FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW DAILY SURVEY OF WORLD COMMENT ON THE WAR COMPILED FROM TELEGRAPHIC REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE HINISTBY OF INFORMATION 56 .......................................J:~:t.h...M~9.h: 1940 No. The Dutch Press is today occupied with the Brenner meeting between Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini and several papers take the view that the best course for the belligerents to adopt is to make a compromise peace now. HET HANDELSBLAD writes: "It is obvious that Hitler is trying to check­mate Allied diplomacy and to call a dra~ -so as to force them into a position of im:.:iotence, in which they are forced to make peace. The tone of the Dictators' decisions will de]end on what the Allies can do in the near future. will they be able to get ahead of Hitler and take the initiative, mr has he cut in on them by restoring the Axis to all its former glory? Or will both parties realise that they are playing a drawn game and that a peace of cam~ promise is the logical solution?" DE M.MSBODE, the Catholic organ, suggests that it might be better to conclude a just peace now than when Europe has become a "heap of ruins"and clearly favours a compromise peace. The NISUvVE B.OTT~RDAviSCHE COUAANT, the Liberal organ, writes: "The Allies' potential strength has increased, but victory after a war of exhaustion will be a Pyrrhic victory for them, whilst for Gennany a long war will be even more disastrousa If, however, peace is to have the sup_,?ort of President Roosevelt and the ?ope, it must be in a different direction from that so far adopted by the TotaJ,itarian States." Another article in this paper states: "'l'here is no doubt that should Germany come out with peace proposals during the Easter holiday, they would be torpedoed by England without hesitation, but it is an open question whether the British Government has an answer ready to other possible surprises from the same quarter. " The ) eace offensive is also discussed by DE 'l'ELEGRAAF, which ways that though terms not offering a permanent solution to the European ?roblem would be forthwith refused, a 2lausible plan might be produced which would place the Allies in a very awkward :.;)Qsition. This pa 1er believes, however, that official viewsin London have been modified and that the Government "might be i;eady to make peace with the present leaders of Germany." A quite diffel.·ent attitude is adopted by HET VOLK, the organ of the Social Democratic Labour Party, which states: "England is not sympathetically disposed to a new German peace offensive." Both HET VADR..tL.AJiTI and the NIEU'vf.E ROT'IZi:ID.Al1iSCrlE Wu.KANT .express the belief that Italy will remain outside the war unless circumstances change to any considerable degree. "'· 19. 3. 40. 2 U. 8. A. : PR:~SIDJ!:NT ROOS..:.V_.LT' S SYJ::JP.:-1.Tlff.LS. "Certainly Mr. Roosevelt is sympathetic to the cause of the Allies and antagonistic to the cause of the Dictators, "writes the n::..i· YORK MIRROR today• commentine on the U.S. President's broadcast. This paper adds: "lf.r. Roosevelt cerfa.inly sent Mr. Sumner ·::elles to ~urope to find out how America can help to effect peace that viill not embarrass or jeopardise the interests of the Allies. 11 The Russo-Finnish peace has continued to dominate the editorial pages of the -~nericah Provincial papers and the proposed Scandinavian alliance was widely discussed. and regarded by many journals as desirable. Under the headline "Scandinavia a sisnpost" the CHRI.3TE1J ScL.;NCE 110NITOR -,-.Tote: "In the series of editorial articles on international federation, Yihich concludes ni th this article 0 1:re have seen hovr the system of federation has already brousht peace and. prosperity to the nations ~dopting it and. that its extension means notrestriction but the enlargeBent of individual liberty. ·:e have seen that it sup1:ilants the Yrar method. \Vith the law method and provides a type of international machinery free from those defects which offered opportunity for the misuse and non-use of the League of Nations." In an article in the LOS AJ'JCf~LGS fu::_::JfIINER, it ·was stated: "An essential move now for the protection of all Scundinavian nations and their liberties would seem to be a close defensive £:~lliance. The small weak states of LUrope have all along been the greatest menace to European peace and. safety~" Discussing the exchange of 1yrolese inhabitants tbe ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH declared: 11 Ge:::·m11.ny ·Has Italy's debtor before the deal was negotiated yet she came out of it vrith Rome or;ing her no less a sum than ,S300~000.ooo. ·, -~ven Hitler must be hard-pressed before he puts his blood brothers on the block for the sake of credits that he is not too sure of collecting. 11 The D~N\T5R POST referring to the reported Soviet pledge to Germany to respect Roumania states: "Can you think of anything funnier than such slick double crossers as Stalin and Hitler exchanging de.finite' pledges and putting faith in each others promises? Ei·cher of them ....-muld betray his ovm grandmother, Stalin knows that eventually Hitler will try to seize a slice of Russia, and Hitler must knov7 that if ever Stalin gets the chance to stick a knife in his back the Russian Dictator will do it." The C'-&:EN\/ICH TIMES referring to religious questions Y»rete: "High Catholic:! oircles now foresee an announcement of more intense _ Moscow­Berlin collaboration. Such an announcement v:ill be gags in the teeth of Catholicism which is why the G-erman job now is to prevent an open declaration of war with the Vatican. "The Priesthood knovrs that the biggest single disturbing influence is the passive resistance of Polish, Czech and Austrian Catholics, This undercover revolt is not minimised. by the Germans. 'i'he objective is to d.issuad.e the Vatican fron mobilising the l;uropean spiritual arny. 11 Discussing the re-isRue of Rentenmarks in Berlin, the CHICAGO TIMES observed. sarcastically: 11 Perhaps the Germans will use them for ersats wall-paper, " / 19. 3. 40, 3 _\ hin'i:; to Herr Hitler that 8i;~:nor Mussolini is unlikely t(I change his policy of neutri:,lity i s contained, in today's u'V'iJ..SS Press, commenting on the Brenner meeting betw·een the t··:·o Dictators. DER BUED, the Radical Democratic organ, writes: w,-e cannot help believing that Hitler' s journey must have some · connection <"i th Mr. .:elJ.es1 last days in :Lurope. The political si,:::nific2..nce of the meeting will consist in Si gnor Musf!olini's once more reminding Hitler that Italy's actions are governed by Italy's interests and nothing else.n The meeting is described. by the J 0\.:1UT>.r; U:~ G.:.:;fi,.-v:~, the Conservative newspaper, as bearing a 11 strange resemblance to a peace scenario'! 0 and this paper adds: :;The obstacle to any asr eement i s the suspicion aroused by Hi tler's pr omises ever since he deceived his hearers at Munich. 11 The Liberal Democratic organ .11-,.SL...R N.";.CHP.ICH'I',~N declares in a Rome dispatoh: "There is much i dl e talk of a possible change in Italy's policy tmvards Russia but opinion in Rome me.intains that there is no Good reason nOYi why Italy should .-ant this. " Referrin.':'; to Italy 1 s coal si"CcJ.ation the N;:c;UE Zlf.&tc.H:~ ZEITIBIG sta.tes in a Berlin message : urn t r a.nsyort circles here it is believed that an increase in coal delivery to I ta1y by ·.·:;.y of the Brenner pass is only possible if tremendous efforts ar e made and a precise time-table and organisation are intr oduced, The sli~:htest interruption vdll endanger the whoJ.e transport plan. 11 The German ::_)eople ai~e going to be 2,llo~··red a little rela;:ation at Ba<.1ter -they are to be permit t ed to dance for an hour or so in the af·~ernoo.n. _\nnouncin:::: the Jif'ting c£ the ban on Yiar-_time dmc:in.g in Gerrmny under. the headtng 11:::.:aster rel axation of restrictions on da.ncing11 0 the KOLLNISCHb z:..::ITUNG stated yesterday: "By decree of the Reich Einister of the Interior the police order on dance amusement in vvar-time has been rela.