A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 3, 28 September 1939, Page 10

A SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION

.An encouraging' review of British naval and ail opetaliens against enemy submarines has been given by the First Lord of the Admiralty. Mr. Winston Churchill. This discloses, first, that the number of U-boats sunk is larger than the public has been led to believe; secondly, that the amount of German merchandise seized exceeds the amount of British merchandise sunk; thirdly, that the British tonnage sunk weekly has diminished steadily since the fit st flurry of the Nazi campaign. Fourthly—and of the greatest importance—the convoy system is in full operation. Moreover, before long the 2000 British ships which are plying the seaways of the world every day will all be armed.

Mr. Chamberlain’s latest review of the situation emphasizes the continued smoothness of the co-operation between the Allied commands, as reflected by the tone of the Supreme War Council meeting in England on September 22. The Prime Minister dealt also with the work of the Ministry of Economic Warfare—the important shore end of the blockade machine. He pointed out that already the Nazis arc restive t.iat they are translating into action their recent, thinly-veiled threats concerning neutral shipping. * * >i> *

On the Western Front the French heavy guns are pounding West Wall fortifications in the vicinity of Zweibrucken. _ The salient which has its peak ?t Hornbach is being widened, if not deepened. The right of that salient has been bombarded by the Germans, but this effort to force a withdrawal has failed. It is again reported that German reinforcements from Poland are being concentrated both near the Belgian border and in the Black Forest area. The latter movement, of course, lends colour, to the suspicion that the Swiss frontier is threatened by a Nazi flank attack on France.

Fear of a Russian move against the Baltic republics is gaining ground, especially in Estonia and Finland. So far, the most definite reports are from Estonia, which is believed to be facing a .Soviet Government demand for a naval base and free passage through the territory for Russian goods. The recent escape of a Polish submarine from Estonian internment is the excuse Russia has chosen, and she appears to be seeking a similar peg on which to hang demands against F inland. . These two States flank the waterway to Leningrad, and their, territories, therefore, are of particular strategic importance to Russia.

Diplomatic activity in the Balkans remains a riddle, and efforts by neutral correspondents to anticipate the answer have produced yet another theory. This is that Hitler is planning a bloodless victory in eastern Europe, based upon an agreement whereby both Germany and Russia will keep out of the Balkans. In return for this the Balkan States will place their resources at Germany’s disposal, and Turkey will undertake to close the Black Sea against belligerents.

The Hungarian Press, lor its part, foresees an independent Balkans neutrality bloc, headed by Italy. Some people in Rumania, on the other hand, have the gloomy notion that Germany and Russia plan to divide north-eastern Europe as they have divided Poland— Hitler’s "zone of inlluence” to be Rumania plus the rest oi the Balkans, and Stalin's the Baltic area.

Tt cannot be too strongly emphasized that the whole ol this is a mixture of rumour and speculation. Almost the. only known tact of the Balkans situation is that Turkey, whose cordial relations with Britain were recently re-stated in Ankara, is working for genuine Balkans neutrality.

Having gradually reduced Warsaw to a flaming ruin, the Nazis have announced that they “have decided to reduce” the city. Presumably this evil farce is being enacted in order to make the final assault appear as a swift, effective campaign in itself. Nazi propagandists have a new problem —that of explaining awav an attack on a Dutch airliner involving the. death of a Swedish passenger. Already Sweden and other neutrals are incensed by the torpedoing of their merchant ships.