RESULT OF CAPITULATION OF FRANCE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21196, 20 August 1940, Page 5

RESULT OF CAPITULATION OF FRANCE

TROOPS, GUNS AND MOST OF EQUIPMENT SAVED (Official Wireless) (Received August 20, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, August 19 A War Office communique states: “The original Allied dispositions in Somaliland were based on a scheme of close Franco-British co-operation. Under this scheme the French forces at Jubuti were to hold the right flank——the pivot of the whole position. With the sudden secession of the French Government from participation in further hostilities a new and grave situation was created. More than half the available Allied force had been neutralised, and it became immediately necessary to decide upon the most effective measures for dealing with the emergency.

“Various alternatives were open to us. We could reinforce British Somaliland in sufficient strength to ensure its safety, but to do so w T ould have involved employing important reserves and thereby weakening the reserves in other theatres of war more important to our immediate war effort than Somaliland. The time factor was also a serious consideration in this plan, therefore it was abandoned reluctantly.

“Another alternative was the immediate unresisting evacuation. This meant giving up the British territory without fighting and thereby losing an opportunity of inflicting losses on the enemy in men and material, which it will be difficult for him to replace.

“A third course was to remain with our small force, using it to inflict maximum losses on the enemy until withdrawal became inevitable. This third course was chosen and the evacuation of Somaliland has now been successfully completed.

“Our force has been withdrawn, and all guns except two lost in the earlier stages of the action have been embarked. A great part of the material, stores and equipment has also been evacuated and the remainder destroyed. Our wounded have been safely brought away.

“The British, Rhodesian, Indian, African and Somali troops, working in closest co-operation with the Navy and the Royal Air Force have carried out the role assigned them with conspicuous skill and bravery against greatly superior strength.

“The enemv losses, particularly among the Blackshirts units, have been heavy and out of all proportion to our own.”