>ced for the Easter holiday s to the extent that dn.rtces may be held in the afternoon." The Gerr,1an promises to suppJ.;;r r·caly ',rith all the coal she needs make strange r eading alon:::;side press r eports of the shortage •f fuel in t he Reicri. The B.C:,RLIN ER LOK.'i.L !iliZ:DIG:BR in a r ecent issue printed an effici~l announcement about the distribution of coke in Berlin. The announcement ·1;·as made by the burgomaster Dr. Lippert 11 for ·i;he removal of the t:;eneral coal distress in Berlin." The same paper ':rote of the Ital o-German coal agreement that it was "unique in the circurnstances. 0 Ger;,1an transpor t conditions ar e still affecting such artieles a.s eggs accordi ng to another official an.nou;1c0ment in the LOK'lli _\.NZ-bIG.:~R. The announcement stated.: nPersons in Bc:;rlin entitled to obtain eggs mey ob-'cain seven e;;::gs between March 1 and. A?ril 7. i; .P.ft er r.;i ving details of how the eggs coula. be obtai ned the qualification was aad.ed -"in so far as weather and transport conditions permit. 11 The i~mscn..;.u.GR Z1~I'i'Ul'.'C~ in e. r ec ent issue announced on a front page: "Poland.' s ruined. social insurance ra<.;tored by t:he Governor General .._ nevr importc.nt d.ecree of Dr. Prank -security of living for working classes of Polish population -Je~:s Ydll a.l so i)e assisted. ;i Tlle art icle b"neath the he2.dline stu.t ec1.: n'.I'he effort of the Gerr;ia.n administr.:.\tion of the Governor Gener 2l t o assisn t o the ':mrki ng Polish population a basi s of livinc; and an 2.dequate incorae is 2;ivcn r rmewed expres:.~ion i n a decree of the Governor General on soci al i nsurance. J:'he former Polish Goverrnn<;:mtmrriec. off the capital of the old Polish social insurance :.:hor tly before the entry of the C-erman troops, One of the first measures of the C-enaan administration '.,·as to raise a loan of' 8 ,000 ,000 zloty for the r edemption of payments of pensions and allovrances. T~e n~w decree provides a· l egal basis f or t he future r econstruction of social 1nsurance.11 4 19.3.40. P-.a.ANCZ : IlVilvIEDIA'.i'E P2l'ACE CONDENiNED. The belief that peace at present would represent an ignominious defeat for the Allief! has been expressed in a section of the French 2ress. ',friting in the ORD.i{G yesterday, Bure declared: "?eace at any price me ans certain war. We have l earnt that to our cost. At least let the lesson learnt from experience serve us now. If, in the present circumstances, which England and France must r ecognise are unfavourable to them, they were to agree to negotiate with Hitler's Germany, theirs would soon be the fate of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. It is quite certain that France and :3ngland can only live by bringing t o life again those friendly and Allied nations who were destroyed while they, -the Allies -looked on powerless. "Peace now could mean only defeat, an ignominious defeat since it would have been accepted without battle. I was agreeably surprised, I must confess, to hear this virile opinion put forward on the British wireless, by an English Liberal, by. the leader, in fact, of the British Liberal Party -Sir Archibald Sinclair. rr ' Referri?)g to ifr. Roosevelt's broadcast, 10 'l'~i,i:.c?S stated: "In a message which he addressed to all Christian comrnunities, i\'ir• .Koosevel t declared that there can be no true ~)eace while small nations must live in perpetual fear of ~heir powe~ful neighbours, that a peace which exacted as a guarantee against invasion the ~Jayment of a tribute would be ir.irnoral, and that peace would be impossible if account was not taken of human bro;therhood and of God. Mr. Roosevelt's message is a sev<:::re condemnation of any German peace." DENKlffi.K : "SAlviE OLD AXIS BLUFF". All the Danish Pape.rs today devote considerable space to the meeting between Signor Mussolini and Herr Hitler. The London correspondent· 'Jf the SOCIALDEiviOKrt.ATEN states that Britain does not take the meeting seriously and r ecognises that it is the "same old Axis bluff t echnique . In London the demonstration on the Brermer Pass is noted but people look to the future as if the meeting between Hitler and Mussolini had never taken place. 11 SWEDEN DUCi~ 'S ATTITUDE. J· "Sign0r Mussolini's attitude is uncertain, but despite his ideological antagonism to the Soviet, he has at heart the same attitude as Stalin -the desire to see Germany and the Westt:.rn Powers exh~mst themselves in a long war to the benefit of the non-belligerent." This opinion is expressed today by the Conservative newspaper SVENSKA DAGBLADET, which considers that King Victor Errunanuel has more influence on the Italian pevple than he used to have. The paper states that the King of Italy is known t o be no friend of the A.xis )Olicy . SVENSKA DAGBLAD BT nd:i.'·'':Doubtless the Pope would like to attempt a peace offensive but he carmot fail to notice that the J,llies have not retracted one .I ; iota of their war aims'', STOCKHOH/iS TIDNINGEN, rd'err ing to th0 Brenner meeting, points out that the official Germa.11 pronouncement is no reason to sup;;iose that a peace offen­sive is irnwinent, and adds; "It is un15Y..ely that Mussolini would wish to abandon the r,)le of non-b<.::l ligerent." ©.BSERVATOR, wr i ting in .AF'rONBLADE'.1', stresses the necessity of Sweden standing by Finland, and sup)orts t he sug0cstion of a military alliance. This paper considers, however, that each country must strengthen its own defence forces considerab;Ly defore the time: is ripo for such o.n alliance. Strong criil::l.Gism of th<.; Sw""dish Government was made by the GOTEBOB.GS H.ANDELS -OCH SJOFAHTSTIDNHfG, the Liberal newspaper0 will.ch wrote yesterday: "The Goverrunent, it seems, ha.ve no notion of th'-' e.xasper at j_on and shame which their Finnish policy has P.roduced on thos..; i n t his country who have not sur.cendered their own judg men to "· .5 NORWAY: DEFENSIVE PACT DIFFICULTIES. Commenting on the proposal for a S~andinavian defensi-ve-~J]jance, TIDENS TEGN wrote yesterday: "We see that the Labour Party's Press, with a unanimity which points to higher inspiration, supports the chief Labour organ'A unreserved recommendation for a Scandinavian defence pact. We agree in reality, but we do not believe anything is gained by setting out the pros and cons. The question is much too se1·ious and its many aspects insuffioently explored, " BULGARIA: DUCE'S POLICY OF LOCALISING CONFLICT. The belief that Signor Mussolini intends to continue his policy of localising the war, has been expressed in the Bulgarian Press, 11W In a leader entitled hy delay?", SLOVO wrote yesterday: "London and Paris are today losing time by waiting, especially because the weapon by whieh they won the World War, namely starving out Germany, shows itself ine:f.f'eetual in this war." Referring specificGlly t o the ;!3renner meeting, this paper declared: "Not once, nor twice has London declared that the war is being waged not against the German people, but against the present German regime. Rome has doubtJ.ess well noted this standpoint, because Nazism and Fascism are ideologically blood-brothers. Apart from this the t wo great states are fighting for the revision of peace treaties, opposing the present so-called world equilibrium which assures the plunder of 1919. "Both Dictators feel the necessity f or living space to preserve themselves from the economic suffocation threatening them. The Brenner meeting however, cannot alarm the friends of Peace, f or it is clear that Signor Mussolini, with all his strength and genius, Y1ill work for the localisation of the conflict." U. S. S. R. : RU;>SD. 1 S "PEACE LOVING" POLICY. Apart from articles elaborating t he advantages of the Finnish treaty~ the f.oreign news columns of the Soviet Press have lately been occupied with messages directed against the 11w·estern Impe:r.1alists. " The view is t aken in the Soviet Pre~.s that the 11 Imperialists have been thwarted in their plot to force Scandim.via into war against the u. S. s. R. and they are now bitterly trying to create ~ new war front' elsewhere, notably in the Near East. It is only the peace loving policy of Soviet Russia that has until now kept the European war fr·:-m becoming a world conflagration. British designs in the Near Bast generally and in the Balkans in particular are proved by the presence of large numbers cf British troops in :Sgypt1 Iraq, Palestine, and. Kenya and by the Near Eastern arrqy under General Weygaril." Tendentious reports are published daily in the Soviet Press designed t~ show :i.mrmnent conflict between the Allies and Italy as the result of their ambitions clashing over the Balkans and. the Suez Canal. Prmminence is similarly given to all reports indicating tension between the Allies and any third. party, The U. s. A. comes in for abuse and it is stated: "Wall Street Bankers are helping thei:rl,'uropean Capitalist friends. The U.S.A. are having labour troubles at home and imperialist difficulties in the Philippines. " The Russian Press also f c;atures strike·s in Eir2, resolutions of' English and French vrorkers, and alleged domestic troubles in the British 1'mpire, particularly in Canada, India, Iraq and Burma. 