News Behind the Headlines

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 266, 1 December 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

News Behind the Headlines

The Inside Story of What is Happening in the World To-Day

. . . PROPHETIC Last year Herbert Wilcox, ace British film producer, made a picture called “Torpedoed.,” i'n which -the “Royal Oak” was sunk by a German torpedo. Little did he realise that the tragedy would come to pass. . . . WAR IN THE AIR Starting with the immense advantage of no air foice in 1933 Nazi Germany built up the most formidable air power the world had ever known. (The Soviet Air Force is reputed to be larger still, but even less is known about it than about that of Germany.) This stupendous feat is largely the work of Erhard Milch, Goering’s right hand man. Having no existing industry Milch was not hampered by out-of-date methods or factories. He built 1,700 units all over Germany, most of them cleverly disguised. His policy in one word was standardisation. A simple series of designs were chosen, and these types were constantly modified. Milch established a training course brutally severe, so that only the fittest would survive. His pilots are as alike as piston rings. Milch (who has Jewish blood in his veins) has a passion for pattern that is manifest in the most trivial details. For instance, when a Berlin scpiadion leaves for IConigsberg its men are given identical pyjamas in identical barracks and clean their teeth with identical duplicate toothbrushes. ... MASS PRODUCTION Calculating that losses in war would be 100 per cent, a month (British estimate 30 per cent, a month) Milch set out to make Germany supreme in the air. By January this year Germany was turning out 1,500 planes a month. Capacity at present is probably between 3,000 and 4,000 a month (equal to 36,000 to 48,000 a year!). Principal German types are: Bombers: " Dornier Do. 17. Heinkel He 3. Both of these types can carry one ton of bombs for about 1,500 miles and have a maximum speed of 300 m.p.h. Fighters:

Cyril is the only top rank British officer who has the Albert Medal, Ist Class, usually associated with peace time heroism. One day in 1916 a fire broke -.out in an R.F.C. bomb store containing 2,000 high explosive bombs. The key could not be found. Cyril Newall and a mechanic climbed to the roof and played a hose through a hole burned by the flames. Newall and three others then entered the building and put out the fire.

had been using Government employees, stationery and facilities. Appeals for funds had been sent out on official stationery. Under the cloak of the Government of which he was a member, Mr. Fish had been trying to destroy it- This may have been loyalty to his friend von Ribbentrop, but the United States citizen is likely to overlook this noble motive. Part of the propaganda disseminated by Fish was that Roosevelt was making himself a dictator. Mr. Fish may be proved false, but some of the mud will, no doubt, stick to the President.

Pressing problem is accommodation. The Estonians volunteered to billet the soldiers with civilians. Nothing could have suited Stalin better. Estonians understand Russian, and every Red soldier has been schooled in Communist propaganda. Every warship arriving brings quantities of Moscow newspapers and periodicals, which are greedily bought by the curious Estonians.

people he lately denounced as “ degenerate democracies.” British capital has big interests in Italy, and despite his gangster nature B. Mussolini has many friends in Westminster. The chances of Mussolini repeating his tactics of World War I. are by no means unlikely, but the Duce wants his price—part of which is a free hand in the Balkans.

The powerful anti-Russian bloc in Britain would rather see A. Hitler and B. Mussolini than J. Stalin playing the leading part in Balkan politics. In 1920, Turkey was the sick man of Europe, but thanks to the genius and devotion of the late great Kemal Ataturk, Turkey to-day is the dominant power in Eastern Europe. With an army of 1,500,00 well trained fighters, whose prowess has been a byword for a thousand years, Turkey is master of Rumania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Greece. It was to offset the growing power of Turkey that Mussolini invaded Albania, for, if you study a relief map, you will see that from Tirania, the capital of Albania, a gorge debouches on. to the plains of Salonika, affording the only path an army could take to reach Turkey-in-Europe from the West.

Patron Saint of Communists in Estonia is goat-bearded Mikhail Ivanovich, better known,as Mikhail Kalinin, President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (Stalin is officially only Secretary). Red tars were shown where in Talinn old Mikhail worked as a mechanic.

. LIGHTNING WAR

For years Goering, Milch and Hitler based their policy of a lightning war, in which the leading part would be played by an overwhelmingly superior Nazi Air Force. This theory was first tested in Spain at Guernica, when a whole town was wiped out in eight hours. After three weeks bombing Warsaw did not have a single building intact. Yet after nearly three months no French or British town has been damaged by so much as a broken Window. Why ? Only Hitler knows. To-day a major effort, in which the whole of Germany’s superiority was thrown into one devastating attack, would possibly mean an easy German victory. Time, geography, and chance are all on Hitler’s side. But Hitler will have to hurry. •Over the downs of Devon, above the midland fens, and now above the wheat-laden prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan, propellers are whirring. Boys who have not even learned to shave have learned to ease the throttle forward, or to sight a bomb. More important still, assembly lines are getting longer, moving faster in allied factories. And yet more important, it takes petrol to fly planes, and Hitler has precious little left. Stalin has promised him some, but even Stalin has none to spare.

