ECONOMIC WAR

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 237, 7 October 1942, Page 3

ECONOMIC WAR

Breaking Down The German

Home Front

FOUR MAIN WEAPONS British Official Wireless Ree. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, October 6. Russian resistance at Stalingrad had affected not only the German armies, but had had material and psychological effects on the German population. Mr. Dingle Foot, Minister of Economic Warfare, speaking in London, said the necessity of maintaining and equipping 1,000,000 men in the field made Germany more vulnerable to economic warfare. Consequently it followed that whatever the Allies could do to assist Russia with vital supplies would have the effect of speeding up the attack on the German home front which had been well prepared. Before the outbreak of war the German home front had formidable defences, but they were not invincible, and four methods of economic warfare were being employed against them: A long distance blockade to prevent cargoes from being loaded, the destruction of Axis shipping round the European coasts, the activities of Bomber Command, and the passive resistance of the enslaved people of occupied countries.

This last was encouraged by broad* casts, and had taken many forms. Peasants had hidden nickel coinage which the Germans like to have, and were also holding back produce wherever possible.