IF HITLER STRUCK

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 222, 18 August 1939, Page 4

IF HITLER STRUCK

k Aipf?MATH : n- OF CRJJSES - % gy •y^f i r r / ■ ■'■■s f ofeijprat belief -here is',tJiat- ;iF: take Britain JiiiY Jprinainent«s.. lie ims«|dflris chance -in ’ September tfrst'*- A%' % hafer-.stnrck iie would hav£ cakight^Fi^lfOTid /napping again; l>utj|now th<Flgene'ilfi* spirit is one of coiifidlence. ..^’People *liere believe that:-lie mjist realise the # di t torgiiepyjai-Jihe&situation, and frame his policy accordingly. But there i.s aswa>« the chance that one man's ' tx .la in; ' .brainstorm nfkjL. set tilings alight, and no risks are being taken here.” These comments represent a sum-ming-up oF-tFie .situation in London, observed by Mr. Dawson F. .Muir, a nKdhb6l of • ‘t'ho'.-'.fier'ald staff, now spending six months’ leave in a tour of Britain.

h t *. ' *■ q ' Front what , lie Jias •' learned from j ptisils<?S.and private sources, the situaniofe critical for . Britain- than even : tlie'Niewspaper stories of the time rei vea4edv.it to be. With men working ■ throughout the night digging-ti'enblies parks, 'and -fee [additional terI •^'|’i]jfe‘,fe_aure J of radio going | ffiirmffih ftic streets and brO'adcasting tiie .slogan: “Get jour gas-masks. Bie ; prepared!” England awoke to her peril. , J “At that tiaoe tliere were only If j y anti-aircritiy guns guarding London,? ; and many, of those were converted din. field gups of the 111,3.8 type,”., writes Mr. Mjuir. “it basNilso leaked out that tliele were only a lew such guns.at Gibraltar."'*To indicate how thingg -have changed in the liieantiipe, estimates place the, ’number of guns round- London at 500, an,d there are other places almost'as well •: equipped against raids, from the air. Regular an’cfi’ Auxiliary Activities “When the militia is failed up at thy#ud of the month (June) there wifr*jp& men available lor the protection of the country, and to draw. ? -upon for an.., expeditionary force. jfThere does not seem to be any trouble' about getting recruits foiv Jdl divisions., pf the forces. “Even women over 00 years ol age aTe * organisiijig lor auxiliary work, and will provide the background ol the hospital service lor soldiers and civilian, if things come to the worst. Auxiliary fire services are iif good strengtli, and -air,..raid precautions is a live and..active* topic. '1 ... “At Eastbourne. J visited a c;fb<p where 3000 limp were being ,trained! fpr~ the camp-..was to remain)"' open until the omJjJ : 6f•t-Ajigust, with fresh dotajehMients all 'the time.. Passing from Eastbourne, thjb. town with the military flavour, L went tb"'Portsmouth, and there the y aetiyity v|as just as great, with the prevailing £olour blue instead, of khaki;' > .‘(Apparently Britain ,is better prepared lor war now?., than'-,ever' in her, history, and Jrdparatioii 4 to meet ' tint worst jjossih^^cloVi*!i>pinents re more forward tlnuj* even the English public has been told. Hoomsdeare in position at all tin* iraval ports, and about two hours’ ijjprk would close these against the possiIjlhljf vj <jf. enemy submarine [if n<|t ration. ?: r. _ Lessons of the Great War. b War, the Germans had the edge on Britain in ijaval range-finding, and this is one de|>artMMmkaraattUiglU the deficit Jjas fully covered.

“Again the submarine menace was a severe tax on .British naval lorcos in- 1916-1 S because it took several "TTfTtJJs to—trace a -aiiiglej ■submarine. With tiie destroyers oL to-day and: even' some of-the mosquito fleet- fitted witli siibmarine-findiftg apparatus and; depth charges, I not like to be a submarine rating nowadays. Ihe lease of life is reckoned, in very restricted terms. “The six newest destroyers will have a speed of" 40 knots, and it will not he long now before the naval building -programme will add 20‘J vessels to the strength of the Koval -Navy. “British sailors are not- greatly impressed with the new German warships, in which the plates of the hulls are welded for economy in primei cost and in fuelling cost-. British ships are, rivetted below the water-line and welded above. It is thought that il the German vessels are engaged in battle, their welded seams will open under the shock, of gunfire. “One- place in which I stayed down in Devon was quite so far as road traffic was concerned, but it was handy to a Koval Air l«'oree aerodrome, and the activity on the hying iielcl was as great as on too army parade grounds and the naval dockyards. British Opinion on Hiller “By day and night, planes were leaving the ground constantly, on instructional flights, and others would he Hying at heights of several thousand feet to give the Territorial A.A. crews -practice with their searchlights. It was not uncommon to see several pencils of light following a plane across tin* sky. and meeting every turn of the machine as the pilot endeavoured to elude them. “Opinion over here seems to be that Hitler has done a great tiling for Germany, but that he is now embarrassing his own people, who would have wished to stop expanding their nation long ago. Visitors to Germany are extremely well treated, and; are given maiiy advantages denied to the Germans themselves by decree.

“A tale is told of a letter from Germany in which the addressee discovered pointed reference to the stamp. Steaming this off, lie found written upon its reverse side the message: “We are literally starving!’ “The policy of the British Government in September last- was subjected to the most severe criticism from roam quarters. From what is known now, it was a case of stalling off a show-down, because England was in no condition to face it, The situation is so different- now that, while' the people are prepared for the worst-, they are at least able to hope for the best. 'Germany could hardly fs|il to realise what war now- would hiean, and how remote her chance of a speedy victory must be. As everythin g would hinge on immediate success for her, the people here breathe more calmly now.”