19.3.40. 6 ?m.PJ'liA: DIF:J'I_CULTY CJ?. S::.JTDIFG 'i'.:W0?3 TO FTii"LAND. The d.ifficulties which faced the ..flllieB in the dispatch of troops to Finland's aid wer e stressed in a leading article in a recent issue of PAN­ .A.ivli:~IC.Ali . "Heglect to go to the aid of Finland should not be imputed to the Allies, 11 it was stF.i.ted. "J,n anny of 50, 000 men was r6ady at some _i?ort in the English Channel to go as soon as the Finnish Government appealed for help. France and Great Britain could not -with a frivolity, which could only be advocated by those who observe developments fFom far away, though with the greatest sympathy -without a direct and official appeal, send their armies to Norway and Sweden and pass through their territ6rie~ thus acting in the same way as Hitler would have done in a similar ca$e, setting aside all idea of International Law ahd disrespecting, as he usually does, the rights of neutral countries. "One cannot say that France has not helped ~,inland in this emergency, In the Prenoh Chtmbei:; M.Daladier referred to Finland's gratitude to France, in moving tenns. "The tragic end of the Soviet-Finni sh war does not dishearten us. On the contrary, we believe more than ever t hat the victory of the democracies is secure,; that the sacrifices of F'inl and show once again the necessity of fighting against the Red Dictatorship, and against Corronunism in MlY of its fonns, no matter how disguised. l e Reds and the Nazis form one group in this tremendous struggle; the democracies and their sympathisers, the others and by the side of the latter stand the martyrs, the victims of barbarism." EGYPT: l,m. suliiNER W:sLIBS 1 ".2ICTU~ill OF TE..:{d.ORISM" lifir. Sumner Welles will return to .Am0rica with c picture of the barbarous methods cm.;,:>loyod by Nazi Gennany and j:{us sia against small nations, according to J.J.., MOK.ATTA!~~ , This ;?aper writes~ "It seems that the German leaders were wrong in assuming 'that the principles of l ebensraum could compare with the Munroe Doctrine. and in imagining that such a view was acceptable by the .Amerioans, ••• , Iv.tr. Welles is returning to Washington with a vivid picture of the terrorism to which the small nations are subjected by Germany and Russia. The ~lies have not ravaged a single nation, and have not sunk a single neutral ship, They have not empiboyed any atrocious methods." AL AHRAM today publishes a _?hotograph of lv!r. Chamberlain alongside a long article describing his careur and his exertions to save peaoe and avoid war. 19/3/40 -No t FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE (MORNING) ­ 1rhe following official communiq_ue was issued th.is (Tuesday) morning from French G.H.Qr- NOTHING OF I MPORTANCE TO REPORT. ++++++++ 19/3/40 -No; ..k.. PRESS NOTICE. Losses due to Enemy Action for week ending midnight Sunday/Monday 17th/18th March. British = Allied Total = 9 = Neutral = LIST OF BRITISH SHIPS:­ DATE. SHIP TONNAGE. 11/3 HALIFAX ( Trawler) 1i 65 15/3 MELROSE 1,589 ' 12/3 GARDENIA 3,745 5,499 5499 LIST OF ALLIED SHIPS:­12/3 ROSE .EFFEU,._;..,, _T 11'' I''-! rench) .__.u:. ~.F 35 (Fishing Vessel) 17/3 CAPITAINE AUGUSTIN 3,137 (French) 3,172 -3172 LIST OF NEUTRAL SHIPS:­11/3 AMOR (Dutch) 2,325 11/3 ·Eulota (DL.·::i~h) 6,236 16/3 SL.AVA (Yugoslav) 4 ,-512 17/3 SINT ANNALAND (Dutch) 2,248 1:5 ,32.1 -15,321 None of these ships was in convoy. The loss of 9 British, Allied and Neutral Ships of about 24,000 tons is below the average for the 28 weeks since hostilities began, namely 12 s:P.ips ancl 42,000 tons per week. The majority of the casualties were due to illegal mines. - Only 4 ships have· been sunk by U·-Boats since 24th Februar~r, those U-Boats which may have escaped cestl"'UC tion having presUJnal)ly withdrawn to rest and recover their shattered nerves. -2 ­ GERM!>N SHIPS CAPTURED OR SUNK: ­ The motor vessel HANNOVER 5, 53( t ons whieh was captured by one of H.M. Ships in the West I Indies wns brought into Kingston, Jamaicn on 13th March ih spite of 2n attempt by her crew to set her on fire. The LA CORUNJ\. of 7,.414 t ons wr1.s intercepted by one of H.M. Shi~s on 13th March and was scuttled by her crew. The ESCHERSHEIM 3,303 t ons was re-ported on 13th March t o have been wrecked off the coast of Jutland. CONVOYS: ·Up to 1~/edncsday 13th March 28 ships have b8en lost ill oonvoy out of a t ot al of 12,816 British, Allied r.ncl. Neutral ships convoyed in British Convoys. Only 2 Neutral ships have been l ost out of a t otal of 1,614 convoyed. As recently announced by the French Minister for N~val Affairs, more than 2,000 ships hnve been ~lso convoyed by the French Navy with a l oss of only 4 vessels. Thus more than 15,000 ships have been convoyeQ by the Alliec,_ N~.vies with a loss ratio of .;i.bout one in 500. i\DMIRLL'I'Y 2 S. W. 1 • 19th March, 1940. -----...--:-··.. .,,..... ... . ·.... .:..:~... .... , ~­ MINISTRY OF AGRICUI,TURE \liJ:CEKIJY N:CWS SER.VICE, NO. 28. _...... . ,,... • -tr. Jt. ._, •• • • . •• , 0 ~T t .,....< ......,. _,. ...... • ,,. • I ... ...... . _,.•• • t • .< ,.. • .. .. ••• •••. • t ... I .... r;" ;. O ·-· r~w. ......... , . ::.. PLOUGHING GR.ANT EXTENSION. ~-• ...-:s··.·• ... .... _. _,.• ,._ • ...-.-~.., • """TOO " ..-...... . .,. , ..:.,.. · ·· ·.--..,.. Corn Until 30th April, Fodder Crop to 15th May. """· · . ... ·-· ... , • .,.. ~ -,_. ' .. .... .. ... ...... i ... _. ,,. .... ~-... ---~ ~ ' .,. .. -..... w ..---... ... , ..,...,;••. _.,,...• Th:1e spot 9 throug]1 the fo2mation of pig clubs and the keeping of a pig or two by sxall holders, allotment holders p1~'.i_1 sr~~-'CY: C:Otr:f:ROL CiiP2'TGE8. _.._--·----...----· -·------­ A general i ncrease of 3/-per 1 i ve cwt . has been made in t he prices of fat covvs e.nd it ta}~es effect from 18th March. Hew gr ades have also been intro1uced for well-finished young co vs and young bulls yielding first quality beef, so that producers of these animals will obtain better prices for tI'-em. A third grade for veal calves has been introduced, at 9d. per lb. dressed carcase weight, t o give the producer a fairer price for 11 bobbie" calves too gc:id for manufacture and fit for the r etail t rade . New classes of sheep~ and lambs have been pl'ovided. These readjustments of prices and grades take into account representations from fat stock sellers and should go far to meet the points r aised by t hem. 'l'he question of bobbie calves i s a difficult one bacau~e the term is often used rather l oosely to denote age rather than qualjty but it is hoped that the introduct i on of a third quality grade will meet the case . If i t does not~ further action could no doubt be taken, for the present al terat i ons demonstrate that the machine for meat control is flexible and can be adjusted according to pract ic al needs v1hile in moti on. 7. THE PRIME MINISTgR ON AGRICULTURE • .