HITLER’S CHANCES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 246, 16 September 1940, Page 2

HITLER’S CHANCES

NEXT PHASE OF WAR. NEUTRALS SCEPTICAL. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Sept. 14. Mr Churchill’s broadcast o.n Wednesday, in which he showed how seriously lie regards the chances of an early attempt at an invasion and with what measured confidence he feels the nation may face the prospect, has given direction to public discussion on the next phase of the war. Those who for some time liad been expecting that events must soon move toward some kind of climax find corroboration in Mr Churchill’s rallying call, while those who argued that a pause was inevitable after vhe obvious failure of the Luftwaffe’s attempt to obtain air mastery over Britain aie more ready than formerly to concede that they may not have given sufficient weight to Hitler’s desperate need for an early decision. In particular, those who tended to tho latter view are obviously shaken by the new tactics of the wanton bombing of London. Leaving entirely on one side the legitimacy of the objectives selected for attack where,these can be distinguished from the entnely indiscriminate unloading or bombs over the heads of a large civilian population, they are of such minor importance from the point of view of dnecly damaging British military strength that these tactics can only be explained on an assumption that Hitler is hazardin’ l, all on the chance of creating demoralisation in the rear while he tries to circumvent Britain s defences at the coasts. EVIDENCE OF WEAKNESS.

Tho most competent authorities, therefore, present the air war oil London’s churches, houses, offices and schools, on its men, women and children, from the poorest in the East End to the richest in Mayfair, from tho humblest to the King and Queen, as an admission of weakness. In this connection it is interesting to note that the almost unanimous verdict or observers in the United States is that this form of attack represents one ot those major and disastrous miscalculations to which' the German exponents of power politics always seem liable. Writers in the Press and those in political and diplomatic circles who are watching for the decisive 'hour have not failed to note the consideiable concentration in recent days ot the Royal Air Force’s bmnbing raids against the enemy’s invasion bases and communications. Given the moon approaching its full and high tides about dawn, the significance of these heavy R.A.F. attacks is felt to be considerable, but while they are regarded as evidence of the alertness of the British side against invasion they are also seen -as reducing its likelihood.

R.A.F. UNSHAKEN. The comment in the technical military Press of Soviet Russia and in the United States gives ground for a deduction that the reports received from the neutral experts in London have left no doubt as to the failure of the German effort to disable the Fighter Command —itself, as all commentators agree, almost the essential preliminary tp. an invasion with any chance of success.. Now that the Bomber and Coastal Commands have made a further contribution to the frustration ot the German High Command s plans, it may he hazarded that the estimate of the German chances of successfully invading Britain is very low in wellinformed military circles abroad, except where German influence prevents free judgment. . , Some commentators, including the leader writer of the Manchester Guardian, seem to suspect that tlie estimate may even not be very high .in Rome, and that this may account tor the delay in launching a diversion in the Middle East.