CHURCHILL BROADCAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1943, Page 5

CHURCHILL BROADCAST

NON-COMMITTAL REVIEW ANGLO-U.S.A. OFFENSIVE ' RUGBY, August 31. “I look forward to the day when British and American liberating armies will cross the Channel in full force and come to close quarters with the German invaders of France,” said Mr. Churchill broadcasting from Quebec. “You certainly do not wish me to tell you when that is likely to happen, or whether that is near or far, but whenever the great blow is struck, you may be sure it will be because we are satisfied there is a good prospect of continuing success and our soldiers lives expended in accordance with sound military plans, not squandered to political considerations of any kind. I submit to t! ? e , • I . u , dgme MPVJ- 6 United Nations and history that British and American .strategy, as directed by the combined Chiefs of Staff and as approved and to some extent inspired by the President and myself, has been the best open to us in practical circumstances. It has been bold and daring, and brought into nlay against the enemy the maximum effective forces that could have been deployed up to the pre sent by Britain '-and the U . States, having regard to the tions of ocean transport, Pecuhm? conditions of amphibious . warfare, and the character and training of the armies we possess. , c “The terrific aerial attack on Ger many would not have been possible without the magnificent stand by the Russians, agamst Hitlei s forces. 1 country has withstood such ade vastating attack as that thiown against the Russians. , Mr Churchill added that the fa of King Boris of Bulgaria serve as a warning.to. otheriuiers that “the wages of sin. is death. Pointing out that Britain s principal activity agai M mJ Churchill 'expressed his confidence £ Lord Mountbatten, .the newlyappointed Commander-in Chief S T™in?to S i a taly, whose “war Jmpulse” had been destroyed and which had paid a terrible penalty for allowing itself to be misled by false cuminal guides, the Prime Minister declared: “How much easier it is to accept them than to shake them on. A large number of German troops have been drawn away from France to hold down the Italian people in order to make Italy a b att I le S ro^ d and keep war as distant and as long as possible away from German soil. By far the greater part of the Ga man Air Force has been drawn from the Russian front and was. bem o worn down with ever-growing intensity night and day. We had established the strategic initiative and potential both in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, of which the enemy could neither measure the weight nor perceive the hour of application. In conclusion the Prime Minister said: “It is not given to the clearest, most calculating of mortals to know with certainty what is their interest, yet it is given to the lot of simple folks to know what is their duty. That is the path along which the British Commonnwealth and Empire, the great Republic of the United States, the vast U.S.S.R., the indomitable, innumerable people of China, and all the United Nations shall march till our work is done and we may rest from our labours and the whole world may turn with hope and confidence, good sense and dearlybought experience, from the war to lasting peace.” Referring, to .Russia, Mr Churchill said the Anglo-American conference was largely concerned with the war against Japan, and Russia had a five years’ treaty of non-aggression with Japan. He added: “Mr Roosevelt and I will persevere in our efforts to meet Mr Stalin. Meanwhile, it seems most •necessary and urgent that a conference of British, American and Russian Foreign Ministers should be held to take discussions to the point where the heads of States might be able to intervene.” Mr Churchill said that our assault on Germany had prospered. The diminution of Hitler’s war-making capacity had been achieved by air bombardment, which would steadily increase in volume and accuracy.

LORD MOUNTBATTEN. RUGBY, August 31. ‘•Complete tripphibion” was the novel pnrase Mr. Curchill coined, tonight, to describe Lord Mountbatten. This meant nature equally at home in earth, air and water—also well accustomed to fire. Commenting on the comparative youui 01 me Commander-in-Chief of all the Anglo-American forces in South-east Asia —who “will act in constant association with Kai-shek” —-the Prime Minister said: “If an officer having devoted his life to military art does not know about war at 43 he is not likely to learn much more about it later on.” On the subiect of the second front, Mr. Churchill observed he always thought of a third front as well, and added: “I always thought the Westfern Democracies should t>e like a "boxer who fights with two hands, not one. I believe that the great flanking movement into North Africa will be" regarded in after years as quite a good thing to do in all the circumstances. Certainly it reaped rich and substantial results. Africa has been cleared of the enemy, and at least half a million prisoners are in our hands. In a brilliant campaign of 38 davs, Sicily, defended by over 400,000 Axis troops, has been conquered.” Among the Premier’s references to the Russian war effort were these noteworthy words: “No Government ever formed among men has been capable of surviving injuries so grave and cruel as those inflicted by Hitler upon Russia. But he underrated Stalin, and thanks also to the stand made by the British peoples when they were all alone, and to abundant‘British-American supplies and munitions of all kinds, Russia not onlv survived and recovered from the frightful injuriese, but inflicted, as no' other force in the world could have inflicted, mortal damage on the German army machine.” A study of the full text of Mr. Churchill’s speech also shows the importance that can be attached to recent events in Europe. He said: “Most important and significant events are taking place in the Balkans as the result of the Russian victories, and also, I believe, the AngloAmerican campaign ■ against Italv. Twice in the last 30 years the Bulgarian people will owe their liberation and existence to Russia.”