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NO MORE BLITZKREIG!

ENEMY’S DISCOVERY Britain Impregnable ? [British Official Wireless] (Received August 4, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, August 2. British students of Nazi propaganda declare that it is never interesting for what it says, but only for what it intends. A recent remarkable turnabout in inspired utterances in Germany and their echoes in Itaiy on the subject of war on Britain is not seriously considered as an indication of any change in the enemy s military plans, but it may signify a recognition by Nazi officials of a need tu temporise with disappointment at home and growing scepticism abroad. A contrast between the latest pronouncements of Dr. Ley, Signor Gayda and others and those of some weeks back is certainty instructive. Dr. Ley, writing in the “Angriff” now says: “National Socialists know that the fight against England will be bard. England will defend herself obstinately with all her energy. England’s power is great, and the conflict wili be difficult.” But not so very long ago, he told a camp meeting, .n tl i Siegfried Line, that “England’s nervousness has already reached a state of hysteria,” and reliable reports at the end of last March, attributed to him an intimation that he was planning “strength through joy” cruises for German workers to the most popular resorts on the south coast of England for the later months oi this summer. ■

A few days ago, Signor Gayda stated, in the “Giornale D’ltalia” that “war against England cannot be of a. lightning nature or as spectacular as that against France, but must consist of hammering at and wearing down of all of the national and imperial forces supporting the British resistance.” As recently as July 15, however, Signor Gayda was writing. “Preparations for a final alack against England will be completed in a very few days, and Britain will have to settle its account. It will have to choose between submission to the renovating and restorative forces of Er,rope and an extremely violent war in which inexorable destruction, a fateful and precipitous step towards final overthrow, will be measured, not by the years or weeks of which Mr Churchill spoke, but by days and hours.” Signor Gayda may plead that he had the fullest authorisation for his boastfulness from Berlin, for the Deutschland Sender radio on July 1 had told German listeners that: “In a few weeks England will lie on the ground as broken as France is now.” The German wireless now claims that her much advertised attacks began five weeks ago. Germany struck and is striking daily and hourly. It says: “Each day has seen new triumphs of the German submarines, successful by bombers and dive-bombers, and successful battles by our fighters over the Channel and the English coasts.” It must indeed be admitted that Germany is achieving remarkable victories—on paper—and recent wild extravagance on the part of German communiques becomes uhderstandable so long as Germans are asked to beheve that Britain is already being beaten to her knees. Op-rations against shipping provide daily examples of gross exaggeration. On Thursday, - the Nazi Propaganda Ministry claimed that Germany na.s sunk one and a-quartcr irnbron tons of British shipping ,n the last five weeks Actually, in the first four or five weeks in question, Germany sank a total of 176,750 tens. The British shipping figures for th? fifth week have not yet been published by the Admiralty, but, on this reckoning, Germany must have sunk over one million tons in the fifth week alone, and such an astronomical clam does little credit >o the intelligence of the hearers Germany is so desperately anxious to impress. Churchill’s Warning AGAINST NAZI RUMOURS (Received August 4, 8 p.m.) RUGBY, August 3. The following statement was made from No. 10, Downing Street:— “The Prime Minister wishes it to be known that the possibility of German attempts at invasion has by no means passed. “The fact that the Germans are now putting about rumours that they do not intend the invasion should be regarded with a double dose of the suspicion which attaches to all of their utterances. “Our sense of growing strength, and preparedness, must, net lead to the slightest relaxation of our vigilance or moral alertness.” MR EDEN VISITS REGIMENT RUGBY, August 3. Mr A. Eden (War Secretary) yesterday visited, army units in the Southern Command, including a battalion of the King’s Royal Rifles Corps, a regiment in which he served during the Great War. SURPRISE FOR HITLER i Navy’s “Tom Thumbs” (Received August 4, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 3. A correspondent who was permitted to inspect coastal defences refers to the “Tom Thumb” or “Vest Pocket” of the Navy consisting of high-pow-ered, heavfty-armed speedboats, whose job is to sight German seaplanes seeking to land troops on remote stretches of inland waters and rivers. The commander of tfce flotilla said: “We have got surprises for Hitler. They may not b? magnetic mines, but are something just as good. We are prepared for his seaplanes night and day.” GERMAN STUNT? | LONG RANGE BOMBARDMENT. RUGBY, August 2. Some rather highly-coloured accounts are circulating of multiple lines of artillery emplaced by the Germans along the French coast, with a view to bringing part of the south-east coast of England under a concentrated barrage. The range is

quite feasible for big modern guns, and military circles in London show no particular surprise, and no special alarm at these reports. Under present conditions, stories of this nature are not Ikely to have gone into circulation without approval of the German military authorities. They are undoubtedly a picturesque form of advertisement of the German preparations against Britain, but the extent to which they correspond with actuality is felt here to be more questionable. The Germans may be trusted not to neglect the obvious possibilities of long-range artillery—the use of which is equally open to Britain—but they will also be aware of its limitations in practice. Fire at crossChannel range wculd not be accurate, and the guns themselves woulu 'wear out quickly. Owing to the thickness of the shellcase, the burst is relatively ineffective. Unless the fire is quite erratic, it would require to be directed by air observation, and aircraft intruding over the British coast would not be treated by the R.A.F. with any special leniency. Foi’ these and other reasons a long-range bombardment of the English coast is regarded by competent circles here» as expensive, uneconomical, and rather ineffective. RIFLE PRACTICE IN ENGLAND. (Received August 4, 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 3. Five thousand members of the Home Guard attend Bisley every week-end for rifle instruction. a;i National Rifle Association ranges throughout the country are similarly occupied.

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GRA19400805.2.37

Bibliographic details

Grey River Argus, 5 August 1940, Page 5

Word Count
1,103

NO MORE BLITZKREIG! Grey River Argus, 5 August 1940, Page 5

NO MORE BLITZKREIG! Grey River Argus, 5 August 1940, Page 5