"WAR NOT YET STARTED"

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22906, 30 December 1939, Page 10

"WAR NOT YET STARTED"

View of General Freyberg PROBLEM FACING GERMAN ARMY (PHESB ASSOCIATION TELZGXAH.) WELLINGTON. December 29. : In the difficult times ahead, it was gratifying to know he had the support 1 of all the people of New Zealand, said the General Officer commanding the second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (Major-General B. C. Freyberg, ’ V.C.), at a reception accorded him this afternoon by the Wellington Commercial Travellers’ and Warehousemen’s Association. General Freyberg repeated a statement he made at the . civic reception in Wellington, that, so .• far as the Allies were concerned, the war had not yet started. A dictator ' country like Germany, he said, must : take some action, as soon as offensive operations were possible. In his opin- * ion, after having looked on the defences of the one side, the Maginot Line, it would be an act of folly or desperation for Germany to attack on this front. Germany was faced with either trying to seek a conclusion by attacking on the Western Front against the Maginot Line or in south-eastern Europe. "There is nothing to show which way it will go,” said General Freyberg. “The future is pure conjecture.. When it comes it will be according to Germany’s well-known crash tactics —intensive bombing and machine-gun. fire from low-flying aeroplanes and from heavily-armoured vehicles.” Major-General Freyberg, who wasaccompanied by the Chief of the-Gen-eral Staff in New Zealand, MajorGeneral J. E. Duigan, met with an enthusiastic burst of hand-clapping and cheering when he aTrived at the club, and was received by the president of the United Commercial Travellers’ and Warehousemen’s Association of . New Zealand (Mr Hustler Smith). “A good many men here are going away, and to them it is a dream come true that General Freyberg should be their boss,” Mr Hustler Smith said. Others they were pleased to welcome, and who had done good work ■ for New Zealand, were the Hon. W. Parry, Dominion president of the New . Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Associa- , tion, Lieutenant-Colonel H. E. Avery, and Captain S. Frickleton. V.C. ‘•Because we have with us at this gathering two holders of the Victoria Cross, we are making history.” Mr .. Hustler Smith added. The value OX Pis conversation? -wrtn-Major-General Duigan had surpassed • anything he could say. General Frey- ' berg said. ‘T am certain that the youth of this country and the youth of Great Britain will manfully, uphold • the traditions of those who fought m the last war,” he said. “I will say this very sincerely. General Freyberg is the right man in the right place,” said General Duigan. X have met no other officer in all my - career whp would lead the second New Zealand Expeditionary Force 39 he will.” General Duigan said tpat General Freyberg could rely on him to do all -he possibly could in New ■ Zealand. It was not possible with the equipment available m the Dominion. to give the men the thorough training necessary, but General Freyberg would later give them higher training overseas and would weld them into a firstclass fighting force. CIVIC RECEPTION THIS MORNING Christchurch will give a civic reception this morning to Major-General B. C. Freyberg, V.C., General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Sps- . Cial Force, on his arrival from Wei- . lington. It will be held on the balcony of Warner’s Hotel in Cathedral square at 9,15 a.m. Addresses will be g‘ ve “ by the Mayor (Mr R. M. Macfarlane, -r-rt \ a 2.i «.«««; /v# ava xu<A • / ciUU IJItJ prCSiucuii < ' MW w *n*inn church Returned Soldiers’ Association (Mr A. E. Haynes). . , On his arrival at Lyttelton by the steamer-express, Major-General freyberg will be met by Colonel P. «• - Bell, D.5.0., Officer Commanding th® Southern Military District. Members of the National Reserve stationed a Lyttelton will form a guard of honour. After the reception, Majoi>Generai > Freyberg will pay a visit to Burnnani ! Camp, arriving at 10.30 a.m., to i units of the force now under his com i mand. He will have lunch atthecamP. i and will return to Christchurch m tn_• I afternoon, to leave for Wellington . again in the evening. He will be 8C : companied on his visit by Lieutenant Colonel K. L- Stewart. 0.8.E-