§peech availabl~. in J.eafl_et_form The Prime Minister's speech of 28th February to Chairmen of County War Agricultural Executive Committees has now been printed in an attractive pamphlet form. Farmers wishing to obtain a copy may do ~o on application, to the local branch of the National Farmers' Union, or to the Ministry of Agriculture, Department K. A., io, Whitehall Place, London, S.W.1. ·, 8. '· FARMING TO FEED THE COVl Every year in the recent past we have been importing between 7 and 8 million tons of feeding­ stuffs, of which dai ry cows have ac counted for possibly one quarter. Imports cannot be maintained at these levels. But the Milk Supply must be maintained. There is only one way .of reconciling these t wo wartime necessities, and that is by growing more on the farm to feed the cow. The Ministry's new 11 Growmore11 Leaflet No.20, "Home Grown Food for the Cow", deals with the ways in which this can be done. Single copies can be obtained free on application to the Ministry at 10 Whitehall Place, S. W.1. The leaflet begins with grass, and how to get an early bite, improve the grazing and get heavier and better hay crops. Some typical spring sown mixtures for soiling crops and grain crops are given and a useful section shows when to plant green crops, such as cabbage and kale, and their respecitve periods of use. Root crops and such crops as maize and linseed are mentioned and it finishe~ with a tabulated guide as to how to use home grown foods in the dairy ration, and the quantities that shouid be fed per lb. of milk given by the cow. The leaflet aims at dealing fundamentally with the problems for which so many dairy farmers are seeking the answers and they may think it one of the most useful leaflets the Ministry has published in its wartime series. 19/3/40 .-NO: 5. PRESS NOT~c;J. ~anClaims about British Losses at Sea. Fantastic and untrue statements of British losses at sea are constantly being made by the enemy, very often in order t o obtain information. A statement containing a full list of all British, Allied and Neutral mercantile marine losses clue to enemy action is issueC1. 1-mekly by the Admiralty, anc1 this statement is the British answer to all such German claims. It is also the policy of the Admiralty to publish the loss of H.M. Ships as soon as the next of kin of casualties have been informed. ADMIRALTY, s.w.1. 19/3/40 ~ No.6. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST BEFORE THE MORNING PAPERS OF WEDNESDAY 20th MARCH. PRESS NOTICE. pursuing the mission with which he had been entrusted as a result of the recent meeting at the Hague of the League of Nations Organising Committee for the development of internat ional co-operation in economic and social affairs, Dr. H. Colijn, after having been in Geneva and Paris, has now spent a week in London. During his stay he has seen members of the Government and high officials, in particular the Prime Minister, Lord Halifax, Mr. Winston Churchill, Mr. Butler, Mr. Assheton, as well as Mr. Bruce, the High Commissioner for Australia. FOREIGN OFFICE NEWS DEPARTMENT. 6J The Secretary to the Ministr·y of Transpo1"'t makes the f'ollovling announcement:­ In January last the Minister of Transport announced that insurers (~ho in September, 1939 had agreed for three months to continue and to extend, without any general increase in rates, existing policies for "grouped" motor goods vehicles, although the Emergency Powers (Road Vehicles and Drivers) Order, 1939, removed certain restrictions on A, B and C licences under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1953) vrere prepared to extend the arrangement until 29th February, 1940. The Minister is glad to announce that the insurers have further agreed to extend the a1"'1"'angernent until May 31st, 1940.. Ministr·y of Transport, Metropole Buildings, Northumberland Avenue, London, W.C.2.. 19th Marcl?:.1.. 19t:l0. T274o). , ---­ 19/3/40 -No~ 8~ THE CANADIANS POLL ·rhe men of the 1st Canadian Division are voting brisk:ly now that the Liberal 9 Conservative, and Co-ope~~ative Commonwealth Federation parties have circulated lists identifying their respective candidates~ Seaforth Highlanders and the Toronto Scottish are showing the keenest interest in the Dominion election. Partisanship 9 in the early days at least9 is not yet so noticeable among units representing the Mid-West. When the Canadian troops started their ballot four days ago, only the official nomination list which did 9 not show on which side candidates were standing, was available 9 and many of the men were in doubt how to bestow their votes. Dominion and Colonial Affairs. 19/3/40 -No 9 MINISTRY OF HEALTH-. The third volume of the Registrar-General's Stc.tistical Revi ew of Engl nnd nnd 1rfal es for 1937, contnining the official commentary on the two volumes of vital statistics nlready published, is issued today through the Stationery Of fice (3s. 6do net)~ MINI STRY OF HEALTH WHITEHALL, s.. \IV . 1 • ++++++++-!­ 19/3/40 -No.10•. CANADA SBHDS THE BACON. The Canadian bacon shipments to Great Britain increased more than 50 per cent from the outbreak of war to January 6th. In that four months' period, the export of bacon to the United Kingdom was 97.8 million pounds, compared with 60.3 million in the same period a year ago. Dominion and Colonial Affairs. 19/3/40 -No. 11. MINISTRY OF PENSIONS. Sir Walter Womersley, M.P., Minister of Pensions, to-day received a deputation representing a number of Women's Organisations in regard to the position of women under the Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme. The deputation was introduced by Mrs. M.I. Corbett-Ashby, LL.D. of the Wornen's Freedom League and Sir Walter Womersley promised to give sympathetic consideration to the various points put forward. 19/3&0 -NO: · '12. A__QJiAI,E.Jlf_¥..QUTil_Q.l]JITJIB...§_ FOR §.9UTHAMPTON. Ma:>. Kenneth tindsay; Parliamental"'Y Secr•etary to the Board of Education and. Chairman of the National Youth Committee has just OJ)ened the first of a chaim of eight Youth Centres at Southampton. The Centres will be housed either in schools, clubs or buildings taken over specially for the ~urpose. Southampton Youth Comrnittee now has a moo.el machinery and is providinc; the buildings anc1 wardens in each case. The first Centre is an old private school adapted RnC!. renovaterl. for the purposeo All the cirls' organisations have combi:t1e c1. to make the work possible. Here may be found rooms where a rich variet~r of activities are in progress. A Girl Guic1.e' s sho::_J, young Catholics rehearsinc a play, a library of several hundred volumes, a canteen9 a cr::1.f -t :.."'oom and others for• c1l"ess maldng, keep-fit classes and dancingo At the top of the house is a room converted into a simple and dignified chapel. The Centre is open seven days a week from 2 pom8 until 10 p.m. On special cays and for special activities boys are invited and on Sunday evenings a mixed club meets. The Bishop of South­ampton recently dedicated the chapelo Already over 200 new members, hitherto untouchec1 by any youth or6anisation~ have become members and there is a long waitj,,110 listo Mr. Lino.say warmly comrnenc.erl Southampton for this J?ioneer effort, for tl1e happy combinat:i.on of public and private ef'i'ort, and. al)o·:e all, for• the genui ne co-operation of the Girls t voluntal"'Y eocieties in a c ommon venture, ana. exp1"'essec1. the hope that th0ir gooc1 exam~le vmuld be followed in other cUstriots. BOARD Qli' EDUCATION •• 19/3/40 -No.13. POT.. ·.To PRICES. Revised prices for potatoes have been issued by the Ministry of Food. Growers' prices, both minimum and maximum, are raised by approximately 10/-per ton in England and Wales and 5/• per ton in Scotland and Northern Ireland, This increase is granted, partly to enable growers to cover losses sustained through damage in the recent severe frost, and partly to cover the normal seasonal rise in the cost of potatoes in this period when stocks of potatoes in the clamps are subject to greater loss through wastage. The wholesale maximum margins are widened in order to permit an even flow of potatoes from all districts to consuming centres, and to make provision for the cost of sacks being borne by the wholesaler. At this time of the year potatoes have to be drawn in larger quantities from distant production areas such as Scotland and the Eastern Counties. There have been increases in the retail prices corresponding to these adjustments. 