NEW PHASE OF WAR

Southland Times, Issue 24882, 23 October 1942, Page 5

NEW PHASE OF WAR

GENERAL SMUTS LOOKSI_AHEAD LONDON, October 21. Nearly 1000 peers and members of the House of Commons, including all Cabinet members, met secretly in London today to hear General J. C. Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa, speak. Mr David Lloyd George presided and the High Commissioners, including Mr W. J. Jordan, sat facing General Smuts divided by a gangway from the Cabinet members behind whom were the members of the House of Lords and then the members of the House of Commons. There were thunderous cheers and clapping as the Speaker, Captain E. A. Fitzroy, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Simon, Mr Churchill and Mr Lloyd George walked down the aisle followed by General Smuts, who walked alone. General Smuts, who prefers to use the title of general, wore a field-marshal’s uniform and his breast was ablaze with medal ribbons. The hall seated about 800 and many members of the House of Commons found standing room only. The audience frequently cheered and applauded General Smuts throughout his speech, especially when he made reference to China, Holland and Greece and to the other oppressed nations, but the loudest cheering followed his praise for Russia.

“When we survey the world heaving today in its agony we see everywhere the same spirit lighting up the sombre scene,” said the general. “The spirit of man is neither dead nor decadent. It will never bend the knee before the new slavery. The light of freedom which has guided our slow and falter-

ing advance through the ages still shines in the night which _ has overtaken us. Glory is still with us and we shall follow it with all our strength and devotion to the new dawn which surely awaits our race. “But the rough and terrible passage before us calls for all our combined resources, all our concentrated will and effort, all our highest leadership to carry us to our goal. There is no place for complacency or for wishful thinking. The mortal struggle is on. It will become more cruel and more desperate as the end draws nearer. „ HEROIC BRITISH PEOPLE The people of Britain, he said, were the real heroes of this epic and worldwide drama. Their spirit was unbending and unbreakable. Though they had suffered greatly and had lost many things they had not lost the most precious thing of all. Rather had it increased. The soul of the country remained. The glory had not departed from the land. Britain’s glory was to have stood in the breach and to have kept the way open to man’s vast future. This was the glory of a spirit which saw and knew no defeat or loss, but increasingly nerved, nourished and sustained the will to final victory. But the/ spirit of resolution, endurance and sacrifice was not confined to Britain. Other Allied nations, each in its own degree, shared this spirit. Examining the war situation, he said: “Our role for the first three years was necessarily defensive, we could barely maintain our selfdefence against terrible odds. In the cases where we were in honour bound to take the offensive in support of other small people we suffered reverses which still further weakened us. However, we shall never regret the help we did our best to bring to Norway, Holland and Greece in their hour of need. In these common sufferings the United Nations were born. But those efforts were indeed beyond our resources at the time and we suffered discouraging reverses. Only in Africa could we assume the offensive.

“The most deadly catastrophe of all was the fall of France. It was an awful moment in history. So sudden a fall of a great nation and a world Power was a phenomenon almost unknown in history and this particular biow was as unexpected as it was deadly. The enemy looked upon it as the end for us also and this infatuation providentially saved us. Instead of immediately turning on London the enemy persevered on his planned course to Paris and gave us the opportunity to recover our breath and to prepare for the blitzkrieg on London. ALLIED CAUSE SAVED “The defeat of the Luftwaffe in that supreme crisis saved not only London and Britain, but also, I firmly believe, the whole Allied cause and the future of the world. “The fall of France was followed by another fatal mistake on the part of Hitler. Baulked in his air attack on London, he knew that it would be unsafe to attempt the invasion of Britain before first clearing his rear in Russia. The magnitude and duration of the Russian resistance has surprised not only Hitler, but probably everybody else. It is probable that no such losses on both sides have ever been suffered in the history of war. If the Russian losses are terrible, it is equally true that the German Army is bleeding to death in Russia. The appalling blood-letting which is necessary for Hitler’s ultimate defeat is being administered by the Russians and they alone can do it. In spite of their losses in men, in material and in territory the Russians show not the least sign of giving in and their bitter defence will go on to the bitter end. This impression is confirmed by all inside information. “Hitler has ‘done his best to avoid Napoleon’s example, but history may yet record that the course he has actually adopted is one even more fatal than Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow. The course for us all to follow is clear —whatever help in whatever form we can give to Russia to sustain her in her collossal effort must be given in the fullest measure and with the utmost speed. She is bearing more than her share of the common burden. “After the fall of France,’’ said General Smuts, “the Vichy regime opened the door to Japan in Indo-China and the flood poured into Siam, Malaya and Burma. The Dutch East Indies and other island, groups in the Far East

