Late News WAR REVIEW BY CHURCHILL

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 307, 22 September 1943, Page 7

Late News WAR REVIEW BY CHURCHILL

Events In Italy LONG ECLIPSE OF,

U-BOATS

Strategy Of Allies

LONDON, September 21.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Churchill, received a great ovation when he appeared in tlie House of Commons for the resumed sitting this morning, and a second ovation when he rose to speak on the progress of the war. Referring to the progress of the war in the Mediterranean, he said that the attack there had never been considered a direct substitute for an attack on the Axis through France or tlie Low Countries, but it had been looked upon as an essential preliminary. He told members that an American army would have landed in the Rome area had. the Germans not invested, the Ci When Mussolini fell, the Allies did not at first know with whom to deal, Mr. Churchill said. Then the Italians approached them and asked how they could join the United Nations. Marshal Badoglio faithfully followed every, undertaking. It was not possible for him to hand over Mussolini earlier. because that would have disclosed our band. Mussolini’s escape was the fault of his guards, who had been ordered to shoot him in the event of an attempted rescue. Shipping Intact.

Mr. Churchill electrified the House byinforming them that in the past four months no merchant vessel had been suns: in the North Atlantic though a convoy was being attacked at the present time In the first fortnight, of September no ships had been sunk in any part of the world bv enemy action. The U-boats were coming out again in the lust week dr so, and no doubt they would be equipped with what the enemy considered the most up-to-date fitt* n ”. s ’ The Germans had lost nearly all their experienced U-boat commanders and crews. We had established a credit ot 6,000,000 tons of shipping, and that mid allowed us to build some faster and bigger ships. . _ ~ Strategic Bombing. Mr. Churchill referred to the Allies’ ever-increasing mastery of the air and said that in the last three months times the weight of bombs hud been dropped on northern Europe compared with the previous three months, and with far greater accuracy, lhe almost total destruction of enemy war factories han diverted a considerable amount ot Geiman war energy from the battlefields and Germany’s effective power had been considerably reduced. Complete strategic domination of the air above Germany was not beyond our future powers and might be attained next year. ~.. The House adjourned. Mr Churchill 'will resume his address alter lune .