SOUL UNDAUNTED

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24405, 17 September 1940, Page 7

SOUL UNDAUNTED

LONDON’S REACTION FACING THE ORDEAL BRAVERY OF THE PEOPLE ißritish Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, Sept. 15. The Battle for London as an incident—but a supreme incident—in the preliminaries of the Battle for Britain, is the subject of Sunday newspaper editorials. The Sunday Times writes; “Ever since France went out of the war and the British Empire was left to wage it alone, two things have been evident to thinking men. First, that Britain can win; secondly, that on the way to victory she must face and surmount a supreme ordeal. After months of waiting the ordeal is now on her. Beyond it lies victory if she holds fast.” The paper adds that over the many harrowing scenes witnessed in the oast week has risen the bravery of the common English folk, refusing to be conquered and blossoming under trial into flower of self-sacrifice and mutual aid, such as only a very great people indeed could compass. Mr J. L. Garvin, in the Observer, says he is quite confident that there will be no flinching at paying the unavoidable price of success and salvation. Three-quarters of the huge region covered by London and its suburbs shows no serious trace of the enemy, and only a minute percentage of its millions of inhabitants has been struck. It would take more than the Nazis possess or conceive to wreck this wonderful city, much less daunt its soul.

Change in Nazi Tactics

Both in the press and among the general public the latest phase in the battle for Britain—the savage attack on the people of London —is the subject of much speculation, both as to its purpose and the reason it has been adopted by the German authorities. A number of conclusions are generally reached. First, the new tactics of scattering bombs indiscriminately oj/er the metropolis (which no one can imagine to be an important target in a purely military sense) is taken to be a confession of failure on the part of the Luftwaffe to do substantia] damage to the main centres of Britain’s war production. to be a confession that the attacks which have been attempted on Britain’s military targets, has been too costly, and that the German Air Force is beginning to feel the strain of such heavy losses. Secondly, that, having lamentably failed to inflict serious damage to Britain’s war machine. Germany has now turned the force of her attack against what she hopes will prove Britain’s weakest point—namely, civilian morale. At the same time London is the centre of communications. the centre of political life, and representative of the nation in a way which is true of the capital of no other country. By destroying London the Nazis might well hope that the rest of the country would be paralysed and the way for invasion rendered easy.

London's Defences

Many different weapons have been brought to the defence of London against the constant night raiders. There are night flying fighters of which informed correspondents suggest a superior new tvoe is already in production, anti-aircraft guns capable of putting up a formidable barrage of stee], and there are searchlights and barrage balloons of an improved type’ which have already claimed one victim.

Damage to London has certainly been done, and much suffering has been caused. Many of her prominent buildings which form the chief target for Nazi bombs have been damaged. These include some dozen famous old churches, St. Paul’s Churchyard, the House of Lords, Buckingham Palace (three limes hit), the Law Courts, Somerset House, three of the largest hospitals and a number of smaller ones, and two newspaper offices. Some 2000 of London’s civilian population have been killed and many more injured or rendered homeless. Yet the general life of the capital proceeds uninterrupted, and the capacity of the people to adapt themselves to the new mode of life is astonishing. Confidence is widespread in the power of Britain to defeat this lust as she lias defeated former methods of Nazi attacks.