'l'hese prices are now quoted in terms of 3t lbs•, 7 lbs. , .14 lbs. , and 1 cwt.. Increases in the maximum prices for 3t lbs. work out at the rate of about ~d to 2/5ths of a penny per lb. depending upon the distances from the growing areas.. A rise in retail prices is normal at this time of the year. Effect will be given on March 21st~ 1940 to these changes by tl:le Order, dated. March 18th 1940, amending the Potatoes (1939 Crop) (Cont~ol) Order 9 1940~ MINISTRY OF FOOD 19th March 1940. The War Off'ice, London, S. W.1. 19th March, 1940. MILITARY APPOINTMENT. The War Office announces that His Majesty The King has been pleased to ap;.rove of the appointment of Colonel J.H. Mackenzie, C.M.G., n.s.o., retired pay, as Colonel, The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), with effect from the 22nd July 1940, in succession to Major-General G.G. Loch, C.B., C.M.G., C.B.E., D.s.o., retired pay, who attains the age limit for the appointment on that date. MEMO TO SUB-EDITORS ----·---------­ As t his script is being issued in ndv~nce, it will be necessary to check it against the actual broadcast on 391 or 449 metres at 9.20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. "THE VOICE OF ___1!f~_JIAZI11 (5) 'The Mind Behind the:; Voice' by W.A. SINCLAIR. Tuesday, Maruh 19th, 1940: 9.20-9.35 p.m. Some years ago, about the end of l933, a German officer was talking to a senior n10mber of the British Embassy in Berlin. He made the r Gther odd r emark that the British were gentlemen, 2nd the French were not. When he was asked to explRin what he meant, he relat ed this illuminnting incident. He said this: "After the war, in 1920, I was in charge of a barracks. One day some o~ the Military Control Commission, under a French officer and a British officer, came to my barracks. They said they hnd reason to believe that I had a store of rifles concealed behind a brick wal~, contrnry to the terms of the Peace Treat•yo I denied this. I sa id, "I give you my word of honour as a German officer, that I have no rifles eoncealed in the b8.rracks. "Well", (he went on) "your British officer WRS a gentleman. He accepted my word of honour, nnd he went awo.y. But that French officer was not n gentleman. He would not accept my word ~of honour. And he pulled down the brick walL And he took awo,y IT':" rifles". Now, that Gcrmo.n officer would never have dreamt of lying, o.nd deliberately acting dishonourably in this wny, t o nnother German$ The old GermRn Army wns extremely punctilious about questions of personnl honour, and duelling about such matters went on in Germany long after it had been given up in other countries. But he obviously f elt no obligation to t ell the truth, or behave honourably, to nersons who were not Germans, where anything t o the ac1vcmtnge of Gc;rmRny was concerned. The very unconscious­ness of the way in which he t old of the incident, shows how compl et ely he t ook it f or granted th~t the stnndards of conduct he would respect in his dealings with the Germans simply did not apply at nll, in his dealings with other n~tions. In his dealings with other no.tions, he felt himself free to do anything that would b e t o the o.dvi::.ntage of Germnny, without o.ny r cg8.r d for other moral l aws or obligationso If this were only an isolat ed case, it would be just fum1y. but unfortunat ely, it isn't an isolated case. It's typical. It's typical of the present German outlook; and it's because the German outlook is like this, that ~here is war in Europe to-day. /Fortunn.tely -2 ­ (Fortunately for the r emoter future of Europe, this isn't how every German thinks. But all those who matter in present­day Germany , both l eaders and people 9 do think like this. The only present-day Germans who don't think like this, are either without influence ~ or in concentration camps ; or in exile ; or dead, murdered). It r equires something of an effort on our part to realise just what that outlook means, and how different it is from ours. We all know that when we first make a new acquaintance, we are of course aware of any differences of opinion on any small points that may crop up; but it takes a much longer time before we know whether our new acquaintance has, as we say, the same sort of outlook as we have ourselves, and values the sane sorts of things. We have all had the experience of saying to ourselves, in some such case, "Well, I see now that his whole outlook on life is different from mine." In the same way , most British people feel, on meeting a few Germans, as individuals, that they are very much like ourselves. But on a fulleP acquaintance!/ we discover that their outlook as a nation on those fundamental questions of what is right and honourable 7 is totall~r different from ours. Om:-view is so natural to us, that we do not normally think of putting it into words. But if you or I were asked to put it into words , we should probably say something like this. Here we are, about fifty million of us, living in this island on the edge of Europe, and across the Channel are another f'ift~,r millions of Frenchmen, and about eighty millions of Germans 9 and another forty millions of Italians, ••• and so forth. And, we think, it is the job of Foreign Secretaries and Ambassadors, to arrange things so that we all get on tolerably well together, in ways that will benefit all of us. Ane. awar -a war takes place only when those arrangements have completely broken down, either "through incompetence!/ or more likely9 t1u~ough bad faith and malice on somebody's part. We think of international relations 9 and international treaties , much as we think of business relations and business contracts. That's to say9 an international pact or a trade agreement is a go~d one, a fair one, if everybody concerned gets something out of it, with something for the other fellow as we11 as for us. And we think that the standard.s of honesty and ordinary decency 9 which apply to ordinary business or personal relations among ourselves, should apply to our relations to other nations also, Occasionally, in the past, they have not !I and we are rather ashamed at having to admit those lapses. /But the 3 ~" But t he German outlook is about as different from that as can bea If a typical German vvere asked to put his views into vrnrds, he would probably say something like thiso "Here in Germany 9 right j_n the middle of Europe 9 are eighty millions of us Germans s surrounded by all those other millions of actual or possible enemies" The duty of the German Foreign Secretaries and Ambassador s is not. to come to equitable arrangements with those other nations " a:l:ld mo:ke' fair bargains, and keep them. Their duty, as Gormans 9 is to do the others down, to the advantage of Germany~ It is a case of Germany against all the rest, in a never~ending contesto War is merely an episode, a frequently recurring episode, in that contest 9 where the conflict becomes open and armed, instead of being merely dj_plomatic and commercial.. That being so, the standards of honesty and ordinary decency, which apply to the relations of Germans among themselves, simply don't come into the q_uestionJ where the r elations of Germans to other nations are concernedo11 That is more or less v-vhat any typical present...:.day German would sayo He vrnuld probably add many quotations, from "Mein Kampf" and other authorities 9 to explain and support his viewo He might quote page 68 6 of 11 ~.~e:i.n Knmpf il., which says, "Foreign policy is a means to an end, and the sole end to be pursued is the advantage of our own nation", and then-;-over the page, 1'This is the one considera~ tion that matters& All other considerations, political, religious humanitarian, must be completely disregarded in favour of this one." He might also quote the bri0f ors and blunter, pronouncement of the Chairman of the highest Nazi Party Court, vvho said at Munich, on the 5th of February.