The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1940. ANOTHER REVERSE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20259, 29 May 1940, Page 6

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES.” GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1940. ANOTHER REVERSE

The announcement that King Leopold has surrendered to the Germans is another reverse for the Allies; indeed, it is not exaggerating to say that it is the most serious reverse that has been experienced since the outbreak of the war. Again, however, it is necessary to emphasise that this is only one incident in the campaign and that far from discouraging the Allies it should serve to stimulate them to still greater effort. The capitulation of the Belgians through their,., King—and it is no use trying to disguise the fact that it is capitulation—came as a bombshell. Certainly there were some indications yesterday of coming events, the flying visits of General Weygand to Belgium and the meeting of the Belgian Cabinet in Paris suggesting that something was happening, but few there could have been who would have believed it possible that the Belgians, with their inspiring record in the last war, would for one moment contemplate surrender. Even now the feeling persists that the Belgians, as a people; have been betrayed by their own leader and final judgment must await the disclosure of the full details. In the meantime, the one thing that stands out above everything cl.se is that the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium is in a position of the utmost gravity from which little short of a miracle can extricate it. It is not fair, perhaps, to condemn the King of the Belgians unheard, but it is not unfair to comment that even if lie saw no alternative to surrender the least he could have done was to act in concert with the Allies and enable them to make plans for the evacuation of their troops. It will be recalled that when a similar situation arose in Norway the Norwegians,

much less prepared, gallantly covered the Allied retreat and enabled it to be effected without loss. The action of King Leopold, however, has virtually cut off the withdrawal of the forces that went to his assistance and to-day they have the alternatives of fighting their way out or perishing. Had the present situation been a calculated piece of treachery on the part, of an Allied commander, which King Leopold was, it could hardly have been more effective. Having sent out a call for Allied aid, which was promptly forthcoming, he allowed their troops to take up positions in which they were dependent upon the Belgian army for protection from the rear and for their line of retreat and then, without warning, surrendered his forces to the enemy. On the face of it, it almost looks as if the succouring Allied troops were lured into a position which enabled them to be encircled and then callously abandoned to their fate.

There may, of course, be some other explanation but in the absence of it the bitterness of M. Reynaud is understandable. France and Britain all along had expressed a willingness to assist Belgium in the event of invasion, but their offers had been, spurned and as recently as December last King Leopold had refused to permit staff consultations. More recently still he had affirmed his trust in the Germans. When the German onslaught was launched, the Allies immediately responded to the call for aid' and then, when that aid was being effectively given, the King, as commander-in-chief, “sold out” on his rescuers. It might well be-the case that the Allies would have been better off to-day had Belgium not fought at all. No praise can be too high for the courage and the gallantry of the Belgian army, but the fact remains that the value of their delaying actions has been seriously discounted, if not entirely counteracted, as a result of the manner in which the Belgian capitulation hat permitted them to be trapped. Some consolation, perhaps, can be derived from the fact that the Belgian Government and Belgian people, at heart, are still with the Allies and that some attempt is to be made to redeem their good name in the eyes of the world but it will take a remarkable effort to compensate for the treachery of their King.

Again, however, no good purpose can be served by conducting an inquest into past events or by seeking a capegoat. The new situation must be faced as it exists and the fact that the situation to-day is more grave than yesterday calls, not for pessimism, but for still greater effort to retrieve it. That it can be retrieved there is no question, but it is now more clear than even before that the present crisis calls for the utmost unity on the part of all who are engaged in this struggle. M. Reynaud strikes the right keynote when he says that France was ever made greater by misfortune and that “we will hold out and conquer.” This, indeed, is the grave task which now falls upon the Allied forces which have been deserted in Belgium. They, it would appear, must now fight their way out of the country to whose aid they went. They can endeavour to maintain their precarious hold on the coast or, alternatively, stake everything on a desperate effort to break through the German lines to the west and link up with the forces in France. Whatever course is chosen it will call forth all that is best in these men who have fought so courageously for the past three weeks and whatever may be the final outcome of the battle it can be said with every confidence that history will be made in the next few days and that added lustre ’will be given to the arms of the Allies.