PROGRESSIVE INCREASE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 71, 21 September 1939, Page 11

PROGRESSIVE INCREASE

ALLIED STRENGTH

INITIAL ADVANTAGE TO THE

ENEMY

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received September 21, 11.30 a.m.)

RUGBY, September 20,

Among many misstatemeirts of fact in Herr Hitler's speech which the Prime Minister cited in the House of Commons, he referred particularly to the assertion that the French Government had agreed to Italian mediation while the British Government had refused it. The reply to that statement, he said, was contained in the Italian communique of September 4 which clearly brought out the common attitude adopted by the British and French Governments. Britain did not seek | this war. As the published documents showed, Britain had repeatedly stated her readiness for a peaceful settlement by negotiation. She had persevered in her attempts to secure this up to the end, even after the striking of the first blow, but her efforts were set at naught and her hopes shattered by the unprovoked and brutal aggression of Germany. Referring to the Western Front, Mr. Chamberlain said that the French continued to make methodical and successful progress. The laconic but admirably clear announcements of the French High Command indicated that various strategic and technical objectives had been secured and that the ground gained had been held in face of increasingly severe German resistance. NAVY'S ACTIVITY. " Dealing with the war at sea, he said that the situation had been one of intense and continuous naval activity, mainly in the form of attacks on U-boats carried out by destroyers, small craft, and fleet air arm action under cover of the main fleets and squadrons. Whereas in the last war Britain was on the defensive, she was now carrying out an offensive against U-boats and they were continually and relentlessly attacked whenever they disclosed themselves. "I am quite coni&dent," he said, "that with the full operation of the convoy system and a rapid increase in the numbers and power of the hunting craft the submarine menace will dwindle." Occasional blows such as that of the Courageous must be expected, but ,it was already clear that the Navy and the Merchant Service, by their unceasing efforts, would be able to maintain essential supplies of raw materials and food. Mr. Chamberlain sated that the average weekly loss in the last war was 39 ships and in the first week of the present war 17 and in the second week 13. Undoubtedly the decrease was partly due to the working of the convoy system being increasingly in operation. FIRST OFF THE MARK. j Speaking of the conduct of the war, j Mr. Chamberlain said: "It must be remembered that in all military preparations a great initial advantage rests with the aggressor. No country without aggressive intentions can be as quick off the mark as one that has kept only one set purpose continually in view—the purpose of aggression." Concluding his speech, he said: "I will not hazard a guess at this stage of the war as to when and where a decisive force will be assembled or j when the decisive moment will arrive. This must depend upon events, which no one can foresee. But the scale of the preparations and the fact already announced that we are basing them on the assumption that the duration of the war may be at least three years ensures that our strength will increase progressively to meet whatever may come."