MOCK INVASION OF

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 139, 8 March 1941, Page 11

MOCK INVASION OF

BRITAIN Week-Long Battle

(British Official Wireless.) (Received March 7, 7 p.m.) RUGBY, March 6. Speaking of home defence, when introducing the Army Estimates in the House of Commons, the Secretary of War, Captain Margesson, reminded the House that the danger of invasion was very real. But every possibility open to the ingenuity of the enemy had been considered, he said. Not many weeks ago there was a sham battle in which all the resources of the State, civil and military, were engaged for a week.

“The exercise was directed at meeting an imagined attack,” he said, “and for its purpose we called in some of the most brilliant staff officers at our disposal and asked them to take on the role of the German general staff and make plans to attack this country. An attack was duly launched. This ‘German staff’ was housed in special offices, and by a scheme of observers throughout the country the effect of various waves of attack were noted and valuable lessons were learned. “The ingenuity of this improvized enemy staff resulted in a scale of attack greatly exceeding in probability anything the Germans could actually inflict. The enemy was allowed to inflict upon us every preliminary disaster which might conceivably come upon us.’ ’

Came Through With Credit.

“There were many ‘landings’ by sea and air, and a continuous air bombardment of our central points was calculated to have caused the breakdown of many means of communications. Notwithstanding this assumption of the worst, the defence organization came through the ordeal with the greatest credit.

“It showed,” said Captain Margesson, “that we are not sitting tight in ou r defences, but endeavouring to improve the scheme of static and mobile defence from day to day.” The War Secretary dealt with a suggestion that the selection of officers was impartial between the different classes of society. “Analysis,” he said, “of the commissions given from selection of infantry officer cadet training units shows that for the period from September 27 to December 27. 1940. 2G per cent, of the successful pupils came from what is known as the Public Schools. Of the balance 24 per cent, came from grammar, country, or secondary schools, and of these about 9 per cent, had had university education. Examination of civil occupations of candidates for the same period was also interesting. They included a publican, a tailor, a doctor, an optition, a labourer, a racehorse trainer, a ropemaker, a grocer, a fireman, and a barrister.”