NAZI METHODS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21226, 24 September 1940, Page 2

NAZI METHODS

AERIAL BOMBARDMENTS STRAIN ON CIVILIANS SMALL MILITARY GAINS (United Press Asn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 22 The Nazi method of carrying out aerial bombardments over a wide area by single machines or small formations undoubtedly imposes a severe strain on the civil population and necessarily causes damage, but, by its very nature, military gains are small. In a large area such as London, which, as a centre of population, ha* grown up gradually and absorbed what once were surrounding towns and villages, “military targets/’ in a broadest sense of the term, are inevitably scattered throughout the residential and commercial areas. Consequently, of a number of bombs indiscriminately dropped, some are bound to land on such places as gasworks and factories, as well as hospitals and railway stations. The greatest number have burst on what forms the highest proportion of the target’s surface—roads and streets. These, of course, cause damage of a varying degree to surrounding buildings, the vast majority oi which, when hit, suffer damage which, from a military point of view, is not commensurate with the cost incurred in hitting it. The German View It is probably for this reason that | the German High Command—knowing that its pilots are unlikley to reach that high degree of individual efficiency and courage which distinguishes pilots and crews of the Royal Air Force and enables them to deliver, one after another, successful attacks on genuine military objectives—has regarded and probably still regards night air operations as militarily ineffective. The German technique is a crushing blow, delivered by mass formations, and the German High Command has shown by its two efforts that it would, if it could, apply this method to mass daylight attacks. Both these endeavours, however, have been signally defeated by the Royal Air Force and, while the Luftwaffe chiefs are thinking out a third set of daylight mass tactics, night bombing seems to be regarded as a cheap—so far as losses are concerned—and harassing alternative. The attack on civilian morale, however, is a well-tried weapon in the political armoury of the Nazis. Hitherto disruption from within has been found to be sufficiently effective, especially if it is accompanied by some measure of physical brutality, the latter being increased proportionately to the inability of “idealogical” subversion to bring about the requisite state of internal confusion. Poor Soil for Discord Seeds In applying their methods to Britain, the Nazis found but poor •oil for their seeds of discord. The British people, whatever may be their individual political views, are, for practical purposes, unanimous in their hearty dislike of Nazi doctrines and in their determination to resist them. The ideals of freedom are too deeply rooted, and consequently the weapon of physical fear is employed in endeavours to break down resistance by nervous exhaustion. Just as the mass attacks failed and the endeavour to produce internal discord met with no success, so does It appear that the weapon of terror is not only blunting its own edge, hut is itself forging a counter-weapon which will utterly destroy and root out from the world for ever the malignant growth of Nazi practice.

SHORTAGE OF FOODS

RATIONING IN FRANCE (L’nltad Press Asn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright> (Received Sept. 24, 11 a.m.) BERLIN, Sept. 23 The News Agency stated that bread, pastry, cheese, coffee, sugar, rice, meat and fats are being rationed in France from to-day.

EXPLOSIONS AT ARSENAL

TWO KILLED. SIX INJURED (United Press Asn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright; (Received Sept. 24, 1 p.m.) DOVER (New Jersey) Sept. 23 Two were killed and six people were injurel as a result of an explosion at a United States Army arsenal. The eight victims were engaged in removing fuses from Great War shells.