CHURCHILL AND CONGRESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 May 1943, Page 5

CHURCHILL AND CONGRESS

ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION

CO-OPERATION AGAINST JAPAN

RUGBY, May 19.

The promise of British co-opera-tion in “the unflinching, relentless waging of war against Japan,” the promise of intensified air assault against Axis industry, the revelation of the recent record sinkings of Üboats, a warm tribute to the Russian armies holding 190 German and 28 satellite divisions, and the prediction that Hitler would make a third desperate throw against Russia —these were notable points in a 50 minutes’ speech which Mr. Churchill delivered this afternoon to both Houses of the United States Congress. The speech was broadcast from Washington. The Prime Minister, who was introduced by the Sneaker (Mr. Rayburn) received a tremendous ovation. Mr. Churchill said: “The fact that you invited me to come to Congress a second time, now that we have settled down to the job, and that you should welcome me in so generous a fashion is certainly a high mark in my life, and also shows that our partnership iias not done so badly.”

Recalling his previous visit, just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, Mr. Churchill spoke of “the sense of relief and comfort” he then felt at the comradeship which was cemented in common peril, and added: “The experiences of a long life and the promptings of my blood wrought in me a conviction that there is nothing more important for I the future of the world than the fraternal association of our two peoples in righteous work, both in war and peace.” So it was, said Mr. Churchill, he was able to prepare himself in a confident, steadfast spirit to bear the terrible blows which evidently were about to fall—which were bound to fall —on British interests in the Far East. He recalled these blows singly. and described the operations in the Malay Peninsula and at Singapore as the greatest, or at any rate, the largest military disaster in British history. Then he said, amid loud applause: “All this has to be retrieved, all this and much else has to be repaid.” This | led him to his forthright, declaration regarding Japan: “Let no one suggest we British have not at least as great an interest as the United States in the unflinching, relentless waging of war against Japan—.” Roars of cheering interrupted Mr. Churchill, who continued: “And aiding Australia and New Zealand to defend themselves against the Japanese invasion.” This, he said, seemed far more threatening at the time of Singapore than it did now. “I am here to tell you that we will wage that war side by side with you, in accordance with the best strategic employment of our forces, while there is breath in our bodies and while blood flows through our veins,” he In this connection Mr. Churchill alluded to the presence with him of Commanders from Asia. A notable part in the war against Japan, he said, must be played by the large armies and air and naval forces now marshalled by Britain on the eastern frontiers of India. In this quarter there lay one of the means to bring aid to hard-pressed, long-tor-mented China. He declared: “I regard the bringing of immediate, el'fective

AID TO CHINA

as one of the most urgent of our common tasks.” Loud laughter greeted him when he said drily: “It may not have escaped your attention that I brought to this country Field Marshal Wavell and the other two Commanders-jn-Chief from India and they have not travelled all this way simply. to concern themselves about improving ithe health and happiness of the |Mikado of Japan.” Mr. Churchill continued: “You may be sure that lif all that were necessary was for an order to be given to the great armies I standing ready in India to march to|'wards the Rising Sun and open the ■Burma Road, that order would be !given this afternoon. The matter is however, more complicated and all {movements and infiltrations of troops into the rnountoiDS unci jungles oi North-east India are strictly governed bv the science ol logistics, but 1 repudiate the slightest suspicion that iwe would hold anything back that could be usefully employed, or that 1 'and the Government I represent are Inot resolved to employ every man igun, and aeroplane that can be used jin this business.” He recalled that in tne January 'conference with Mr. Roosevelt the (United States had undertaken • the main responsibility of prosecuting tne war against Japan and Britain took the main burden in the Atlantic. Britain, he said, had willingly done her full share of sea work in . tne dangerous waters of the Mediterranean and in the Arctic convoys to .Russia and had sustained, since the I Alliance began, more than double the ■losses of merchant tonnage that had {fallen upon the United States. On the other hand, the prodigious output of new ships from the United Slates had for six months past, overtaken and now far surpassed tne losses of both the Allies. Mr. Churchill mentioned that our {killings of U-boats had for this year i greatly exceeded all our previous experience and in the last three months particularly the last three weeks, had .yielded record results. This was to {some extent due to the larger number {of U-boats, but also to. the vast imiprovement in the severity and powei of the measures against them and the new devices continually employed.

AERIAL OFFENSIVES

Dealing with the air offensive, Mr. Churchill said opinion was divided as to whether the use of air power could ji-self bring about a collapse in Gernrmy and Italv. The experiment was well worth trying, as long as other measures were not excluded. The Prime' Minister spoke oL the “mmavffilcled deva Action to which the German war industry, particulai - lv in the Ruhr was being reduced, •md hero be revealed that 19 Lancasfors had taken part in the destruction of the groat dams, with the loss of eight. This success would play a very far-reaching part in reducing the German munitions output. It was the settled policy of our two staffs and war-making authorities to make it impossible for Germany _ to carry on any form of war industry on a large or concentrated scale, either in Germany or Italy, oi enemy-occupied countries. ,v\hereev°r centres exist, or are developed, they vzill be destroyed- and munitions and populations dispersed. Laughter greeted his statement: It they don’t like what’s coming to them, let them disperse beforehand on their own.” The process will continue ceaselessly with ever increasing weight and intensity until the German and Italian peoples have abandoned or destroyed the monstrous tyrannies they incubated and reared in their midst. Meanwhile, the air offensive is forcing Germany _ to withdraw an ever larger proportion of its warmaking capacity from the fighting fronts in order to provide protection against air attack. Phenomenal resources have already been assigned to this purely defensive function. . Returning to the. subject of Japan,

Mr. Churchill said: “It is all agreed between us that we should at the earliest moment bring our joint air power to bear upon military targets in the homeland of Japan. It is a duty of those charged with the direction of the war to overcome at the earliest moment the military, geographical and political difficulties, and begin the process as necessary and desirable of laying the cities and other military centres in Japan in ashes,—for in ashes, they must surely lie before peace comes back to the world.” The British would participate in this harmonious accord with the major strategy of war.

