All he has said arises from cairn and profound reflection, from knowledge, and from resolute, unflinchlng, inflexible conviction and courage. "In your name I express to him our most profound acknowledgment, our gratitude and our thanks for all he has done in the long years that have gone, and also for the impressive statement he has delivered to us today on what is in many ways an un■pi ecedented occasion." Tremendous applause was given to Field Marshal Smuts, while Mr Churchill and Mr Lloyd George were also cheered.