Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1940. BRITAIN ON HER METTLE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1940, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1940. BRITAIN ON HER METTLE.

AS in the days of the Napoleonic wars, Britain is now confronted by a deadly enemy exercising a virtually unrestricted sway on the Continent of Europe, lhe of France is well calculated to intimidate those of the smal lei European countries which have not yet been made subject, by brute force or by intrigue, to direct Nazi domination Russia, too, on the showing of her own Governinen , is linked yth Germany in “good-neighbourly relations, winch cannot be disturbed by rumours and lies’’ and are “rooted in lhe common interest of Germany and Russia.’’ Q . Passing over, for the time being, the fact that the oouei, if it is relying thus comfortably on its pact with the Nazis, is living in a fool’- paradise, Germany, from a military standpoint, admittedly is strongly placed in Europe. She holds the whole western seaboard of the continent, from Arctic Norway to the Spanish frontier and very shortly her obedient, servant Italy no doubt will be holding a great part of what remains o .Southern France. Then again, to look no further afield, the neutrality of Spain is somewhat uncertain. The'effect in detail of the French capitulation has yet to be made fully manifest. The stand taken throughout the French colonies against the discredited Bordeaux Government makes it. certain that important. French forces will continue to make common cause with the Allies, but at lime of anting there is no complete and assured information as to the late ot the French fleet and air force. It is not in doubt, however that considerable quantities of French war material of one kind and another will now be made available to the enemy. It is sufficiently obvious that Britain is threatened uith formidable attacks in the immediate future. Happily, in coping with these attacks, the Mother Country has tremendous forces to bring into plav—her Navy, Air Force and Army, with. the various,auxiliary forces, the mighty power of her organised industries, her mercantile marine,'the support of her Empire and an assured and growing flow of war materials and supplies from the United States. . . The supreme demand of the situation is that whatever attacks the Nazis are able to' launch during the remaining months of fine weather in the northern hemisphere shall be decisively repelled. Maintaining her defences intact, Britain will findin. the winter an opportunity for hopeful and extended preparation—for a great expansion of her defensive and striking po'wer. The enemy, om the other hand, has gambled desperately on speedy victory, and, failing to achieve that objective where Britain is concerned, will inexitablj at least begin in winter to incur the penalties that policy entails. Due emphasis was laid in one of yesterday’s cablegrains on the fact that Nazi aggression has, actually or in effect, laid waste a great part of Europe. In. particular, the sources of food supply of vast, masses of population have been destroyed or disastrously disorganised. Probably nothing could now be done, even if the resources of the whole world were drawn upon to that end, that would greatly modify the inevitable effects during the coming winter of this frightful policy of destruction. The stage is set in Europe for tragedy on a colossal scale when winter descends. Against the gloomy picture of the desolation already wrought by the Nazis and the yet more terrible things in store, the organisation of the British nation for its own defence and that of world civilisation stands out in noble and magnificent contrast. Britain has vast material resources to draw upon, but her greatest asset of all is the spirit by which her fighting forces ami her civilian population are alike animated—the spirit of a free people roused to put the last ounce of effort into the defence of the things they hold dear. In his latest broadcast, the British Minister of Labour, yir Ernest Bevin, has given some account of the splendidly spontaneous team work, ever more effectively organised and directed, in which the people of the United Kingdom are building up their fighting forces in steadily increasing strength and are increasing apace the output of every vital branch of industry. People throughout the Empire will share Mr Bevin’s confidence that this mighty effort of a free nation—an effort to which there is no parallel in Germany, with its Gestapo, concentration camps and brutal suppression of all liberties—.will not be made in vain but will prevail over the powers of darkness and bestiality. In this great matter, New Zealand’s part, in common with lhe rest of the Empire, is to give the Mother Country all the help it is humanly posible to give, and to give it quickly.