COMING TO GRIPS.

Speaking more generally, said Mr. Churchill, the prime problem was not so much the creation of armies, or vast output of munitions and aircraft, but the application of those forces to the enemy in the teeth of U-boat resistance, or on land through swamps, mountains, and jungles in various quarters of the globe. “Our war plans,” he said, “must therefore be inspired, pervaded, and even dominated by the supreme object of coming to grips with the enemy in favourable or tolerable conditions on the largest possible scale at the earliest possible moment, and engaging that enemy, wherever profitable, and I might say, wherever possible to do so. Thus, we shall make our enemies in Europe and Asia burn and consume their strength on land, sea and in the air with the maximum rapidity.” Commenting on Mr. Roosevelt’s dual office of President and Com-mander-in-Chief, — following the precedent'which had been successful in the case of George Washington— Mr Churchill caused amusement when he said: “I as majority leader in the Commons, and in one branch of legislature, have been drawn from time ’to time, not perhaps wholly against my will, into support in military affairs.” In modern war, it is necessary that the technical and professional authorities should be sustained, and the policy directed by the heads of governments, who had the knowledge to enable them to bring not only military but economic forces to work. “These are reasons that compelled the President to make the long journey to Casablanca, and the reasons that bring me here. We earnestly hope at no distant date we may have the opportunity to meet Stalin and Chiang Kai-shek. How or when, is not a matter on which I am able to shed any clear ray of light at present. Meantime, we do our best to keep the closest association between all authorities of the countries engaged in active direction of war, and it is my steadfast duty to promote this intimacy and concert between all parts, of the Empire and the Dominions.”

NORTH AFRICA

The Prime Minister spoke of the North-west Africa campaign — this classic example of the way to make war.” He recalled how, last June, when in America, he heard of the utterly unexpected fall of Tobruk. In that “dark, bitter hour” he was sustained by “the kindness, delicacy and true comradeship” shown to him by Americans. Their only thought was to restore the situation. Hundreds of Sherman. tanks were taken from American divisions and sent with the utmost speed to Egypt. The Sherman was the best in the desert m 1942. North-west Africa .was a most encouraging example of what could be achieved by British and Americans working together with ( heart and hand. In fact, one might almost feel, if they could keep it up, there was hardly anything they could not do, either in the field of war or in the no less perplexing problems of peace. After sketching the successful strategy of this campaign, the Prime Minister added: “We have secured bases from which violent attacks can and will be delivered by our air power on the whole of Italy with results which no one can measure, but which will most certainly be highly beneficial to our war economy, and a relief to oiu’ strained and straitened shipping position. We have several hundreds of great ships which give us the advantage of far speedier passage through the Mediterranean to tne Middle and Far East. We struck the enemy <i blow equcil to Sttilingiacl, and’ most stimulating to our heroic Russian allies. Still, I am free to admit that in North Africa we ‘builded better than we knew.’ The unexpected came to the aid of the design, and multiplied the results. For this we have to thank the military mind oi Corporal Hitler.” Mr. Churchill referred to the German claim that Axis troops had by resistance delayed the executing ol Allied plans, and said :“Our operations, which we will unfold in due course, depending as they do on special instruments, large numbers of troops, and the assembling of masses of technical equipment, nave not been in any way delayed . by the fighting in Northern Tunisia. Mr. President, the African war is oyer. Mussolini’s African Empire and Coiporal Hitler’s strategy alike are exploded.” In a survey of

AXIS LOSSES he said that the African excursions of the two Dictators cost their countries in killed and captured 950,000 soldiers, nearly 2.400,000 gross tons of shipping sunk, and nearly 8000 aeroplanes destroyed, exclusive of large" numbers damaged. There had been lost to the enemy 6200 guns, ‘■’sso tanks, and 70,000 trucks. Then proud African Army, by the sudden collapse and crumbling and breakini? uo, had once again proved the truth of the saying that the Hun is always either at your throats or at youi* feet. We can say we have arrived at this milestone of the warone continent relieved. Mr Churchill revealed that the 2nd American Corps had to be moved 300 miles from the southern sector to the northern coast, to a position from which it could advance and attack Bizerta In order to accomplish this march, which was covered in 12 days, i- was necessary to traverse at right angles all communications oi the British Ist Army, which was engaged, or about to be engaged, in heavy battle This was achieved without in any way distrubing the hour-to-hour supply upon which that Army dee “There is honour for all,” he said, “and I shall, at the proper time and nlace nav my tributes to the British and American Commanders on land, air, and sea who were engaged. This only vdll I say now. I do not tninK YOU could have chosen any man more capable than General Eisenhower.”