• 1936 9 'Right! is what benefits the German Ii nation, and 1 vrong1 is what would 'bo huPtful to i to ir And he might add, as a sort of justtfica-'.:.ion of this attitude, that the Germans are an essentially super1.or ro.cc~ quite entitled to neglect the rights of other and i.nfer1or peoples<> This means something whtch most of us in this country have great difficulty in renlisin.go It mr.rnns tho.t German breachds of faith, and German propngandn ly:i.ng, and Gerrnnn brutalities on land and sea, are not occasional lapses from the normal standards of decency, r egrctted afterwards, as any such lapses on our part would be by us., It means the very oppos:Lte of thato It means that those outrages are the deliberate, systemabic,:whole-hearted application in practice of this attitude that Gcrmnns have no moral obligations to anything othe~ than Germanyo To us -U.-;... To us, the strangest, and most alarming , thing about all this. -certainly the thing I found h8.rc1est to recognize as a fact -is that the ordinary Ger:man is in such a state of mind that he is not asharn.ed about th·1se outr•ages. He is not ashamed of his Fuehrer' s not,)rious breaking of his word, nor of Dr. Goebbels' notorious l~ring, nor of Field-Marshal Goering's bombing of unprotecte0. ships, anc1 machine-gunning of rlrmv.ning sailor's in the water, even when they are neutral ships. It is to the advantage Jf Germany that such things should be done, he thinks, anc·L that is sufficient expla.nrltion and e~::cuse for him. This was almost simple-mindedly shovm by B.:eJ.."r Hitler's speech on February 24th, both in the speech itself and in the way the crowd received it. He boastea_ of being that rare creature, a politician who always keeps his word. By this he means keeping his word to G~11any. He promised to make her strong, and enl&rge hoit frontiers, and he has done so. That is what he means by "keeping his word." As rega.rds keeping his 1,rord to other nations, he replied to our Prime ~:inister b~r sa3ring, "When Mr. Charnberlain says that he does not trust me, I thank you for not thinking I could be a traitor, Mr. Chamberlain!" He regards keeping his word to other nations as being a traitor to Germany. And, that being so, he is not a.shamecl of brealdng his woI'd. He is proud of it. You can hear that even in the tone of his voice a.s he said what I've quoted. (RECOP..D) You can also hear how whole-heart.edly his audience shai->ed his view. In the same way, their outlook jus tifies , in their eyes, the Nazi propaganda methods. That. is what I rras thinlting of in an earlier talk, when I said that the question of rrhat is true doesn't enter into the Nazi propagandists' calculations at all. (Exce~f!t, of course, in so far as they must say some things that aPe true, in order to make people listen at all.) Those Nazi propagandists are not thinking of the1nselves as telling en occasional lie, or 0.istorting an occasional fact; and then excusing themselves on the gr:>und of stress of circumstance. They recognize no obliga.ti,Jn whatever to tell the truth, or anything resembling the truth. They are not interested in the truth. They are interested only in sa~ring anything they can think of, which it would be to the advantage of Germany to say; ano. in denying an;v·thing which it would be to the advantage of German:ir to deny. And they are not ashamed of the::nselves. They are proud of what is, they consider, · the importm1t part they are playing in the uriencUng struggle of Ger;:neny against all her encircling neighbours. In the same vray/ -5 ­ In the same vvay a.c:;o.in, their outlook justifies, in theiI' eyes, their c1eliberate brutalit;sr in warf:-,re, on lane•. and sea anc1 air. There is no need for quotations to show this, though there are plenty of them, in "Mein Kampf" anc1 elsewhere, For instance, the 11Deutsche Y!ehrmacht11 (which is an official periodical for Army officers) saic1 on the 9th Qf September, 1936, 0 In the nex:b war, the most extr~me kind. of brutality will be requirecl., 11 But we need only thi:nl( of what the Nazis are systematically doing in the North Sea at the p1"esent moment, and of what we have just heard in tonight 1 s News. Their machine~·,'.3unnings ancl. bombincss of the c1.efenceless and the drovming are not occasional lapses. They are actions a.one on a prfricii)le, the only princi:-9le the~r pay any attention to, the acl.vanta;;e of Germanyo As the Nazi judge said, 11 tRight' is what benefits the German nation, anc1 'wrong' is what would be hurtful to it"''" We all want to know how it is that the Germans have this attitude; how far it is old, how far¥ if at all, it is new; how far it is due to circumstances, and how far it is natural to the German character" These are com:;J.ica ted questions, and very difficult to answeP., But whatever the causes of it may have been, it is their attitude now; ancl.. with the German J:-ieople in their present mood9 anc3-under their present leaders, they pay no attent ion to the orc1inary stana.o.rcl.s of c1ecency, honesty or hurimnity, or to anything other than the future prosperity of GePmany at the expense of the rest of us. That is the state of mind. which lies behincl the voices and the actions of the Nazis, anc1 makes them what they are. +++++++++++++++++ BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPOHATION. -----------~~:.-...... _........~·--------·-... . ­ 19.3.40. No.16. r.s. s. PRESS lDTICE. IRON A.ND STEEL .CONTROL. The Minister of Supply has made the Control of Iron and Steel (No.7) (Scrap) Order, 1940, Direction (No.2) to take effect as from the 1st April, 1940, supersedillg the Direction (No.l) issued with the Control of Iron and Stool (No. 7) (Scrap) Order, 1940 ( S.R.& 0 .1940 No.287). The iss'.-le of the new Direction ma,rks an important change in the method of operation of the control of scrap iron and steel. Hitherto it has not been necessary for purchasers to obtain licences to acquire iron and steel scrap save for four special grades, but as from the 1st April~ 1940, any person desiri.ri-t, to acquire scrap iron or steel must be authorised by licence so to do, except in the case of a person (other than one operating an iron or steel works or foundry or forge) who confines his acquisitions to quantities not exceeding in the aggregate, one ton from any one person in any one week. This exception has the effect of leaving local authorities and voluntary organisations free to continue house to house and other collections of scrap as hitherto. Application forms for licences can be obtained from the offices of the Iron and Steel Control, Steel House, Tothill Street, Westminster, S. W.l. For the time being it is intended to issue general licences to merchants and restricted licences to consumers according to the quality they require. Copies of the Direction may be purchased from H.M.Stationery Office or throu5h any bookseller. Ministry of Supply, The Adel phi, London, vV.C.2. 19th March, 1940. 19/3/40 No~ 11'. SJJ.,E or FRESH\IVJ;..TER FI SH. T'ne prohibition of the sale of certain freshwater fish between March 14th and June 16th has been suspended for this yrrar as a wartime measure. This is provided for in the Freshwater Fish (Sal e) Or der, 1940, made by the Minister of Food on Hnrch 18th, 1940, Gnd taking eff ect immediately. The ban has hitherto CLJJylicd to all freshwater fish except S8.L!1on, trout, eels and any fish which migrate to and from tic1nl water so 'l1he fish which it is now permitted to sell include carp, pilce, bream, roach, rucld, perch and t ench,, These fish are low in price and the concession v1ill be helpful in those districts where they are popularQ This order does not af fect the close season for catchinc f i sh of the above descriptions in this country, but it will ::_JCl"mi t the sal e of i rn:)orted fish. ++++++++++++++ MINIS'.t:f:.Y. ~0)'._ FOOD ULSTER MINISTER OF LABOUR'S --·-·---VI$.11..o___. --·-·-·-­ Mr. John Fo Gordon, Minister of Labour, arrived in London to-·day and will tomorrow hold a conference with Mr. Ernest Brovm, Minister of Labour in the British Governmento They will discuas the best ways of utilising Ulster's industrial man­power in the war effor>t., Mr o Gordon will bring to Mr. Bro11v.D' s notice the number of agricultural workex•s which are avai1able. He will also ask for an increase in the number of vacanciei: allotted to Northern Ireland• s unern:ployed youths at the various Government training centres in Great Britain. At present the maximum numher of vacancies is 150 for' the training course of' six months. HELP FOR Fil'TLAND. --·.......