HISTORY AS IT HAPPENS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 81, 10 January 1941, Page 2

HISTORY AS IT HAPPENS

In this section weekly will appear a day by day record of the events of history in the making. As some time elapses in the publication of "The Listener’’ this diary is one week retrospective.

Wednesday, December 25 A Cairo communique stated that a vast concentration of troops and artillery has been pouring into Libya and massing around Bardia. The Greeks announced the fall of Himara with the capture of over 700 prisoners and quantities of material. In the Far East a substantial reinforcement of all arms recently arrived at Singapore, and American naval experts were reported to have made preliminary plans for a "road to Singapore" comprising a chain of naval stations across the Pacific. The New Zealand Official War CorTespondent in the Western Desert reported that New Zealand A.S.C. drivers took part in the big advance. Thursday, December 26 The Christmas Day speech of H.M. the King was fully reported and broadcast. The King stated: "We have surmounted a grave crisis. We do not underrate any difficulties which confront us still, but we take courage and comfort from the successes our fighting men and their allies have won at heavy odds by land, sea and air." There were no raids over either England or Germany over Christmas. Dr. Benes broadcast from London that a German victory was now definitely impossible and it would not be long before Italy was out of the struggle. Reports continued that German army trains were moving across Hungary to Rumania to take 300,000 new German troops to Rumania within a month. Friday, December 27 With a slight abatement of the piercing cold on the Albanian front the battle for El Basan had been continued with increased violence. The Greeks vigorously attacked north of Pogradec. An Italian prisoner, a veteran of the Libyan war of 1912 said: " This campaign is a worse defeat than Caporetto and is largely due to the breakdown of the transport system." The British and Dominion troops round Bardia were being reinforced and were taking up positions for an attack. A correspondent of " The Times " who voyaged 3,000 miles with the Mediterranean fleet and saw no sign of the enemy asked whether this was due to Italy being short of fuel or the nation tired of the war. For the third night in succession there Was no enemy air activity over Britain, the longest spell of quiet Britain had known since September. Broadcasting to America the Prime Minister of Eire, Mr. de Valera, appealed to "TIreland’s American friends" for more weapons and foodstuffs, and said that if attacked Ireland would defend itself to the utmost of its power. He fully realised what his country’s neutrality decision involved. Saturday and Sunday, December 28 and 29 Important negotiations have been in progress between the Vichy Government

and Germany but obscurity still cloaked the situation. A number of French naval units have already gone to North Africa from Toulon and Marshal Petain is said to have refused Hitler’s demands for the French fleet. A preliminary audit of the British resources in the United States revealed that Britain would run out of cash to pay for war materials early in the Autumn. A plan was ‘being discussed to build 500 fighter aeroplanes daily in idle automobile plants. The Germans renewed their air attack on England with raids against Southampton and against London. American authorities reported the probable arming of 12 German vessels in Japanese ports for raiding activities in the Pacific as Hitler’s aid to Japan in starting her programme of southward expansion timed to coincide with action by Germany.in South-east Europe. It was reported*that the garrison at Bardia were preparing to evacuate when an urgent order was received direct from Mussolini that they must defend the town at all costs, Marshal Graziani was reported to be building additional fortifications at Tobruk as a second line of defence. Monday, December 30 The full text has been published of President Roosevelt’s broadcast talk in which he appealed to the American nation to turn itself into "the great arsenal of democracy" and pledged the government to expand its aid to Britain, He said: "If Britain were defeated the United States would be living at the point of a gun," and concluded, "I believe the Axis powers are not going to win this war.’ Units of the Royal Navy engaged and damaged a powerful German warship a short action in the North Atlantic. The Germans carried out one of the severest raids of the war on London in which they tried to set fire to the city with incendiary bombs. Admiral Darlan was reported to have conveyed to Germany Marshal Petain’s view that he would not tolerate the passage of German troops across unoccupied France nor the German employment of the French navy, and that assurances on these points had been given to Britain. Tuesday, December 31 The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, announced the rescue by an Australian ship of 500 people landed on a small island of the Bismarck Group from enemy commerce raiders. They were survivors from a number of vessels sunk in the South Pacific and the Tasman Sea. Lord Woolton warned the people of Britain that they would have less to eat in 1941. The Greek advance continued methodically in spite of bad weather, and four Italian supply ships were sunk in the Adriatic. Hungary was reported to be planning complete mobilisation by January 15.