WAR NEWS

Evening Star, Issue 24005, 2 October 1941, Page 8

WAR NEWS

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION

DIRECTOR-GENERAL TO VISIT RUSSIA A WARM TRIBUTE (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10.32 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 1. Sir Walter Monckton, DirectorGeneral of tke Ministry of Information, interviewed on his -forthcoming visit to M. Lozovsky in Moscow, said cooperation between Britain and Russia had alreadv been arranged in other spheres, and he felt that similar activity was necessary in the spheres ot information department and he shared that the Ministry of Information could learn from tho methods of the (Russian information department, an he shared that view. He himself had something to learn, and was going to ask many questions. ~ , „ , Sir Walter Monckton added that no one exceeded him in his admiration of the sacrifices the Russian people were makinv in the common cause. To him on© of the three most striking events of the war was the blowing up of the Dnieper dlam. To a young nation like Russia it was like the British blowing up Westminster Abbey without hesitation, and willing to pay any price for the safety of the country. He was, therefore, going out to Moscow with a great deal of admiration before seeing the city. Sir Walter Monckton paid a tribute to the excellence of the preparatory work done by the honorary Press attache in Moscow (Mr Vernon Bartlett), and also said his visit would be made personally attractive by the fact that he would he visiting his best friend, Sir Stafford Cripps, the British Ambassador to Moscow.

ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE

ENEMY PLANES SHOT DOWN SIX HUNDRED OVER BRITAIN (Rec. 10.32 a.m.) RUGBY Oct. 1. Six hundred enemy planes have been shot down over Britain by A.A. fire since the war began, it was announced yesterday, but this figure only includes “ certainties,” and takes no account of the many hostile aircraft which were badly damaged and must have crashed before reaching home. The highest score for 70 consecutive days is 70, and for 24 hours 23. This latter record was contributed to by the defences of seven cities stretching from Dover (where 11 were destroyed) to Dundee.

CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE

VISCOUNT GOAT’S DESPATCHES PLANS FOR PUBLICATION (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 11.7 a.m.) RUGBY, October 1. Viscount Gort’s despatches relating to the campaign in France and Belgium will be published during October. This was stated in the House of Lords by the Under-Secretary for War, who added that it was also intended to publish a non-technioal booklet written by lan Hay giving a short description of the campaign as disclosed by the despatches. These books would be published simultaneously. TROOPS IN IRAN HOT AN ARMY OF OCCUPATION (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. noon.) RUGBY, October 1. Replying to a House of Commons question, the Foreign Secretary (Mr Eden) said the British forces in. Persia did not constitute an army of occupation. No charge had been made to the Persian Government for the cost of the British or Soviet troops in Persia, but facilities were being provided by the Persian Government. ISLE DF MAN CAMP POLICE TAKE UP DUTIES LONDON, Sept. SO. Members of the Police Force have left London to take up duties at the Peel internment camp on the Isle of Man. Three members of the 1.R.A., who are among those interned have been arrested, having allegedly been concerned in the construction of the escape tunnel. "H.M.S HONEYMOON" AUSTRALIAN AUXILIARY CRUISER LONDON, October 1. One Australian auxiliary cruiser has been dubbed “H.M.S. Honeymoon,” savs the ‘ Daily Herald ’ of London. Within a few weeks of its arrival in British waters over 100 members of the crew, mostly Australians, have been married. Over 60 were married at the first port of call, 20 in the next port, and 30 in tbs third port.

ITALY’S PLIGHT

DRASTIC SALES BAN THE PEOPLE BEWILDERED (Rec. 1.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, October 1. The ‘ New York Times ’ correspondent in Rome says the Italians are stunned and bewildered by the sudden rationing, the sales ban on consumed goods for a fortnight, and the threats of new and radical steps to come. In the space of three weeks the Italians have seen the whole of their ordinary world crumble about them. Italian industry has been at least half paralysed by measures that came suddenly and in an unforeseen manner. All businesses and shops have been ordered to keep open, though they cannot sell anything for a fortnight. This means that overhead expenses will continue, with no receipts coming in. The stock markets crumpled under a series of crushing blows and many leading shares plunged down 20 to 30 per cent, since Saturday. In addition to the severe food rationing heat can be turned on in houses only on 40 days this winter instead of 120 days last winter, and gas consumption has been drastically curtailed.

SAVAGE RAIDS

BRITISH AND GREEK GUERRILLAS IN CRETE (Rec. 12.20 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 1. A thousand British Imperial troops and 800 Greek troops are conducting savage guerrilla warfare against the German garrisons in the rugged mountains near Canea, Crete. The German garrisons are composed mainly of very young soldiers. Two or three times weekly the guerrillas slip down from the mountain, kill a few Germans, seize their weapons, and return to the mountains over the rugged, roadless terrain the Germans cannot hope to follow.

