NAZIS TALK OF INVASION

Southland Times, Issue 24229, 12 September 1940, Page 7

NAZIS TALK OF INVASION

Raids Described As Prelude

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) LONDON, September 10.

The Berlin correspondent of the Swiss newspaper Basler Nachrichten says that military circles in Berlin are emphatic in declaring that the German air offensive is a prelude to the invasion of Britain before the end of September. He adds that, in their opinion, the disorganization of the south of England is the first essential.

The unshakeable calm and the increased spirit of determination aroused and the amazing speed with which the wreckage has been cleared away are features of the public reaction to the London air raids which most impressed foreign Press observers who have been given complete freedom to visit the scenes of destruction. The London correspondent of _ the Neue Zurcher Zeitung, who visited thre dock areas which suffered most severely confirms, according to a message from Zurich, that it is civilian property and not military objectives that principally suffered. “Although an era of terror has been started against London.” he adds, “the results so far are mere scratches on the giant frame of Britain’s capital.” MR CHURCHILL’S VISIT The Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, made a further visit to the damaged areas in London this morning. The area visited was in the city where bombs were dropped last night and early this morning. Mr Churchill was recognized by crowds of city workers and loudly cheered. One man raised a shout: “Are we downhearted?” which was followed almost immediately by a full-throated roar, “No,” from thousands of workers. Mr Churchill later lunched with the King at Buckingham Palace. The effect upon food stocks of the Nazi bombing raids on London are’described by Lord Woolton, Minister' of Food, as annoying in detail but entirely unimportant to either the nation’s food supplies or those of London. Flour mills and sugar warehouses suffered chiefly. There was also damage to stores of animal feeding stuffs and meat. None of this damage, however, would affect rationing.

Lord Woolton said that, as a result of patient organization, the Food Ministry knew where the food supplies were and in times like the present the justification for that work was plainly seen. Lord Woolton added that he had visited the East End where he savz people feeding in communal style

after their homes had been damaged. “I think they are perfectly marvellous,” he said. TEMPORARY DISLOCATION The Ministry of Transport announces that the violent and indiscriminate bombing of the past two or three days has naturally caused some temporary dislocation to travelling facilities. In order to enable repairs to proceed with the least possible delay, the public is asked to refrain from unnecessary travel to and from the London area.

Although the recent German bombings bear all the marks of indiscriminate attacks, authoritative quarters in Londpn take the view that the enemy is trying to smash communications. In night raids, the raiders cruised over the metropolis, seeking some indication of their target, and scattered their bombs at random when, they failed to locate their objectives.

The newspapers today give their considered opinion about the reasons for and the effect of the indiscriminate bombing to which London has been subjected on Sunday and Monday nights. Nobody who saw yesterday where bombs had fallen on-London could believe that the Germans tried to confine their aim to military objectives, states The Daily Herald. The Times says that there is every reason to suppose that these attacks will continue nightly for some time. The civil population of London must steel itself to endure a repetition and, perhaps, even an intensification of the ordeals it has already undergone.