. . . CONFESSIONS AND DENIALS

The remarkable confessions of guilt secured at Russian trials have long been one of the claims of communism that have stuck in most critic’s throats. Last week from America Communists provided equally sweeping denials. Before the Dies Committee investigating un-American activities, a number of witnesses denied the existence of Comrade Dirba. A phone call to Communist H.Q. on 13th Street, however, would have elicited a response from Comrade Dirba. The probable reason for this convenient loss of memory is that Comrade Dirba, a blue-eyed stoop-shouldered Lett, is the judge who hears charges and denounciations against party members.

.JAPANESE TROUBLE

To the hard-boiled Japanese business man the Foreign Office is synonomous with trade. For three years Japan’s world trade has dwindled, as resentment to Japanese aggression in China has closed one market after another to honourable goods. In vain do Manchester, Birmingham, and U.S.A. (conveniently named Japanese suburbs) stamp the origin of their wares in bold type. Last month, the business community sponsored the creation of a Ministry of Trade. The Japanese Foreign Office, which like all imperial foreign offices, is a glorified club, threatened to resign. Foreign Office chief, Admiral Nomura, with the resignations in his hand, was in a quandry. If the Foreign Office resigned the Government must also resign. A scape-goat was necessary. Heroically up stepped Vice-Foreign Minister Masayuki Tani, and said “ it was all his fault.”

But Turkey also has a common frontier with Russia, and ever since the Turkish revolution in 1924 Turkey has been on friendly terms with the Soviet. With the consolidation of her internal programme Russia is likely to spread westwards until all the old Russian territory is under the Hammer and Sickle. This will include Rumania up to the Carpathians. Thus it is probable that Russia will come to dominate the continent of Europe. Turkey, certainly, is not going to fall out with Stalin to please Chamberlain. The British treaty with Turkey is one of Britain’s only recent diplomatic successes, and is by far the most important after our

Comrades may denounce each other as police spies, Trotskyites, Lovestonites, grafters, stool pigeons, fascists—for criticising the central committee, for individualism, anti-Party tendencies, Cliauvenism, Zionism, irresponsible Bohemianism, any of a 1000 and 1 heresies, whose very names sound weird in a democracy, but which operate to secure unquestioned obedience from members.

.. . BALKAN BALANCE

These dread papers are pondered by Comrade Dirba. His practice is generally to telephone the accused at 1 a.m., and to say in a hollow voice, “Comrade, I would like to see you. . . ”

John Bull is on a well-known spot called the Balkan balance. For the last month Hitler’s late partner has been making noises like reconciliation to the very

. ..THEATRE War is a boom time for the theatre. Last war Oscar Asclie’s play, “ Chu-Chin-Chow,” set an all time record of 2,238 perform*lllC C S • So far the war has produced nothing outstanding. At the London Palladium “ Wartime Revue ” has some catchy bits. The finale of Act 1 is a pamphlet raid called “ Ruthless Rhymes for Little Nastiz.” Sample rhyme : Ribbentrop’s at Stalin’s beck and call. Goebbels, when he’s able, Likes pretending he s Clark Gable. And Goering’s got rude pictures on his wall. In Paris almost all theatres are closed. Exceptions include Mayol’s, where a “ war special ” is as nude and naughty as imagination can make it. . . . ARCHBLIMP In the garden of Lambeth Palace, London, a balloon barage squad operate a balloon or blimp. As it is operated in the garden of Dr. Cosmo Gordon Lang,' Archbishop of Canterbury, it is called the “ archblimp.” . . . FISHY BUSINESS