AMERICAN PRODUCTION

HO CHANGE IN DISTRIBUTION ALLIES STILL TO GET HALF WASHINGTON, September 30. _ Reports of a plan to divert all American war production to England and Russia in the next three months were discounted by President' Roosevelt at a Press conference. He said the approximate 50-50 division between the United States and the Allies would continue. The President also said he had not yet decided to what extent he would recommend the revision of the Neutrality Act. He gave details of the cargo lost in the Pink Star in support of his argument that supplies for Britain must be protected in transit. The cargo consisted of enough cheese for 3,500,000 Englishmen _ for one week, as well as milk, orange juice, and pork. The president announced that he planned to ask Congress to extend the social security programme so that the number of persons covered would be increased from 40,000.000 to 80,000.000, and he added that this might entail increases in the tax on payrolls. TO BE MADE INTO TANKS GATES AND RAILINGS OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE LONDON, Oct. 2. The iron gates and railings of Buckingham Palace are being removed, the Kin"” having ordered that they be taken down and turned into scrap iron for tanks. JAPAN AND AMERICA TALKS ON VERGE OF BREAKDOWN (Rec. 9 a.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 1. The ‘ Herald-Tribnne ’ says the American-Japanese talks are on the verge of a breakdown due to Japans continued adhesion t-o the Axis, but both sides are clinging to the negotiations in the hope of averting a Cabinet crisis in Japan, with the likelihood of a more forceful Government coming into power. , m , . The * Herald-Tribune s ’ Tokio correspondent reports that the ‘ Niohi Nichi ’ claims that Mr Duff Cooper is conferring with Sir John Latham and Sir Archibald Clark Kerr at Singapore in an attempt to strengthen the A.B.C.D. encirclement of Japan. AIR AID FOR CHINA AN INTERNATIONAL FORGE LONDON, October 1. ‘ The Times ’ correspondent at Simla says aircraft now arriving are being assembled in Burma for an international volunteer air force which is bein'* created for the purpose of rendering aid to China. It includes many Americans. Aircraft are also arriving in Burma for the China Air I 1 orco. NATIONAL SERVICE NEW AGE GROUP TO REGISTER (British Official Wireless.) (Rec 11 a.m.) RUGBY, October 1. All men born in 1895 will be required to register on October 11 at the local office of the Ministry of Labour and National Service.

v AT APPOINTED HOUR

BRITAIN WILL STRIKE

MEANTIME CONCENTRATING OH SMASHING AIR BLOWS (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 1 p.m.) RUGBY,; Oct. 1. Assurance that the British Army would strike “ at the appointed time and. when it had accumulated adequate resources ” was given by the Air Secretary in a speech at Middlesborough. But it was not until the Bomber Command had dislocated German communications, smashed up important German war industries, and broken the will to fight of the German people that the Allied armoured forces would be able to reap the fruits of victory. “ After deep study and preparation,” said Sir Archibald Sinclair, “ with aircraft far superior to the present German bomber types and with superior equipment and more destructive bombs than theirs, w© plan to deliver a heavier load of bombs on Germany in successive months than ever Germany delivered on this country. Our plans are laid. Our air crews are ready.” Appealing to factory workers to make still further production effort, lie .emphasised the need among other classes of production for heavy bombers. He said: “Production is swinging into its stride, but the faster the flow the sooner our armed forces will be able to engage the enemy in decisive strength.” The Minister gave a warning that the country would be tested again this winter. The trial might well be more severe than ever before. “ German aircraft losses in Russia have certainly been large, but so is their monthly production. We must be prepared for the possibility that they may concentrate a powerful long-range bomber force in the west during winter, and make attacks which, though not so continuous, might be as bad as, or worse than, last year’s.”

ANONYMOUS DONOR BANK NOTE FOR £SO LONDON', October 1. An envelope addressed to tbe Minister of Supply, Lord Beaverbrook, was found to contain a £SO Bank of England note. There was no indication from whom it came. The postmark was illegible, and on a slip of paper was written : “ For any weapon to beat Hitler.” It has been placed towards the purchase of tanks. MORE PILOTS THAN PLANES SUCCESS OF EMPIRE AIR SCHEME (British Official Wireless.) (Bee 11 a.m.) BUGBY, October 1. An authoritative spokesman stated to-dav that as the result of the success of the Empire air training scheme Britain would have an even larger number of trained personnel than the number of aircraft it was reasonable to we should possess in the near future. The o-reatest need, therefore, from the United States was an eyer-iucreas;ng flow; of bombers*