·---.... ,. - --·~­ A cheque for £383 was sent to-day through Lox·d Craigavon to the Finnish I,egation in London. It represents a sum collected by the employees of a Northern Ireland aircPaft factory for the Finnish Relief Fund. 19l3l40. -No. 19. (Not to be quoted as an Air Ministry annoimcement) Professor A.VoHill,M.P., O~B.E., F.R.S., has been appointed as assistant a:Lr attache, Washington, for special scientific liaison duties. The appointment is a temporary one and has been accepted without remuneration• .hlB..fiFAIRS. +++-:-++++ Seamen Prisoners of Christian Ifo.n10 Wilhelm August Heinrich KEivIPCiffi Arnold GOTTFRIBD Friedrich SCibKLL lV!ax "derne1" Paul brnst HOL..-.':CtLH Max LEINEH Hans Paul 8PURK Ernst GABRIEL Helmuth MORDHORST Werner HOFFMAN... ­ Friedrich JENSSLN Julius Theodor Johannes OLTHAUS Paul Karl SCHULZ Bruno SCrn,:I D'J.1 ~r:­ Addl"GSS Luise st1". 6 Lubeck Jena, Lobstsdt Hoscnhang 6 I-Iuo;y-s tr. 9L1. Ltl..b 0ck Eo~ 11burg 39 DoJ:.·c)thecnst:e. -1 L!-'l I-Iabur g 33 8C}~1liC~(S1 ·~,Fcr~ 22 Drcmen , 1rn11ig Al lJortstr. ~~5 '·i;o:; crnrl.inc1e ( licl;..e) Luthci•str. 20. · IIs.mburc,; 26 Borccfcldcr Str. 68 Fachwner Str.17j (Colo3nc?) Furstenberc a/d Ode1" Odorbcrge ·i Bl ankenese Godorffro;y-str.1.+6 Bromorhnvon Kaiserstr. 29 lvLrne i/Holsteh1 Ostcrrji~ r'. 8 ~:'s r)O:i_1bu:e,: Landsberg 30 HF1.mburc 3).+ Rennbahnstr. 35 Tho -. :o.r Office, London, :::: •-:•1 • 19th March, 19400 34 SS 11 H0n~1ing Oldcndorf'". 33 "Minden" 25 Ex SS "Parana". 51 I;:x 11 Tencriff e ;r . 35 SS 1'Uhenfels".. 33 Not given "Minden" 35 27 26 11 Minden" 25 11 corrientes 11 28 "Minden11 1~-9 "I!U.nden11 3~ Not given. 29 Lx. 11Konsul Hcndriclc li'i sser" Heinrich J ohann 3CHI?.0DER Hamburg Bismorclrntr. 3L: -do- Heinrich Bral:e i /O 33 -do- Hermann­ . roerinG­ str•asse 89 .. .--­ 19/3/40 No. 21. FRENCH OFFICIJU. COMMUNI(:JUE (EVENING). The following off icial cor~aunique was issued from French G.H•Q· this evening:­ A calm day on the whole of the front. West of the Saar n German reconnaissance party fell into one of our runbushes and suffered fairly serious losses . +++++++++++++++ NOT TO BE PUBLISHED BEFORE THE MORNING NEWSPAPERS OF SATURDAY, 23RD MARCH, 1940. AIR MINISTRY WEEKLY NEWS LETTER. The information contained in this News Letter may be used by the Press without acknowledgement. If it is desired to refer to the Air Ministry as th~ource of the information, the expression"The Air Ministry Announces:-11 is NOT to be used, CONTENTS. WINGS OVER THE MIDDLE EAST. NEWS -AND SECURITY A GERMAN LION CIVIL AVIATION IN WARTIME SHEEP, DOBBIN AND BEAR 'M. 0, ' GETS HIS VVINGS SIR CYRIL NORWOOD ON THE B.A.F.F. GUNS WHICH PROTECT THE R. A. :b,. Press & Publicity Branch, Air Ministry, King Charles Street, Whitehall)> S .. W.l~ 23rd March, 1940. 2. WINGS OVER THE MIDDLE EAST• . The possibility that war may spread to the Middle East has brought to public attention the forces of the Allies centred in that part of the world. In an area where distances between strategic points are considerable, and where roads and railways are often non­existent, the power of the air arm is likely to be more decisive than in other theatres of war. The purely physical element assumes a greater importance than, for example, in ope~ations in Europe. Heat, lack of water and poor cornmunica~ tions sever~lY restrict the power and range of ground force3. But the modern aircraft, as a self-oontained striking unit with a range of 2,000 miles and more, is largely independent of advanced bases, and of water and fuel su.pplies along its •11ne of march'. Provided they have safe and well equipped bases from which to operate, aircraft could reach any part .of the Middle East area in a matter of hours. Such secure bases exist in the Middle East Command of the Royal Air Force. Because it occupies a key position in the communication aystem of the British Empire, the Middle East Command has always been the Senior Command of the Air Force overseas. !t was the first to have tho status of its Commande~ raised to the of Commander-in-Chief, thus ranking with the big oorntnartds at home. The Middle East Command extends from the Mediterranean in the north to the Sudan and East Africa in tho south; from the borders of Italian Libya eastwards as far as the frontiers of Syria and Saudi Arabia. The terrain varies from sandy desert to mountain and tropical forest; but most of it is good flying country, and one of the earliest flying training schools of the R.A.F. have been looated. there for many years. :; The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Air Force in the Middle East is Air Chief Marshal Sir William Mitchell. He took over his command just a year ago~ Known to the Service as "Ginger" Mitchell Air Chief Marshal Mitchell is a singularly good choice for the job. He knows the Middle East intimatelyj and has a special bond with the 'Anzacs' now serving there. An "Aussie" by birthj he spent his early years in New South Wales. At twenty-one he was serving with the Highland Infantry, and he was one of the first Army officers to learn to fly. During most of the Great War of 1914-18 he served as a pilot with the R.FoC. in France, earning the D.S.O., M.C., A.F.C., and four "mentions" in despatches. Twelve years ago, af~er service in India, and at home in an administrative capacity, he was given charge of the Aden Command. Later he became Air Officer Commanding British Forces in Iraq. For two years thereafter he was on the Air Council as Member for Personnel, a post which brought him into touch with every problem on the human side of the R.A.F. organisation. NEWS -AND SECURITY. "If the day should ever come when the Newspapers conspired to approve the censorship, it would be a catastrophe .•.. It would mean either that the journalists had lost their go; or that the censors had been neglecting their duty" ­ Sir E. Cookj Director of the Press Bureau in Great War 1914-JS Speed in publication is often the factor which decides whether the news is to be of service to the enemy. %'here there is reason to suppose that the enemy cannot get a piece of news elsewhere, or at least until much later, it may be desirable to delay publication on the grounds of security. A knowledge of all the aspects of an operat1on is necessary to decide what is of value to the enemy. That knowledg~ is necessarily confined to a few in Service Departments. They are responsible for deciding what may safely be published without assisting the enemy. And they have to be prepared, on the one hand, to give a sound reason to higher authority for every cas~ where information ls 'Withheld and on the other to-answer for' any d-amaging disclosures whl~b ~be made. A GERMAN LION, A lion sejant (sitting) has been adopted as a crest by one Nazi air squadron -a peculiar choice for a nation that has always looked t-0 the eagle for its symbolism. This is the "Lion Squadron" which has achieved some notoriety in Germany by the composition of a new Hynm of Hate of the Air. The choice of a lion may, or may not, be appropriate. But the motto: 11Vestigium Leonis" -the track of the lion -that goes with it is not a happy one. To date, the track of the lion towards Britain is marked by the wreckage of a number of Heinkel III bombers from this squadron, destroyed by British fighters. One was brought down in Scotland, others over the North East coast, and in the North Sea. "Vestigia nulla retrorsumtt -there is no going back might have been an even more appropriate motto. There is an alternative interpretation of Vestigium Leonis. To the scientist, vestigium means an organ that still survives, but has lost the utility it once possessed, The applies well enough to this Nazi Lion squadron that has lost half its aircraft, Both the English and Scottish lions, by contrast, are fighting fit 1 on their toes and with tails up. No sejant business for them! CIVIL AVIATION IN WARTDIIE. An achievement of which British civil aviation might well be proud is that, despite the demands and hazards of