R.A.F. BOMBING OFFENSIVE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23754, 28 September 1942, Page 5

R.A.F. BOMBING OFFENSIVE

SPEECH BY MR EDEN

BRITISH POLICY AFTER WAR DISCUSSED (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.)

(8.0. W.) RUGBY. Sept. 26. The disclosure that no fewer than 75 warships of the Royal Navy of varying sizes had escorted the recent AngloAmerican convoy to Russia was made by the Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. Eden) in a speech at Leamington. The convoy, he said, had safely delivered in Russia the largest total munitions yet transported in a single voyage from the United Kingdom and the United States. The shipment included aircraft, tanks, guns, ammunition, and valuable stores of all kinds. “It is good to know that these supplies reached our Russian Allies at a critical time,’" he said. “The battle of Stalingrad is an heroic struggle and no praise can fairly describe what the Russian armies have achieved.’ Speaking of the Royal Air Force bombing offensive over Germany, he said it would be a grave mistake to. underrate its influence on the course of the war. Our offensive was at last developing weight and sustained power. The German blitz failed in 1941 because of the failure of the Luftwaffe in both of these respects. Photographs and other sources of Information were beginning to show our raids were hitting the Germans hard, and even Dr. Goebbels had dropped attempts to suppress the effect of the damage. Last month he visited Cologne, Dusseldprf, and the Ruhr, and in a subsequent broadcast said the population of the regions threatened by air attack at present were bearing a particularly heavy part of the burdens and sacrifices of Germany. In June end July. 1940. said Mr Eden, the Royal Air Force dropped 3500 tons of bombs on Germany. ' In the same two months of 1941 the total was 8500 tons, and in the first 14 days of September this year no less than 5000 tons were dropped in nine raids, an average of more than 500 tons in each raid. In the Cologne raid the Royal Air Force dropped 1000 tons in 90 minutes. After referring to the strategic value of bombing ■. Germany’s industrial centres, Mr Eden added: “I can assure you we fully understand the importance of maintaining the bombing offensive and further strengthening its weight, week, by week, month by month. That will be done.” Lessons Taught by \tfar

Turning to future relationships between Britain and foreign countries, Mr Eden pointed to the many; lessons which the war had taught Britain. If. after the war ended, once again the British sought to drift back to the good old times, which were not really so very good for many amongst them, if they imagined all controls could be swept aside or that they could return to economic anarchy of the old days, and, above all, if they thought they could have peace and- security “on the cheap,” then certainly they would bring not only discredit but disaster upon themselves. Mr Eden indicated that the problem of the relief of distress, in Axis-occu-pied countries after the war had not been forgotten. The Work of preparation was going forward, he said, and the United Nations among them must find both the will and physical means to cope with the immediate problems of distress in areas freed from Axis aggression. So far as the United Kingdom was concerned, he was sure the British people as a whole would willingly submit to considerable sacrifices to relieve distress among their Allies on the continent of Europe. An enduring settlement and a better world after the war could not be created unless on the basis of understanding, confidence, and the will to see realities and face them. The old world was dead. It was dying even before it was broken in pieces by the hammers of Wotan and Thor.