AIR LEADER RETIRING

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 21, 25 July 1945, Page 7

AIR LEADER RETIRING

Rec. 11 a.m,

RUGBY, July 24.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Courtney, who has been a member of the Air Council for Supply and Organisation since January, 1940, will relinquish his post in September, and shortly afterwards will retire from the RAF. He will be succeeded by Air Marshal Sir Leslie Hollinghurst, Air Officer Commanding Base Air Forces in South-east Asia. Air Chief Marshal Courtney was responsible for the R.A.F. organisation, for the provision of equipment and foodstuffs, for servicing and maintenance, for technical equipment, for building airfields, and transportation. He was previously a member of the mission to Canada on the joint air training plan.—B.O.W-

M. Eeynaud said that persecution of himself and M. Georges Mandel (Minister for Colonies) then began. They were first accused of embezzling public funds, but were found not guilty. Then they were imprisoned. Witness declared that Petain's first act was to overthrow the Republic. France was defeated because its Parliamentary institutions did not function and blind confidence was placed in the military chiefs.

He concluded his testimony with these words: "Never was a people so deceived in* a man. No man has ever done so much harm to the French people as Fetain. It was this man who but yesterday took refuge behind General de Gaulle."

PETAIN FEELS THE HEAT.

The trial was suspended for half an hour because Petain was showing signs of feeling the heat of the overcrowded courtroom. Counsel for the defence, M. Payen, declared that "infamous calumnies" were habitual with Reynaud, citing Reynaud's accusation in 1940 that King Leopold of Belgium was a traitor. Reynaud: "I certainly accuse, him of treason. It is a matter of historical fact that Leopold surrendered without warning anyone."

Under cross-examination, Reynaud revealed that 15 days before Italy entered the war he proposed to Britain that concessions might be made to Italy in North/Africa in order to prevent her coming into the war.

Several jurymen interrupted Reynaud's cross-examination when defending counsel declared: "Not many of the resistance people had in their records such a good testimony of their staunchness as Petain." One angrily shouted: "You have no right to speak of members of the resistance movement like that." . Describing his imprisonment by the Germans, Reynaud said: "Petain delivered me to the Germans. I meant that when I said it at the time, and I still maintain its truth."

Reynaud spoke feelingly about M. Mandel, who was ' assassinated during the , occupation. "He was shamefully murdered not by the Germans he hated but by French killers under Petain's protection," he declared.

CLAMOUR FOR ARMISTICE

The evidence of the former Premier, M. Daladier, followed closely on M. Reynaud's accusations of intrigue and defeatism, on the part of the Marshal. M. Daladier said that as early as May 25, 1940, before the Belgian surrender and before the Germans had reached the Somme, both Petain and Weygand were clamouring for an armistice. M. Daladier concluded by giving figures that served to show that the

French armament position was not nearly as bad as had been reported. There were not less than 2000 modern aircraft available, and France had begun the campaign with 2600 new tanks. M. Daladier's evidence will be continued tomorrow.