WAR PROGRESS

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 249, 20 October 1939, Page 1

WAR PROGRESS

BRITISH REVIEW ALLIED EFFORTS COMPLETE! UNITY UH KICKING ARMY LAND, AIR AND SEA FALSE CLAIMS EXPOSED IIUGBY, Oct. 18. Making his weekly war statement in the House of Commons to-day, the Prime Minister, Mir. Neville Chamberlain, said that tiie statement he made on October 1.2, was chiefly concerned with the attitude of the British Government to the speech of Herr Hitler of October 0. “Apart from the gomment which has appeared in German newspapers, there lias been no indication from Berlin of the view of the German Government upon the. issues which 1 sought to| define,” said Mr. Chamberlain. “There is, therefore, nothing I can add to my .statement of fast week. “Meantime opinion in .other countries has had an opportunity of findk ing expression, and the German propa-' gantla organs have used all possible ingenuity so as to twist foreign comment as to make it somewhat loss unfavourable to their own point of view. “I should doubt whether this effort has had any success outside of Germany itself, for-it is difficult to conceal the fact that the vast- hulk of comment of nearly all shades ol political colour in neutral countries has shown appreciation, of ..the f the Allied Governments. Fundamental issues “It seems e v i def) t " tl\ itt 11 i e ‘ llTCbuvonieiiccs which war inevitably brings for -all non-belligerent- countries, and which, for its part, the British Government intends to do its best to mitigate have not obscured the fundamental: issues at stake, the determination of which, must affect for gor'd or ill, the moral andl material welfare of neutral peoples no less -than that of the bc'l-'l ligerents.” . Air. Chamberlain - said that on the West’erii Front the British Expeditionary Force Imd- now taken over its allotted sectors of the french line, and all divisions' were-- in position. The understanding between the French and British High Commands was complete ;ts was proved by the iact that:l British I nice was under the French Commander-in-Chief, while on (!u: other hand French troops wore serving nuclei- the British (Imimandor-in-Chiof. Checkins U-Boats He pah) a tribute to Hie unremitting efforts oi tlie navy in attack and de-Icm-e and to tlie memory el oliieersami men when had. been lost, whether on sea or land or in the air. Ho said that the successes against the U.*bikits had already been reported ,tp tile House by the First Lord of'if hr Admiralty. Mr. Winston Churchill, yesterday. Ileav\ toll had been taken iof IJ-Ji<;-uts since tlie war began. ■ Tlie failure of tltis lorm of attack Ih, interfere with British trade was .shown by the estimate that the losses sustained by British shipping entering Oi- leaving United kingdom ports during the week up to Tuesday represented only about one-lmll oi: one per cent of the total number of sailings,. Attacks by cneiny aircraft on the Heel bases which had begun were a new feature of the war, but one lolly expected. The extent-. of the enemy’s disappointment at the failure ol these attacks to inflict any serious injury might be measured by tlie fantastic nature ol" tins claims they felt obliged to invent. Denials Repeated .Mr. (. 'iiciinlicM-lnin ot-ltlorl 1 : “I t. is not true, and I must repeat once again, though by now tlie’ news, grows stnlj through repetition that H.AI.S. Hood or IL.M.S. Repulse pr any other capita! siiip suffered Hie least (lainagr.” He continued, amid laughter, “ I tie same is' true- of the Ark Royal.” Mr. Chamberlain said that Britain was resolute enough to bear bad news, and the Government- had not hesitated

to .publish rtiio full extent of the losses, sustained. “The imaginary losses, which the German broadcasts liavo described with such unlilusliing impudence may serve for the time to raise their spirits, but in the end their falsity will be demonstrated and the consequent, disappointment will he only-the more depressing,” said Mr. Chamberlain. “We on our side, have no intention of claiming successes of which we arc not .convinced!. It is far more impprtant that tlie world should he able to believe implicitly in the truth of a ooimimiiiqViq"' we issue than that wo should reap,, short-lived advantages whiely, distortions of the truth may bring' . .•-'lf Enemy Air.'Losses ‘‘We.'kho.v that' ,in the air battles which during the past two days have, for the first time, been fought, over pur own (“oasts, we have destroyed eight enemy: aircraft without losing a single machine ol qiir own. We behove that severa).': more German '.bombers '■may have.; failed to reach home. “The total number.-of aircraft,;.taking part; in the raids did not exceed 30. The casualties we inflicted upon tho ( ihiemy thus certainly exceed 25 per cent, of the. attacking force and may have- been higher. ‘•These results arc a splendid tribute ’ to the icourage and determination of officers and men of the Royal Air Force. “The Auxiliary Air Force won its, first and resounding success by bringing down three out of tour German, aircraft destroyed in the raid *>u Ro-. sytli. “11l these oarlvf days we must not* of course, indulge in boasts. The attacks so far have been few and on a .... ' small scale, and it is unwise to assume that we shall always be as sue* cossful as in the first exchanges, There are many surprises in war and they can net all be pleasant, but wo at least have the satisfaction of knowing that, wo- have ( ninth* a good beginning.”