BRITISH DEFENCES

Evening Star, Issue 23123, 24 November 1938, Page 7

BRITISH DEFENCES

GAPS SEEN BY GERMANS ANNOYANCE AT OVERHAUL A WORD TO LONDON In an article entitled “ Gaps,” published in the ‘ Hamburger Fremdenblatt,’ the London correspondent of the paper deals with the deficiencies in the British defence system which showed themselves during the recent crisis, said the Berlin correspondent of the ‘ Daily Telegraph and Morning Post.’ During the crisis itself, declares the writer, the imposing appearance of readiness which was produced in England deluded the man in the street into thinking that “ nothing much more could happen to him, and it was now just a matter for the gentlemen of the General Staff.” Subsequent events had shown how false this view was. Sir Thomas Inskip had declared that defects and gaps had been shown in the defences. It had become clear that the preparation which had been regarded as reliable and ready was, in fact, only a camouflage. The air-raid precautions had been little more than a moral stimulus. Many of the anti-aircraft guns mounted in London had been manufactured in the early years of the Great War. The Home Office under its “ young leader, Geoffrey Lloyd,” had done wonders during the crisis. But this could not conceal the fact that not one in 60 of the 1,500 local A.R ; P. organisations was ready with detailed plans, or that the provision and fitting of gasmasks was incomplete and inefficient. USELESS VOLUNTEERS. The young ladies who had rushed up to help at the last minute had been extremely charming, but knew nothing about the fitting of gasmasks. There had been insufficient mediumsized masks, and children under five had none at all. When the crisis came 350,000 persons had volunteered for A.R.P. work. But it had soon - become clear that all these “ last-minute volunteers” were not worth a handful of trained men. The fire-fighting squads had had only one-seventh of their theoretical strength. The preparation for the defence of Britain’s essential industries and im- < ports of foodstuffs was even Jess far advanced, so that there was! imminent danger in the event of war that both armament factories and food supplies would be disorganised or even destroyed. Of the 600 anti-aircraft posts which had been declared necessary for ■ Britain’s air defence, only a fraction could be provided. Of those which were in position many were equipped with Sin guns of the 1918 model. Even the newest 3.7 in guns were thought by some experts to be ineffective at certain heights. The balloon barrage, by which such store had been set, had also received its share of expert criticism, since it had been pointed out that the balloons

would be unmanageable in a high wind. Foreign military attaches who had attended the last autumn manoeuvres in England had been greatly struck by the lack of sufficient personnel and the inadequate provision of modern weaponsBREN GUN STILL SCARCE. The Bren gun, which had been trumpeted abroad in 1935 as the future weapon of the British Army, was still scarce in its ranks. During the manoeuvres soldiers with ordinary rifles had “ represented ” anti-tank guns, which in the British Army were still interesting rarities. Finally, declares the writer, the conversations conducted in London by General Gameliii, chief of the French general staff, had been by no means so satisfactory as had at first been hoped. General Gamolin had demanded the dispatch of a British expeditionary force to join the French in an offensive _ against Germany. At the same time it had become clear through diplomatic- information and through the report furnished by Colonel Lindbergh that both the Russian army and air force were in a complete state of disorganisation, the air force being decimated by repeated purges and the machines ruined by the incapacity of the pilots and mechanics. While the alleged defects in British dtefence preparations are exposed, the progress of reorganisation is arousing much indignation, on the ground that such measures are directed against Germany. In a leading article entitled ‘ A Word to London,’ the ‘ Voelkischer Beobachter,’ chief of the official Nazi organs, declares that no one can deny Britain, with her vast Empire, the necessity of strong armed forces. Her treaty obligations towards France, it is added, might _ account for the fact that the extension and mechanisation of the Territorial Army are in effect a strengthening of her potential striking power in a Continental conflict. “ THE GERMAN PERIL."

“ What is scarcely explicable and in no circumstances excusable,” states the newspaper, “ is the fact that men belonging to the Chamberlain Government attempt to make the new rearmament measures palatable to the tax-paying public . . . with the assertion that it must ‘ defend itself against the German peril.’ ” Both Earl Winterton, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Sir Kingsley Wood, Air Minister, had made speeches during the last few days, continues the article, directing their propagandist spear-points unmistakably against the “ dictatorship countries,” and in particular against Germany. There was a danger that this kind of speech, combined with the “ undisguised war propaganda ” of the “ Churchill-DufF-Cooper-Edon group,” would produce a war psychosis which might lead to a catastrophe similar to that avoided in September. „ It was remarkable that France was far less “ provocative ” than Britain,

though France, with her common frontier with Germany, would have far more reason to fear a “ German peril ” than Britain. The tone now perceptible in Britain was in great contrast to the joint statement of Herr Hitler and Mr Chamberlain at Munich. This tone might force Germany in certain circumstances “ to draw tho theoretical and tactical conclusions." There is a new note of friendliness towards Czechoslovakia in an article in this morning’s ‘ National Zeitung,’ of Essen, the organ of Field-Marshal Goering. “ German policy, now that it has attained the annexation of the Sudeten German areas, will not be animated by hostile feelings towards a new Czechoslovakia,” it states. PRAGUE’S “ REALISTIC VIEW.” “ On the contrary, it aims at bringing about the replacement of the former source of disorders by a State which is internally pacified and able to adapt itself to the situation. “ Tho efforts now being made to adjust tho relations between Berlin and Prague may bo regarded as a proof that the German Roich does not intend to make it difficult for Czechoslovakia to enter upon a well-ordered future. “It is a valuable factor in these efforts that Prague, too, takes a realistic and practical view of the situation, and is doing its best to attain a new relationship with its great neighbour. “ The Czechs have now obviously realised the infamous nature of the lies with which Moscow and the warmongers in Western Europe tried to stir up a military conflict with the Reich. Germany has not destroyed the Czechoslovak State, as was prophesied, nor has sho annexed tho Czech people as vassals. “ Germany will see to it that justice is done to the right of self-determina-tion, and will not give her guarantee before _ tho Hungarians living in Czechoslovakia and the Hungarian districts are returned to their motherland.

“ No support can bo given to a settlement which could only lead to a fresh struggle of nationalities. Czechoslovakia’s new frontiers must be based solely on the right of self-determina-tion.”