COURSE OF WAR

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 253, 7 August 1941, Page 5

COURSE OF WAR

RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN REVIEWED. THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC. VALUE OF AMERICAN AID. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Roc. 10 'a. in.) LONDON, August 6. The Lord Privy, Seal (Mr C. R. Attlee) opened the debate on the Consolidated Fund' Rill with a statement on the war. He. stated that the democracies were still fighting for their existence against a strong and ruthless enemy. On the Russian front, lie said, it was clear that the plans of the Nazi High Command for a rapid advance had not succeeded, and he recalled that it was as long ago as July 13 that they claimed that “the Stalin Line had been pierced at all points, and the roads to, Moscow and Kiev were open.” In the far north, Murmansk was still in Russian hands. On the other Baltic shore there had been no progress. Recently fierce fighting had taken place in the Smolensk area, but. the road to Moscow was far from open. Kiev remained the bastion in the Russian defences, and 'the Soviet Air Force continued to play its great part.

“I am sure everybody in this country has been stilted by this splendid resistance to invasion,” said Mr Attlee. “Britain,” he added, “was taking urgent steps to furnish Russia with the supplies for which she had asked, and no time, had been lost in making contact by the Fleet at Kirkenes and other northern places where physical contact with the Russians was possible. The bombing of Germany had .been increased arid would increase as the nights lengthened. He revealed that during July alone, 70 attacks- were made on German towns and 75 on towns in occupied territory. “I don’t think there is any doubt us to the effect these attacks are having oil German morale, communications, and industry,” the Minister said. “In the,Middle East, 126 attacks had been made, during which 1410 units of the enemy’s air fleet had been destroyed for certain, for the loss of 285 of our planes. ' , “The House must not expect me to give any indications of other steps we have taken to help our ally, but it may rest assured that within the limits of practicability everything possible will be done.. An essential feature of the aid wo can. give is not that- it should be spectacular, but- that it should be effective.” Meeting the Menace of U-boats. Reviewing the Battle of the Atlantic, Mr Attlee said that an increasing number of U-boats had been operating since the spring hut provision had been made to meet this danger by providing more anti-submarine craft. The corvettes had boon doing valuable escort service, and heavy-scale defence in home waters had turned the enemy further afield, so that the battle was now being fought, over an area which stretched far out toward the United States coasts and far south in tropical African seas.

■j “In this battle,” lie said, “we have suffered severe losses, and we Shall not be satisfied while these losses continue, but we can look back on the last two months with reasonable satisfaction. I cannot give the House detailed figures without presenting the enemy with information which he would very much like to have, but I can say that our imports have been maintained at a satisfactory figure, in spite of all the enemy’s efforts. “Mr Attlee pointed out that the enerpy was unable to broadcast a single claim for a successful attack by Üboats between July 11 and July 28; but in the last few days the Nazis had made contact with one south-bound Atlantic convoy and claimed to have sunk 140,000 tons of shipping, as well as a corvette and a destroyer. In fact there were no destroyers present, as the convoy was escorted by corvettes, which gave a very good account of themselves, as, the U-boats had reason to know.” Comparison with Last Year. Although he was not able to give exact details of the tonnage sunk, Mr Attlee said he was able to state that the enemy’s claims represent an exaggeration of' at least 350 per cent, and probably 700 per cent. The war at sea, Mr Attlee said, had an offensive as well as a defensive side, and enemy shipping was continually being attacked. July was a good month. Apart from attacks on warships and small units, 92 enemy ships, of a tonnage of 450,000, were damaged or put out of action during the month.

Mr Attlee then turned to the naval assistance rendered in the Syrian campaign, where the primary task was to prevent supplies reaching the Vichy forces. Tn this they had been completely successful. No single British ship was lost in these and other operations against the Vichy warships. Turning to the African theatre, Mr Attlee said that only a small pocket of Italians, assisted by had weather, were still holding out in Abyssinia, bu'e elsewhere in the country Haile Selassie, with a. Cabinet of Ministers, was beginning to reconstruct his country —the first one to lie rescued from the aggressors’ yoke. Officers had been placed at his disposal by his Majesty’s Government and financial assistance was being afforded.

“A great factor differentiates onr situation from that of last year—the vastly increased scale of assistance from the United States. Not only does this flow of material exceed anything received from America during the last war, hut it is also sent to us under the extraordinarily generous terms of the Lease and Lend Act.”

Mr Attlee then spoke of the rising tide of resentment against the iNant,*:. which was appearing in occupied territories, and again urged the necessity for continued effort against a very powerful enemy. “The nations Europe look to us not only to destroy Hitlerism but also to show by practice

as well as by precept that we offer tlio true alternative to Hitler’s new order,” said Mr Attlee. “In the British Commonwealth the policy wherein the freedom of every part does not detract from the unity of the whole, .we demonstrate how it is possible for peoples diverse in race, religion and language to work together on the basis of a common way of life,” concluded Mr Attlee.—British Official Wireless.