THE PEOPLE: THEIRS WAS THE VICTORY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 117, 19 May 1945, Page 4

THE PEOPLE: THEIRS WAS THE VICTORY

Special to the Auckland Star By TREVOR SMITH

LONDON, May 15.. IT will be a long time before the * world grasps properly the magnitude of Germany's passing. A vast nation has ceased to exist. There is no government administration. Thefe are no armed forces, no arms.

Germany is penniless. Her cities, towns and industries are devastated, her food stocks are fast disappearing. With starvation threatening her millions her entire internal organisation is shattered. Her school system has ended. Nothing remains but a geographical area still called -Germany, but whose every square inch is occupied by the Allies, and containing many millions of people still speaking the German language.

That the master race has been crushed is something still quite unimaginable. How right Mr. Churchill was when from a Whitehall balcony on VB dayhe said: "This is your victory; every one of you, man, woman and child." It was indeed the people's victory —and the 48 hours from the announcement of the Reich's defeat marked the supreme moment in every Britisher's life. How could it have been otherwise? Forty-seven million people had been in the front line for six years, not all the people all of the time, but most of the people most of the time. Never before has history recorded anything comparable; may it never again.

The Navy Prevented Defeat The question, "Who won the European war?" will be argued for ages, but, irrevocably and absolutely, the British Navy prevented it from being lost.

Had the Service, so silent that even now only a miserable fraction of its full story has been told, failed to keep the sea-lanes open, nothing could have saved Britain and the Western Powers, even perhaps civilisation. The Navy enabled stomachs to be fed and indispensable raw materials to reach factories.

It enabled "the few to whom so many owed so much" to stifle the Luftwaffe, men and women to fight until others entered the Struggle. Then the Navy saw that these forces were fed, supplied and equipped—and it got supplies through to Russia. The character of the men who kept the sea-lanes open against appalling odds for so long is the character also of the men who, over the roofs of

gave Hitler his first reverse and of the people under the roofs of London who accentuated this rOV6FS6. But if it is arguable whether seapower or land-power or air-power is decisive, it is beyond argument that nothing could have succeeded against Germany's armed might without the British Navy. The great Big Three coalition would not have been possible and neither Britain, Russia nor America could have stood had the British Navy been defeated. This war, like the lfcst war, could have been lost in an afternoon. You can speak to any Minister, any politician of any party—they are absolutely solid on one thing. Britain must and will maintain her mighty sea-power.

Don't Mention It! I believe that Mr. Churchill is resolved to go down in history simply as Mr. Churchill. As for going to the House of Lords, just mention the word peerage to Mr. Churchill and hear his language! I wish I could print it for you. Mr. Churchill wants neither titles nor medals, nor even the Order of Merit, though the award of this master decoration is solely the King's prerogative and the King might persuade him to accept it. Even now, nothing like the full story of Mr. Churchill's part in this war can be told, nor will it be possible to tell it for many years. But I can relate this much:—

On the day Mr. Churchill took over the Prime Ministership his first act was to call for a detailed picture of Britain's naval, military and air forces and their equipment. He confesses that what was put before him provided him with the most depressed day of his life. From that moment, with his miracles of ingenuity, resource and foresight, he set about putting things right to the smallest detail. Only in the years to come will it be known how by a hair's breadth Britain was saved from subjugation and how Mr. Churchill's drive as much as anything was responsible.

Loaders of the Services Perhaps if one man next to Mr. Churchill can be singled out for saying Britain and then making her victorious, it is the former First Sea Lord, Sir Dudley Pound, who gave his life as his success was about to be crowned with triumph. Admiral Pound's story is perhaps best summed up by saying that he was responsible for the miracle of making one ship do the work of five. He declined a peerage—he was too poor and left only £3000. It is expected that a grateful nation will novP reward his two surviving sons.

Others certain to be rewarded and given additional titles are not only Field-Marshals Alexander and Montgomery, who are likely each to receive £100,000, the Chief of the British General Staff (Field-Marshal Sir Alan Brooke), the First Sea Lord CSir Andrew Cunningham) and the Chief of the Air Staff (AirMarshal Sir Charles Portal). Field-Marshal Bf-ooke, in the opinion of many people, is the best Chief of the General Staff England has ever had. Some think him rather brusque, but he is liked profoundly by his commanders, and his running of the British Army was brilliant.

Britain's Chief of Staff team has been a masterly affair. Never have chiefs of the three services worked so harmoniously together. The same can be said also of General Eisenhower and his team.

If ever there was a miracle man it was "Ike." Never has there been such a coordinator. General Eisenhower once sacked two of his best friends from high positions because they were interfering with the smooth working of his plans. General Eisenhower will remain in Europe at least until demobilisation of our troops is well under way.

One Crumb On Mad Monday, May 7, when the vital announcement of peace in Europe never came, the British Minister for Information (Mr. Brendan Bracken) despairingly told journalists that it would be delayed a day, but added:

"There's one crumb of news—we have official hews that Goebbels' body has been found." Then he added: "I'll say this as my last word —'the dear doctor would never have messed up his propaganda like this."

General Election A general election may be held any time between July and October. There is a swing to the Left pretty well throughout the country, but how it reflects itself will be known only when the results are up of what is now the most unpredictable of all British general elections. Seven million people who never voted before will vote, and war winner Churchill, the nation's hero, has yet to enter the home political ring. Another unknown factor is the Labour party's hierarchy, which may undergo a sensational change. There is, much talk of Mr. Bevin (Minister of Labour and National Service) succeeding Mr. Attlee as leader. If Labour wins the erection, Mr. Bevin may be Britain's next Prime Minister.

Big, burly brusque "Ernie" Bevin may not be the darling of every Labourite, but he is the most able man in the British Labour movement to-day.

Bevin is too forthright, too politically amateurish for others, but this 16-stoner has a big mind as well as body, and has great character and vision. He will stand up to diehards in his own as well as other parties.

At heart, whatever he may say to the contrary, Mr. Bevin would like the nation to have a further term of National Government. He believes that the nightmares of peace are no less hideous than those of war, and that national unity is essential to face them not only at home bu; abroad.

You will see Mr. Bevin arriving or leaving Parliament or his office an a good-sized limousine, and you will hear that in private life he is fond of luxury.

The truth is that his car is the same as those provided to all members of the Cabinet, and that he does not wallow in luxury. He lives quietly in a small flat, where his wife, to whom he is devoted, often does the cooking and ail the housework.