BRITAIN ALERT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 September 1940, Page 5

BRITAIN ALERT

Awaiting Enemy Invasion Attempt

Mr Winston Churchill’s Rallying Call

CRUX OF THE WAR GERMAN BID FOR AIR MASTERY Invasion Preparations Going Forward on Great Scale SHIPPING AND BARGES ASSEMBLED IN PORTS UNDER CONSTANT BRITISH ATTACK THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, MR WINSTON CHURCHILL, IN A BROADCAST TO PEOPLE AT HOME AND OVERSEAS, TRANSMITTED BY DAVENTRY, SPOKE OF THE BARBARITY OF THE GERMAN AIR ATTACK ON LONDON AND WARNED THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN THAT THEY MUST NOW BE PREPARED FOR AN INVASION. THE PEOPLE OF LONDON AND THE COUNTRY GENERALLY WERE BEARING THEIR HEAVY ORDEAL WITH FORTITUDE AND COMPOSURE, MR CHURCHILL DECLARED, AND WERE READY FOR EVERYTHING THAT MIGHT COME. Referring’ to German air attacks on Britain, Mr Churchill said the efforts of Germany to secure daylight mastery of the air over England were the crux of the whole war. So far they had failed completely. It had cost them very dear and Britain was actually and relatively a good deal stronger than when the hard fighting began in July. There was no doubt that Hitler was using up his fighter forces at a very high rate and if he went on for many more weeks, he would weaken and ruin this vital part of the German Air Force, which would give Britain a very great advantage. It would be very hard for the Germans to try to invade Britain without having secured mastery in the air. It would be a very hazardous undertaking. Nevertheless, all the preparations for an invasion on a great scale were steadily going forward Mr Churchill observed. Several hundreds of self-propelled bargesf were going down the coast of Europe from German and Dutch harbours to the ports of Northern France, from Dunkirk to Brest and beyond Brest to the harbours of the Bay of Biscay. Besides this, convoys of merchant ships in tens and dozens were being moved through the Straits of Dover into the Channel, dodging’ along from port to port under the protection of the new batteries the Germans had established along the French shore. There were now considerable gatherings of shipping in German, Dutch and Belgian harbours. Behind these clusters of ships and barges were very large numbers of German troops, awaiting orders to go on board and set out on a dangerous and uncertain voyage. It could not be said when they would try to make the attempt and no one could be sure that they would try at all, but no one should blind themselves to the fact that a heavy, huge-scale attack on Britain was being prepared with all thoroughness. It might be launched at any time on England, Scotland or Ireland or on all three. If it was going to be tried at all it did not seem that it could be long delayed, as the weather might break and it was difficult for the enemy to keep these gatherings of ships and barges in ports where they were bombed every evening by the R.A.F. and shelled by warships waiting for them outside. PEOPLE MUST REGARD THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AS THE MOST MOMENTOUS IN BRITAIN’S HISTORY. EVERY MAN AND WOMAN SHOULD THEREFORE PREPARE TO DO THEIR DUTY, WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. BRITAIN’S FLEET AND FLOTILLAS WERE VERY POWERFUL AND NUMEROUS. THE AIR FORCE WAS AT THE GREATEST STRENGTH IT HAD EVER REACHED, CONSCIOUS OF ITS SUPERIORITY, NOT INDEED IN NUMBERS, BUT IN MEN AND MACHINES. THE SHORES OF BRITAIN WERE WELL FORTIFIED AND STRONGLY MANNED. They had a far larger and better equipped mobile army than ever before and, in addition, there were 1| million men of the Home Guard who were just as much soldiers as those in the Regular Army, and who were determined to fight for every inch of ground. People in London send a message of good cheer to the fighting forces in the sea, air and the waiting armies.

BOMB EXPLODES NEAR PALACE Early on Tuesday morning- a time-bomb exploded near Buckingham Palace. Their Majesties were not in the Palace at the time and no one was injured. Damage was done to some of the heavy columns and windows on the north wing were blown out.