BRITAIN CONFIDENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 223, 28 June 1940, Page 5

BRITAIN CONFIDENT.

AWAITING THE ATTACK. CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE. LONDON, June 26, “I can speak to you in a spirit- of tempered optimism. "I. kpOw we will have to face. lia'rd and aiixious times, but our strength and spirit will be sufficient for any trials said the 'Secretary of State for War (Mr R. A. Eden) in a broadcast to the people of Britain.

Mr Eden said that the time was approaching when the enemy would launch an attack on Britain. No doubt the bombing attacks at a height already started would be continued. “I am convinced that they will be repulsed, and we shall subject the enemy in his own country to a constant and heavy counter-attack from the air.”

He was confident that the enemy would he beaten off, first, because of the British character. The fate of France was a lesson. “It is 1 only by the dedication of the human spirit and human will through the length and breadth of the land that complete and final victory can be won.” Already, though operating at a great disadvantage, the Royal Air Force had inflicted severe losses upon the enemy. It often had to fight far from its bases or from extemporised bases. It had never yet met the enemy without the numerical odds being in the enemy’s favour. Feats at Dunkirk. “But, remember what happened on the only occasion when it was operating from its own bases and when the numerical odds were not utterly fantastic,” he added. “During the evacuation from Dunkirk, the Royal Air Forco is known to have destroyed as many as 70 German aircraft in a day, and the enemy’s additional unconfirmed losses must, of course, have been very great. Our airmen can hope to do even better when fighting in their own skies.”

Stating why lie thought every other form of enemy offensive besides aerial attack would be defeated, Mr Eden said that Mr Churchill liacl announced the fact that there, were 1,250,000 men under arms in Britain, excluding 500,000 local defence volunteers, and Canadian and Allied troop? who ; had been arriving from France. . r; “Never before have we had so many soldiers in this island. AVe are cbnfident we can. throw sufficient forces against any enemy who' attempts to land on our shores and attack him and defeat him.’ Wo do not underestimate the enemy, but for once he will be operating under the disadvantages which we have always experienced in our Continental wars and in addition he will have to supply his forces overseas without possessing command , of the seas. I can therefore speak to you to-night in a spirit of reasoned confidence.” * ' ’ ■ " * '

Concluding. Mr Eden said: “Apart from our own strength, we are. receiving great help from the United States, with the strong support of public opinion in that country, which is sending us supplies of arms and munitions. By’ so doing, they are rendering us a service of which we are in need for the cause which they have fully understood.

“Let me make it quite clear that we are obtaining munitions, not in the hope that they will delay a conquest of our land, but because we are confident that we can win tho war. Our strangle-hold is still on Germany, “Already, in other parts of the world we are achieving success in offensive operations. It is this offensive spirit which so clearly animates our forces in tho Middle East. • It augurs well for tho future.

“Wo can have no doubt of tho issue, you and I. This is a conflict between two ways of life, which admits of no compromise. It is the age-long struggle between good and evil. This is a struggle for the future of man and for the freedom of his mind and soul.”