The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1940. DUTCH LAY DOWN ARMS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20248, 16 May 1940, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1940. DUTCH LAY DOWN ARMS

The news that the greatest part of the Dutch army has been ordered to lay down arms and surrender to the invading Germans does not make palatable reading. Measured by any standard it is another reverse for the Allies and, to some extent, at least, will add to the difficulties of defending other areas. Again it requires to be emphasised, however, that a reverse is not a defeat and that the main effect of it should not be to cause discouragement but to increase the determination to defeat the invader. For Holland itself there will be nothing but sympathy. It has been drawn willy niffy into a conflict, with which it has no direct concern and has suffered the fate of other small nations whose only crime has been to stand in the way of the Nazi designs. In the course of a few days a large part of the country has been laid waste and historic towns and cities have been destroyed by a brutal and ruthless invader who knows no rules of decency and humanity. The fate of Holland was probably sealed from the outset, but the tragedy is heightened rather than lessened by the knowledge that it was defeated more by the treachery of the enemy within than as a result of the strength of the invaders or the weakness of the defenders. The all-important point, however, is that to all intents and purposes Holland is out of the war, and the position of the Allies must now be examined in the light of this development.

It is impossible to overlook the fact that, as a result of this new conquest, Britain is brought closer to Germany and rendered more vulnerable to attack from the air. The danger of the situation, however, should not be exaggerated, because it is probable that Germany was less concerned with securing a foothold in Holland than with using Dutch territory as a means for attacking Belgium and, through Belgium, France. In any case, there is no reason to believe that it would be possible for Germany to launch a successful attack on Britain. True, her air force could do a great dea! of damage and cause heavy loss of life, but the Allied air forces would have equal opportunities in Germany and experience so far suggests that Germany is more vulnerable to air attack than either Britain or France. It must always be remembered that, so far, every single success that Germany has secured has been against small and relatively defenceless countries, Wherever she has come up

against the real strength of the Allies, in the air, on land, and on sea, she has come off second best and it has yet to be shown that this experience can be reversed. At the same time, it would be absurd and dangerous to minimise the seriousness of the struggle that confronts the Allies. In the next few weeks they will unquestionably need every ounce of force which they can muster, but the future, even though it cannot be regarded with complacency, can be awaited with calm confidence. The elimination of Holland from the scheme of things makes it a little less difficult to assess the present military situation. In many respects, there is now a direct parallel with August, 1914, when the Germans were concentrating their efforts on pushing through Belgium into France. Again there is the tragedy of the small but gallant country being over-run by the same invader; and again the picture of the small but courageous Belgian forces defending their territory to the limit of their strength. As in 1914. the Germans have reaped the advantage of the initiative, but they are reinforced on this occasion by the possession of the most modern and powerful weapons which the ingenuity of man or devil could devise. Making allowance for this fact faster progress might be expected from the invaders, but, on the other hand, the Allies this time are more prepared than they wore a quarter of a century ago and assistance is much more readily forthcoming. It is still handicapped, however, by the fact that Belgium, like Holland, would not accept it in advance. Britain and France, nevertheless, had anticipated the contingency that has now arisen, and it would seem that already their strong forces are in contact with the enemy on Belgian soil. Whether they will be able to hold the invaders there, or whether, as in 1914, they will have to give ground, remains to be seen, but certain it is that the conflict is going to be hard and bitter.

The French Prime Minister predicted the other day that the coming clash would be the greatest battle of the greatest war for the greatest cause of all time. His words are likely to prove only too true. It is now more clear than ever before that Germany is staking everything on one desperate attack on the Western Front. It is the lightning war with a vengeance and in the conduct of it Germany is using the greatest concentration of mechanised units, both land and air, that has ever been conceived. The effectiveness of the new weapons has already been partly demonstrated, but what remains to be tested are the counter-measures and the defences of the Allies. France is not Poland, Norway, or Holland and Germany is now going to encounter her first real resistance since she embarked on a campaign that was calculated to give her world domination. This test may well be decisive although it will npt necessarily presage the near end of hostilities. From the very desperate nature of the German drive some consolation ban be drawn. It is evident that she is staking and sacrificing everything in an endeavour to score an early and decisive victory. What will be the position if she fails in this attempt? There is good reason to believe that she cannot face a protracted war and if this is the case then the next few weeks will be decisive and the world will know whether it is the history of 1870 or that of 1914 that is to be repeated.