VITAL HOUR

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1940, Page 7

VITAL HOUR

British Official Wireless.

BRITAIN ALERT DANGERS OF INVASION FULL MOON ; HIGH TIDES

Rec. 6.30 p.m. Rugby, Sept. 14. Mr. Churchill's broadcast on Wednesday, in which he showed how seriously he regards the chances „ of an early attempt at invasion and with what measured coruidence he feels the nation may face the prospect, has given direction to public discussion on the next phase of the war. Those who for some time have been expecting events must soon move towards some kind of . climax find corroboration in Mr. Churchill's rallying call, while those who argued that a pause was inevitable after the obvious failure of the Luftwaffe's attempt to obtain air mastery over Britain are more ready than fornierly to concede that they may not have given sufficient weight to Herr Hitler's desperate need of an early decision. Wanton Bombing. In particular, those who tended to the latter view are obviously shaken by the new tactics of the wanton bombing of London. Leaving entirely on one side the legitimacy of the objectives selected for attack, where these can be distinguished from the entirely indiscrimate unloading of bombs over the heads of a large civilian population, they are of such minor importance from the point of view directly damaging British military strength that these tactics can only be explained on the assumption that Herr Hitler is hazarding all on the chance of creating demoralisation in the rear while he tries to circumvent Britain's defences at the coasts. . . The most competent authonties, therefore, present the air war on London's churches, houses, offices and schools, on men, women and children from the poorest in the East End to the richest in Mayfair, from the humblest to the King and Queen, as an admission of weakness. In this connection it is interesting to note that the almost unanimous verdict of observers in the United States is that this form of attack represents one of those major and disastrous miscalculations to which the German exponents of power politics always seem liable.

Invasion Bases. Writers in the Press and those in political and diplomatic circles who are watching for the decisive hour have not failed to note the considerable concentration in recent days of the Royal Air Force's bombing raids against the enem, 's invasion bases and communications/ Given the moon approaching the full and high tides about dawn, the significance of these heavy Royal Air Force attacks is felt to be considerable, but, while they are regarded -as evidence of the alertness of the British side against invasion, they are also seen as reducing its likelihood. Comment. in the technical military Press of Soviet Russia and in the United States gives ground for the deduction that reports received from neutral experts at London have left no doubt of the failure of the German effort to disable the fighter command— itself, as all commentators agree, an almost essential preliminary to invasion with any chance of success. Now that the bomber and coastal commands have made a further contribution to the frustration of the German High Command's plans it may be hazarded that the estimate of German chances of successfully invading Britain is very low in well inforrncd mi.lit3.ry circles abroad, except where German influence prevents free judgment. Some commentators, including the leader writer of the Manchester Guardian, seem to suspect that the estimate may even not be very high at R°™e' and that this may aecount for thc ■delay in launching a djversion in the Middle East.