MR CHURCHILL’S EXTENDED SURVEY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 September 1941, Page 6

MR CHURCHILL’S EXTENDED SURVEY

Notable improvement in Position at Sea BUT BATTLE OF ATLANTIC NOT YET WON IMPORTANCE OF FIGHT-POINT DECLARATION (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1D.50 a.mJ RUDDY, September 9. The Prime Minister (Mr Winston Churchill) prefaced his statement in the House of Commons on the war situation with an account of his meeting with President Roosevelt, at which, he said, conclusions were reached on four main topics: (1) The Eight Point Declaration. (2) Measures of help for tho Soviet. (3) The policy to be pursued towards Japan. (4) A large number of technical matters to be dealt with by the Service chiefs of both countries. Dealing with the Eight Point Declaration, Mr Churchill said: “Although the principles of the declaration have long been familiar to the British and American democracies, the fact that it is a united declaration sets up a milestone or monument which needs only the stroke of victory to become a permanent part of the history of human progress.” Speaking of the Battle of the Atlantic, the Premier said the actual figures of shipping losses in July and August would not be given, as it was inadvisable to give the enemy too precise or early information as to the success or failure of his manoeuvres. “The public and indeed the whole v/orld, however, has derived the impression that things have gone much better in these two months. I cannot deny that this is so,” Mr Churchill added, amidst cheers. The improvement in the sea war had manifested itself in a falling off of sinkings and consequent increase in the arrival of valuable cargoes, and the estimate he had made at the beginning of the year looked as though it would be exceeded. A further manifestation of the improvement was a great rise in the destruction of enemy shipping during the last three months, achieved by brilliant new tactics of the Coastal Command aircraft and the exploits of submarines. By these two weapons, the destruction of enemy shipping had been enormous. “I may say,” Mr Churchill stated, “that the sinkings of British and Allied shipping by enemy action in July and August, added together, do not amount to much more than a third of the German and Italian tonnage we have sunk by aircraft and submarines. Our achievement is even more remarkable when it is remembered the target presented to the enemy is ten, possibly twenty, times greater than that offered to the British forces.” Britain’s world-wide trade involved 2,000 ships and never fewer than 400 in danger zones, said Mr Churchill. TRIBUTE TO SUBMARINE SERVICE He paid a high tribute to the submarine service and added that during 1941 British submarines had sunk or seriously damaged seventeen enemy warships, some of which were Üboats and 105 supply ships, varying from large 20,000-ton liners to caiques laden with troops. The British successes had been the reward of patience and exertions, “although,” he added, “let us hear no more fine talk about the Battle of the Atlantic being won.” Referring to his visit to Iceland, Mr Churchill said United States and British naval and air forces were stationed on the island and would play an ever-increasing part in maintaining supplies.