ARMY LEADERS DEFENDED

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23753, 26 September 1942, Page 5

ARMY LEADERS DEFENDED

Minister Replies To Critics TRIBUTE TO GENERAB macarthur (N.Z. Press Association —Copyright.) (Rec. 1.30 a.m.) CANBERRA. Sept. 25. “The Australian Government has the utmost confidence in General Mac Arthur and General Sir Thomas Blarney. declared the Minister of the Army tMf F M. Forde), announcing that he would visit the New Guinea battle 31 The Minister was replying in the House of Representatives to heated criticism of the leadership of the Australian Army. Expressing the that the criticism levelled at the Army leadership was subversive, and would give the impression that the troops m the islands were commanded by nitwits ” Mr Forde said that the Government was proud of the Army leaders. Referring to the reorganisation of the Allied forces in the south-west Pacific, he said that the master stroke had been the appointment ,of the greatest military man who had ever donned a uniform** —General Douglas Mac Arthur —to this command. That appointment had inspired the whole of the people of the democracies. *T am proud, too, of the appointment of General Blarney as Commander-m-Chief of the Allied land forces, said the Minister. “He is working m the closest co-operation with General MacArthur ** During the last few days a barrage of criticism has been hurled at the service Ministers for their failure to visit New- Guinea, the critics attitude being epitomised by Mr C. L>. AAbbott, who Said: “There is something wrong somewhere to cause our men who are the salt of the earth and are acknowledged to be the bravest of the brave —to fall back before the JapanCS Mr Forde will visit Port Moresby. Darwin and other battle areas in the south-west Pacific theatre of war. “Will Not Make Scapegoats” He told the House that the Government’s confidence in their military leaders was reciprocated. We will not be stampeded into making scapegoats of military leaders for the shortcomings of our defence, the blame for which should be laid at the door or the previous administration, ana not at the feet of General Mac Arthur or of General Blarney.” x Mr Forde declared that critics of the military chiefs were undermining the morale of the fighting men and the people of Australia. There had been a regrettable tendency to “knock military leaders in Australia. These men had under them the. finest fighting force ever assembled in the Southern Hemisphere. . . . ... “We have implicit faith in these military leaders, and we are proud of them.” said Mr Forde. “Members of this House who have poured torrents of abuse on the Army Minister, the Army, its discipline, and its commanders, just can’t take it," declared Mr Coles, a Victorian Independent member "Their outbursts are activated by fears of set-backs in New Guinea. Members of this House should set an example to the people of Australia. They should wait patiently until the war effort of .the Allies develops m sufficient strength.” Some of the critical statements referred to included: “It is madness to send raw youths from Sydney and Melbourne to tropical jungles,. .. . “The people have been lulled into ■ false sense of security because of extraordinarily optimistic statements, and “In the early days of the New Guinea fighting our troops were untrained. Each man should have at least six months’ training before being sent earlier told the House of Representatives that the entire Australian Army organisation was being ruthlessly sifted. A review of Army commands was proceeding, and men or officers found unsuitable were being weeded out or transferred to duties more suited to their capacity. He revealed that change-overs of two fairly senior officers had been made during the New Guinea campaign.

EFFECT OF RATOS ON GERMANY

REFUGEES LEAVE BIG CITIES (Rec. 11.15 p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 38. Foreign observers have become increasingly convinced that the continual pounding from the air of German industrial. centres during the winter will force the Germans to their knees in a much shorter time than is usually believed in Allied circles. The “Daily Telegraph’s” correspondent “somewhere in Europe” says: “Observers declare that ‘ the raids directly affected at least 10,000,000 Germans. The evacuation of refugees is becoming a problem that is threatening to defeat even the thorough German administration. Two thousand women and children have been forced to spend two days in a train, in which they had travelled to a refugee town, before lodgings could be found for them. One of the authorities’ greatest difficulties is where to send the evacuees now that the Russians are attacking east Germany, which, was formerly considered safe. Thousands of Alsatians with “doubtful” views are. being deported to Germany to make room for refugees. Uneasiness so increased after the raids against Frankfurt and Munich that several divisions of picked guards were recalled from the east front to reinforce the police in bombed areas. The Berlin radio stated Ley, as vice-commissioner of private dwellings, had visited many parts of Germany. including Hamburg and Bremen, where “the housing problem is especially distressing- owing to war conditions.”

RAID ON FLENSBURG SUBMARINE YARDS BOMBED (8.0. W.) RUGBY. Sept 24. “On Wednesday night heavy bombers attacked objectives in northern and western Germany, including the submarine yards at Flensburg,” states an Air Ministry communique. "Coastal Command aeroplanes attacked an enemy convoy off the Dutch coast, hitting three medium-sized ships. The attack was made by Dutch pilots, who thus returned to their own shores to attack the enemy. Ten bombers are missing from these operations.” Many of the four-engined bombers which attacked the submarine building yards at Flensburg last night went down to a few hundred feet. The crews were confident that their bombs burst across the building yards, whence a heavy explosion, after clouds of black smoke, came up. Many of the bombers flew back almost at roof height, and the gunners shot up searchlights and gun-posts from as low as 50 feet. Other aircraft attacking objectives further east along the Baltic coast bombed from under 1000 feet. Three German bombers were over Britain on Wednesday night—the first for nearly a fortnight. One was shot down before it got to Britain, but the other two dropped bombs, causing slight damage and a few casualties. On Thursday afternoon two enemy raiders bombed and machine-gunned a south-east coast village, but were chased off by Buffaloes. They damaged a cinema, a school, and two churches, and five people were killed. In the Bay of Biscay two Beaufighters came across four Junkers 88's, which were cruising about waiting for British bombers on patrol. Enemy machines had not bargained on the fighters, and two of them were sent into the sea and the other two made for clouds and disappeared. British aeroplanes went on with their patrol*