NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 156, 30 December 1940, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

UNDER AIR RAIDS

BRITISH DAILY LIFE

SOLVING A PROBLEM

The news that British health! problems have not developed as was expected this winter is one of the best things to be published for some time past. For there have been serious fears in medical circles that the strange existence forced on the people by the air war would lead to health problems of the first order. Time of Fogs and Cold. Winter in England is a time of fogs and of damp, penetrating cold. There is unrelieved darkness from 5 o'clock in the afternoon until 8 o'clock in the morning. There is, nevertheless, the need to drive on with the war effort and for many hundreds of thousands this means work at unrelaxed tension. There is also the pattern of destruci tion and death woven by Nazi bombers. Few doubted that a war of this nature would mean that bodily resistance would be lowered by the conditions under which the population had to live. Nervous tension, interrupted sleep, hard daily tasks, the conditions in factories, working round the clock, or in air-raid shelters, seemed to be excellent ground for at least minor epidemics. But this war, which has been a bad one for the prophets, appears to have confounded them again. Deep Shelters. The position of Britain in health matters has been affected by the first decision of the Government not to adopt a deep shelter scheme. This decision was taken not only because of the cost of such a plan and the difficulties involved, but because no one foresaw the collapse of France. Tha defence plan against air attack contemplated the shelters being used only for short periods, because it was not thought that German air raids could last any longer than an hour or two. In addition the labour and;;; material which would have been eriiployed ia creating deep shelters were needed foe the manufacture of military supplies. The arrival of the Germans on th« French coast completely changed the air-raid situation. In the winter (of 1939-40 the Nazis were unable to carry, out any accurate bombing against England, because they had to send their planes all the way across the Nor.th, Sea, and the Luftwaffe did not show any taste for determined attacks at the end of long journeys.. In addition, the dive-bombers could not be sent, as they could not fly far enough. And, finally, the fighters were unable to give any protection to raiders because the distance was too great for them also. , New Defence System. Thus the Briton faced this winter on an embattled island which had to be defended by a new system. The first need was to lessen the strain on the civil population. This was done in a variety of ways: first, the system of warnings was changed so that the first sirens are now regarded as an "alert* rather than as an injunction to seek shelter. Next the "roof-spotter" system was created to allow people to go on with their work until planes were in their immediate neighbourhood. This has not only maintained production through the attacks by the weight of the German air force, but has enabled the Fighter Command to (order sirens to be sounded more often and to have women and children sent to shelter earlier than previously. It has also ended the earlier complaints that sometimes there were bomb hits before the sirens were sounded. Problems Assailed. Other measures have also been taken. Bunks have been placed in air-raid shelters, so that people may get proper sleep. Ear-plugs are being furnished to reduce the noise, which is one of the worst sides of an air war. Admiral Sir Edward Evans, who has been made director of the London defences, is known to have turned to his task with great vigour and ingenuity, and while the full story is unpublished much is being accomplished in the matters of heating, lighting, and sewage disposal. This last has caused concern because of the way in which bombs rip up a street and damage th« sewers. . Londoners, of course, simply provided air-raid shelters for themselves by invading the underground system, in huge numbers and staying there. Anyone with the price of a ticket was able to do this, and after early appeals against the practice it was accepted, and the tubes are now being made comfortable (within their capacity) for those who shelter there. Saved Themselves. In addition the problem of providing rest in the country for the harddriven A.R.P. workers is being tackled and is expected to give them opportunities to relax during the long dark months. But in the final instance the British, people have saved themselves, by exhibiting courage and determination which have baffled the Fascists and caused one Italian newspaper to ask with irritation whether they are a nation of Churchills. They have also won admiration by their well-known humour and by the way in which what began as a nightmare of horror has been translated into a routine. The salving influence of routine is now having an effect on the resistance to German air pressure. Proof of the unquenched spirit of the British nation, and of the fact that it is the most adaptable race on earth has been given. again. This is to be seen in the way, production statistics have been maintained and the way, despite the activities of Nazi planes and U-boats at sea, a constant stream of cargoes goes in both directions across the Atlantic and further afield. Meeting Staleness. One of the things which have had to be guarded against day after day in this long winter is the possible staleness of the soldiers, about 3,000,000, who wait under arms to repel any attempt by the Nazis to set foot on British soil. The battalion orders day after day have said that "companies will be at.the disposal of their commanding officer for training" and the consistent effort of the High Command has been to prevent any possible development of what is called "Maginot mentality."

Such things as the defeat of the Italian fleet, the success in the Western Desert, and the campaign in Albania provide a wholesome tonic against this possible staleness. Other tonics are provided by the certainty that day by day the weight of the British air attacks on Germany is growing heavier and that sell the time the pressure o£ the Fleet is felt by the Nazis in whatever country they may stand. Finally there is the assurance that the United States is throwing in its lot with Britain and that by the end of 1941 the two mightiest Powers in the world! will be fully organised for victory. .