war, the Empire Air Services havo been carried on without interruption. As in peacetime, the big flying boats have left for their destinations on the other side of the world. They have brought the mail back ~rom Australia, India and South Africa. ~hero aro British land~plane services to Calcutta, Hon$ Kong, w• .A.f'rica as well as on the Empire route; ano, in Europe, to Paris, Oslo and Stockholm. And there are eleven internal airlines, covering placeo as far afield as the North of Scotland, Belfast and the Channel Islands. A s~rvice to Dublin is in prospect, War has necessarily curtailed restrictions on civil flying in danger areas, and the needs of the fighting Services have rnada heavy demands on aircraft, personnel, and the aircraft industry. Inevitably the progress of Civil Aviation has been ratatided, Even so, new civil routes have been planned, and some are iikel~ soon to be operating. l n April a weekly service will be started across the Taemati. ijea, linking Up New Zealand with the '.Empire rou.te, Tho wartime difficulties that so far have prevented a regular service from England to Lisbon may soon be overcome. If the requirements of the military situation permit, the British service across the No~th Atlantic will be ~eaumed9 with British a1rcra:rt. B'.«iii:'G is a liat of the British air ae:rvioos o:pe:raatlng today-: ... imJ?irJt At.£ Mai,l ~~rv;igelil i l?oole to Sydney, Australia. Poole to DU.rban, s. Africa. Poole to Kisumu, E. Africa, &and:glane, ,flervice,s,: Heston • Calcutta, Bangkok -Hong Kong, Khartoum -Takoradi, Heaton .... Le Bourget, Perth -Stavangar -Oslo -Stookholm, with resumption to Helsinki in due course• • Internal Commercial and Passenger Servi~e~. Glasgow -Campbeltown -Islay. Inverness -' Wick -Kirkwall. Inverness -Wick -Kirkwall -Sumburgh. Kirkwall -Sanday -Stronsay -North Ronnldshny. Aberdeen -Wick ... Thurso -Stromness -Kirkwall. Lberdeon -Wick -Thnrs.J -Stromness -Kirkwall ... S1.ll11burgh.. Kirkwali -Thurso -Stromness -Kirkwall . Liverpool .... Ronaldshay. Shoreham ,,,. Guernsey -Jersey, Shoreham • Jerseyo Gtternsey -Alderney, tfS_HEEP", "DOBBIN" .AND. ''BEAR11 • Mr, A.A. Milne might feel flatt ered wer e he to visit a certain Scottish Station of' the Royal Air Force. It i s the home of a fighter squadron which has often been in action against enemy raiders. lt happens that three of the young pilots are nicknamed '1Sheep0, 0-Dobbin" and "Beartt, These names are scrawled in chalk above the hooks from which they hang their parachutes, life­saving jackets and other gear. Thel1e is an echo of "Winnie the Pooh" in these names and so somebody has written 11Wol0 over the doorway of the Intelligence O:t'f'icer. "Poohites0 will vecognisG 11Wo1° as owl, o. wise bird., The othor day, tho waiting fighters were ordered up to i11tercept tho enemy. The ohalk wa.s still lying about, and there was just time for one of tho pilots -"Sheep" -to scribble up, in true :Pooh fashion ttooN OUT, BAOKSON. 11 Whon "sheep•• :returned, the squadron was ablo to log up anothor Hoinkel to its bag, shot down in single combat with a British Hurricane. THE tM.. Oe' GETS HIS 'NINGS. The first medical man to gain hio wings since tho outbreak of' war is senior medical of'ficer at a Fightor Cornma1Kl. Station in the South of' England• He comes f'rom South. A:f'rica, and :f'ought as an infantry-man in German East Africa during the last wa:r. Then he came to England to study medicine, and even­tu~lJ.t 'built up a successful practice :tn ~his country• '.Before the war9 r11edical officers of the Royal Lir Fol"'Ce we~e gi~en Opportunities to learn to fly, A practical knowledge of' :flying 1s an asset in their' work of keeping Britainf s f'lyers phyaig&ll¥ fit and ~t the top of' their form. More than 20 per cent of th~ permanent medical off'icers of the Air Force had passed the pilots' tests. But wartime pressure on training schools has out down the fa.cil.11ies available to thorn. This fli>d.ng doctor, however9 has ;natiaged to qualify. Four yeaVS ago 1 he took Up flying seriously, apd1 after training ttt a M.id.labd.a :flying ~lub1 got his 0.Att licence. · Twoe years ago, h@ bought his owrt aircraft, a four~seater monoplane, and in this ho ha~ dono tnoro than 200 hou~sf flying. Ho bas flown all over G);veat Britain and to Germany, France and Belgium, generally with his t'amil~, Now he has brought his knowlodgo of flying up....to­date by taking an intensive ¢ourso on the Link traine~ at his stati0n, and ia tho Pl?OUd :POSSessot-of R.A.F. wings. Later, he hopes to get some flying on his own a.i:voraft, an~ is evon prop~~ed to tr~ his hand at one of our fast fighters. 0 ;rt was a w-_,ndol:lful ex:porience11 , said Sil:' 0Yl:'1l ' Norwood, President of St. John's College, Oxto~d, deeol:'1bing his recent visit to Royal Air Force units in F~ance. He was one ot tho several eminent public men who, und.er the ausp1oes ot the JJ.r Ministry's educational service, have 8. been giving talks to the BbA.F.F. similar to those organised in R.A.F.. colleges at home. Sir Cyril Norwood gave six lectures at different Air Force centres. His th3me was England after the war. nr found" he said, '~enthusiastic audiences among both Of'f'icers and Airmen. The subject of my talks was obviously one of' real interest to the modern young men cf the British Air Forces in France. They wore keen to ask questions, and join in discussion." GUNS VJHICH PROTSCT THE R.A.F,; Just as tho R.A.F. servos the Army by providing aircrat:'t so the Army sorves the R.11..F. by providing gunso S~Qttered among the stations of the Air Force are anti-aircraft batteries manned by men in khaki. Tho men are full of enthusiasm and always on the ·alert~ Established in unsuspected placesr these anti-aircraft batteries bring to the old soldier a whiff of the last war. The sites are invariably very muddy places in the wet, and generally the mud clings. But there is nothing lacking in precise o:raganisa.tion, or in equipment. Each battery vies with every other in improvomE>nt of pvotaotion• marksmanship and e:f'ficioncy, One battery, which ls composed of men who held highly ~~sponsible positions in peace time, stands in a positi0n that is almost invisible from the air but commands tho skies for miles around. It is. there to add to tho protection of ao:rodromos. 'I'o the visitor it lo.::.ks like anything but a battery. Thore aro little mounds of oa~th, but vory fow signs 0f a military occupation. The gunners have invonted their own camout:'lage, which can be removed very quickly, leaving the guns free to operate in any di;roction• 9. The guns, sheltered in what look like sheepfold.s, are operated by command from a central post. Guns crews live half underground in Nissen huts tho f oundations of which are dug deeply into the earth, or in actual dugot1ts rem1.nisoent of 1914, which have been dug and rei.nf'oi'ced b¥ tho meh themselves. Fifty me-n sleep in bunks when they are of'f duty, ~here :ts a stove that heats the whole place. · The smoke is caPried off through pipes that are invisible from the air. The occasions on which the battery has been in action are dhalked up on ·the guns, and; there is also a menaoihg 'ba'ble ••• 11hits registered"• · · r-·z 1 ·r ' ··v· ;·r .., y AIR. MINISTRY BULLETIN. 19/3/40 -No. 23. I:NEHY AIR BASE BOMBED. The Air Ministry announces: ­ Tonight the Royal Air Force attacked and severely damaged the German air base at Hornum on the island of Sylto This is one of the shore bases from which German aircraft operate against our naval forces and merchant shippingo This action follows the attack upon our shore bases in the Orkneyso AIR AFFAIRS. AIR MINISTRY BULLETIN 19/3/40 -NO. 24. ~...... :f): ........Sl!IW' d ~ ::x:ua-­ (Not to be g_uoted as an Air Ministry announcement) DUCJi~.E GLOUCESTER .AND THE W. A. A. :B'. Air Commandant IL, Ro H. 'Tihe Duchess of Gloucester paid he~ first visit to the Air Ministry yesterday (Tuesday) morning. She was wearing Wo Ao Ao Fo. uniform.~ '.h.1he Duchess was received by the Director of the w. A. A. F0_: , Air Commandant J •.Trefusis F'orbes, who presented the officers of her Directorate ~ _... ___________ AIR AFFAIRS ~...·-~--~4::.-.w~