were doomed to fall before the Japanese flood was stopped just short of the shores of Australia and New Zealand. The Allies have been blamed for these tremendous setbacks, which have been hinted at as a sign of the approaching downfall of the British Commonwealth. As a matter of fact the situation developed as a logical sequence to the downfall of France. JAPAN’S DOOM

“The Allies mourn the series of losses of territrory, particularly of the great Dutch East Indies and deplore their lack of greater opportunity to help China, but those things pass. For Japan, as for Hitler’s Germany, the writing is on the wall and all that remains will be Japan for the Japanese. Japan sealed her own doom through her attack on Pearl Harbour, which consolidated and crystallized American opinion as nothing else could have done.' “The three steps which had marked the climb of the democracies out of the abyss,” he went on, “were the defeat of the Luftwaffe over London; the treacherous attack by Germany on Russia despite the peace treaty between them and Pearl Harbour in its timely effort in carrying America into the war.

“We have much to be thankful for, he said, “but nothing less than the colossal mistakes of our enemies. Will a fourth blunder be committed? Will Japan, in spite of her peace treaty with Russia, launch a treacherous attack against her. Only time will show.” Turning to the question of a second front, he said he would not discuss the future strategy of the war, but would leave that subject to the amateur strategists. He would emphasize, however, that one phase of the war had ended and that another had begun. The final alignment of the two sides had been completed. The resources of the United Natons were on the increase while those of the enemy were on the decline.

The United Nations man-power was steadily growing while that of the enemy was being constantly depleted, added General Smuts. The spectre of want and starvation had appeared in the subject countries and there was growing unrest against the totalitarian masters. The situation was ripening for great developments. Time hitherto had been on the side of the United Nations and once the time came to take the offensive it would be folly to hesitate. Nor were the United Nations likely to do so. “On this point it would be unwise for me to say more,” he said.

Contrasting Nazi ideology with the principles of democracy, General Smuts said the real issue in the struggle had become perfectly clear. There was a challenge to all democratic peoples held dear. This war was a new crusade, a new fight to the death for man's rights and liberties.

Envisaging the post-war world, he said that with the experiences of the last war they ought this time to hammer out something more clear and practicable than before. They could not hope to establish a new order at once in the bleak post-war world, but there were certain social and economic problems that could be tackled almost at once on an international scale to make a better world and a richer life for man. There was no reason why they should not thankfully and sincerely attempt to carry out the task which would lie before them. The people were searching their souls for the causes of the war and one of the post-war tasks would be to build a new kind of human solidarity and a new spirit among men that would remove those causes. CHEERING - !MESSAGE General Smuts’s Prediction (Rec. 9.50 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 21. The Times, in a leading article, says: “Confirming with his authoritative judgment the opinion expressed by so many lesser strategists General Smuts spoke of the present moment as the turning-point into the offensive and final phase of the war. He reinforced his declaration with a note of immediate urgency. His are the words of one who shares the supreme direction of Allied strategy and understands the practical business of war. They should carry to all hard-pressed peoples whose hope is in British aid a message of good cheer.”

The Daily Mail says: “Those who have talked of British decadence and imperial disunity have their answer from this wise imperial statesman.”