. . SLOW FINNISH

World’s champion runner is a native of Turku, Finland, but for nearly two months the Finns have been playing snails with Joe Stalin. When the delegates from Estonia and Latvia, in a panic, flew backwards and forwards between their capitals and Moscow, the Finns made much ado about taking their time. Finland, which is a little smaller than California, has 3,835,000 people (California 6,159,000), is famous for its 65,000 lakes. In 1918, after a spirited fight, the Finns broke away from Russia and set up as a Republic. For 20 years the Finns had.as little to do with Russia as they could, but gradually the Soviet has taken the dominating position in the East. The recapture of Russian Poland and the vassalising of the other Baltic States, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, have also, in effect, pledged Finland to Russian dominance. Norway and Sweden, which are both closely linked with Finland by. culture and trade, eye the ascending Red Star with apprehension. But what can they do ? Scandinavia is caught between the jaws of Communism and Naziism. Russian demands on Finland cannot be excused, but they can be understood. A glance of a map will show you that Finland borders the Bothnian Sea, off which the Gulf of Finland is the only access to Leningrad and the main Soviet Naval Base at Kronstadt: In the mouth of the Bothnian Sea are the Aland Islands, which form a strategic key to Scandinavia. The Russians have not forgotten the immense support accorded the Hoffman and Schiefflen Plans and, no doubt, are eager to do what they can to protect Russia from just such attacks.

Messersclimitt 109. Heinkel. Both of these are beautiful jobs, with very high speeds. A Messerschmitt holds the worlds record of 464 m.p.h.

. FRANCE

France lags behind Germany and Britain, but as her whole industry was replanned in 1936 this is not to be wondered at. However, the results of the replanning are now becoming evident. By the end of 1940 France will be turning out more than 36,000 planes a year. French planes, also, aie slightly inferior to British and German, but this will soon be remedied.

. BRITAIN

Dead fish stinks, and last week United States Senators began to hold their noses. Readers may remember that in September we reported that Mr. Hamilton Fish, Republican representative > for New York, was busy fraternising with Hitler’s pals on the eve of the Danzig crisis. Mr. Fish and Mr. Lindberg are both ardent pro-Nazis. This, in itself, of course, is no crime. Mr. Fish (or Lindberg) can make friends with whom they please. But what is significant is that the Appeasers” in Britain wished to join with Mr. Fish in giving Danzig to Germany. Mr. Fish’s voice has been heard loud and often on the themes of American neutrality. Mr. Fish declares that Germany s claims are just. That the United States should not help the Democracies. Behind him Mr. Fish gathered 36 Republicans and one renegade Democrat into a powerful bloc bent on sabotaging any move of * President Roosevelt. The strong financial of this ■ffroupUiaye4th,r.ncd At -into a <;9lLast'week, Clifton Woodrum, no supporter of Rbosevelt himself, revealed a “racket ” which made the Townsend Plan and Insul Exposures look like parlour card-cheating. Mr. Fish’s organisation—the National Committee to keep America out of foreign wars — with headquarters in Fish’s office,

The British Royal _ Air Force has an unbroken tradition dating from 1918. Britain has, however, two insuperable difficulties in training pilots. (1) The shines on Britain only one hour in three; and (2) the island is too small and densely populated tor training flights. That was w y Canada was chosen for the Empire Air Scheme Canada enjoys long periods of sunshine and has plenty of wide open spaces.

. . . PLANE PRODUCTION British aerial rearmament started in 1936 with the shadow scheme. In January, 1938, Britain was turning out 200 planes a month (France 50). By January, 1939, this had risen to 1,200; now it is probably An the vicinity oi 2,000, and will rise to as much as s,ooo'i£ the war-; continues for :(e£ual to 60,000 pla yeat*)> -;- 1 % \ I .Vt, T j ’ CHIEF . T& > .'.UB or n working' Europc. • in a K‘l' Un K e^u ‘'^W-ie'arSd Station 53 .years-ago, »« “f n< £ to fly in 1911, the old R.RC throughout the war. In 1917, he. mand of the 41st Bombing Wing at Nancy, and t°ok_par raids on the Rhineland. bn

. . . COMMUNISATION

To the Russians propaganda is just as much a weapon as artillery, but with this advantage) propaganda can be against nominal allies or friends without ganda, as'fJitler is dipcov.ering to his discomfort. ! In Talinn Harbour, Estonia, lies a hulking grey Russian cruiser and ten smaller warships, while destroyers and submarines come and go. Every week transports arrive with additional troops for the garrison (25,000), which Stalin will now keep there.

alliance with France. Recently we reported that British propaganda was active in Turkey—actively anti-Russian. x Both Turkey and Italy want to be boss of the Balkans. Britain is committed to support Turkey, which makes it rather difficult to comply with Mussolini’s wishes. The Turks would give Lord Runciman his running shoes as soon as he stepped ashore. Dictator Ismet Inonu has no wish to

join Benes, of Czecho Moscicki, of Poland. ... II In the last war the sorship department ca lot of well merited c incredible tactlessne: efficiency—in fact fc sort of behaviour distinguished the pre« ment. But in 1918 covered that the sup responsible was a Ge ... All This week the R.A active on a wide e Western front, fighters have been successful. Hawke and Supermarine Sp ed 17 German machi