WON BY BRITAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 December 1940, Page 7

WON BY BRITAIN

DECISIVE AIR BATTLES STATEMENT BY AMERICAN OBSERVER. SOME UNSATISFIED NEEDS. (By Telegraph—Press Associaiton —Copyright) 'NEW YORK, December 3. ’ The United States’ official observer, Major-General Chaney, ’who has returned from Britain, said the air battles of August and September were “as decisive as Marathon and Waterloo.” “I do not believe that Britain will lose the war,” he said, “unless she becomes careless or over-confident. The German planes are good, but the present fortress warfare will never bring Britain to her knees. "The United States' observers have gained secret technical information worth a hundred million dollars ” he added. He expressed the opinion that Britain needs at least 100 destroyers, with merchantment, aircraft and munitions from the United States, and also bases from Eire.

AIR ATTACK CANNOT BREAK COUNTRY. DECLARATION BY SPANISH CORRESPONDENT. LONDON, December 3. The London correspondent of a Madrid newspaper sums up his views on the air war, aftex- having experienced the “airblitz” on London, as follows: “Air attack, at its present stage, has not sufficient power to break a country. Even the most powerful bombs break their teeth against reinforced concrete. Of the 35 road and rail bridges over the Thames in the London area, not one has been put out of action.” An American columnist, writing in the New York “Herald-Tribune” says that mankind owes a debt to Britain fox- restoring to men their lost faith in themselves. The “New York Times,” paying a tribute to the people of Southampton, says that the Germans can no more destroy the spirit of Southamptoix than King Canute could command the waves. x.

CANNON FOR FIGHTERS MORE EFFECTIVE WEAPONS THAN MACHINE-GUNS. (Received This Day, 9.5 a.m.) LONDON, December 4. British fighters are being fitted with cannon, the chief advantages of which are longer range and greater damaging power. The trajectory of the machine-guns used in Hurricanes and Spitfires drops sharply beyond a strictly limited range and the fighters are finding it increasingly difficult to shoot down powerful, armour-plated raiders. Those equipped with cannon accounted recently for a number of raiders; it is not permissible to state how many. The 1 cannon the R.A.F. machines are carrying is. believed to be a new weapon —an Hispano-Suiza gun which should prove more effective than an armament of eight Browning machine-guns. The French found Hispano-Suizas most effective against German tanks.

LONDON & MIDLANDS ATTACKED ON TUESDAY NIGHT. CASUALTIES NOT LARGE. (Received This Day. 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, December 4. The Air Ministry states that the enemy attacked London and the Midlands last night. Bombs were also dropped at various points between these places and the coast. The total casualties should not prove large. A number of fires in the Midlands Were soon under control. No large fires were reported from the London area.

Some 975 officers of the Bank of New South Wales have been granted leave of absence for the duration of the war, according to information given by the president, Mr R. W. Gillespie, to' the annual meeting of the bank in Sydney on Friday. Of these men 267 are waiting to be called up. Mr Gillespie paid a tribute to the spirit of devotion and patriotism of the bank's staff.