SURPRISE AT DAKAR

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21229, 27 September 1940, Page 6

SURPRISE AT DAKAR

Operations at Dakar have not resulted as was expected, but it is yet too soon to assume that the incident has been closed. General de Gaulle has apparently withdrawn his forces rather than continue the fight by Frenchmen against Frenchmen, though there is no doubt he could force the issue if he wished. He has obviously been surprised by the determination of the Dakar authorities to obey the commands of the Vichy Government when he had been led to believe that a large proportion of Frenchmen in Senegal desired to join forces with Free France. General de Gaulle has apparently decided that Dakar must make its own decision whether it is to join the Allies or continue to accept the rule of the Vichy Government. How serious the engagement between ships and shore was is not yet clear, but heavy casualties have been reported. Even if Senegal as a whole is inclined towards General de Gaulle, it has been demonstrated that considerable fighting strength is at the command of the Dakar authorities. Germans and Italians are reported to have been filtering into Dakar for some time, and they no doubt have strengthened the resistance. If they gain anything like control of Dakar, Britain as well as Free France will be vitally interested, because Dakar occupies a vital strategical position on the Empire shipping route round the Cape of Good Hope and might seriously menace British shipping. It is in addition the African terminal of the Atlantic flying route to South America previously operated by the Germans. At least General de Gaulle’s expedition has demonstrated to the French African colonies that powerful assistance from the sea is theirs for the asking. It is the belief that the rank and file of Frenchmen in several of the colonies are emphatically in favour of supporting Free France, but as is often the case, a minority of officials gives a different complexion to outward appearances. Dakar has on this occasion rebuffed General de Gaulle, but it is not improbable that the will of free Frenchmen will yet find expression and that General de Gaulle will ultimately be welcomed back to Dakar. In the meantime the fact that the Dakar forts went as far as to fire on French officers bearing a flag of truce leaves an unfortunate impression. It savours rather of German than of French tactics.