WAR ITEMS

Grey River Argus, 1 May 1942, Page 3

WAR ITEMS

NEW YORK, April 25. Chungking radio announced Sir Horace Seymour, on behalf of the King, presented Marshal Chiang Kai Shek with the Grand Cross of the Bath “for brilliant leadership, glorious successes and. invaluab.e contributions to the Allied cause. Marshal Chiang Kai Shek, replying expressed “a fervent hope that the Sino-British bond will be strengthened, and that final victory is not far distant.” Chungking official radio said Japanese had been repulsed with heavy losses after pushing northward from West Tsengshing, on the Kwantung front. Indicative of ferocity of fighting carloads of Japanese dead and wounded were observed moving to Canton on Monday night last. A Japanese detachment driving from Shenkang to Tsunghua was also defeated, while retreating Japanese set fire to villages. ' WASHINGTON, April 23.

The “Fortune” magazine for May publishes its first report on the continuing study of problems confronting America and the world after the war. It outlines a four-point American proposal for world-wide democratic economic freedom. Firstly, the United States and .Britain should maintain their military alliance through the post-war .construction period. Secondly, they should unite their economies immediately in complete free trade, and allow freedom of migration to their respective peoples. Thirdly, their Governments through joint economic committees, should take parallel action to forestall depressions and promote freer world trade. Fourthly, they should invite other nations, including the British Dominions, to join their alliance on the same or specially-nego-tiated terms.

WASHINGTON, April 26. The Army Air Force has opened an intensive advertising campaign to enlist 100,000 men for flight training. Officials declared that the campaign arises from the plans to expand the .Air Force to 1,000,000 men by the end of 1942, and to 2,000,000 by the end of 1943. OTTAWA, April 24.

Admiral Sir D. Pound, accompanied bv Sir Charlies Little, arrived here by plane, and conferred with Canadian naval officers. A. E. (Bryan, Canadian Trade Commissioner, in a speech, said the Canadian Army totals - over half a million, of which 125,000 are in Britain. Since the outbreak to the end of February Canada shipped over fifty-five million tons of food and war supplies to Britain. LONDON, April 23. American records for high-speed ship-building are being challenged by Britain says the ‘‘Standard.’’ At one yard production has been so accelerated that a 10,000-ton merchantman is being completed within six months. This is war in advance of anything which could be accomplished before the war. The .United States is 'completing 10,000-tonners in five months. Many women are now employed in British shipyards. In order effectively to arm British merchantmen, maritime regiments of the. sevenre-.mth century have been revived after nearly .300 years to continue a historic function in “defence of our trade.” There

are now four such regiments in being, and the total strength is some ten thousand. They form part of a Royal Regiment of Artifiery. H.M.S. Pimpernel nas searched foi and saved more Ihan 150 persons from the waters of Nortn ALantic, according to informed circles. She is a corvette on convoy escort duty, and all the people she has rescued were from merchant ships sutik by submarines or enemy aircraft. The signature of every survivor decorates the walls of the Pimpernel s wardroom. In addition to British, the names on the walls include those of Chinese, Icelanders, Indians, Norwegians, Malays and Swedes. There are the signatures of two women who were picked up after drifting all night in an open boat far out in the ocean.

Speaking at his enrnronement in Canterbury Cathedral, the Archbishop of 'Canterbury said that Germany’s present mood would mean the end of the ecumenical Christian movement, arid all hopes connected therewith. It was pur duty to do our best towards winning the war, so that we could keep open the possibility of Christian civilisation, and maintain the hope of fellowship pervading all nations under allegiance to our Lord. The secular movement of the world was not towards peace or mutual understanding. It was towards fiercer competition, conflict, and war between larger and everlarger concentrations of power. If that was all that could be said, the church could do little, but work under the surface, thus morally, if not physically, returning to the catacombs, but Christian fellowship extends into almost every nation, and binds citizens together in true unity and mutual love. This is the one great ground of hope for the coming days.

The Royal Air Force is stated to be the biggest occupier of land and one of the biggest food growers in Britain, for wherever operational needs allow, tracts of land are handed over to agricultural committees for cultivation. Elsewhere R.A.F. workers and airwomen are cultivating all spare areas. Farmers help by lending implements.

Mr Attlee announced in the Commons that Captain Balfour would ‘cad the United Kingdom delegation to the conference at Ottawa in May of representatives of the United Nations which have air-training programmes in the United States or Canada.

The attitude of the Free French to the recent changes in the Vichy Government is made clear in comment on M. Laval’s speech by the French National Commissioner for Foreign Affairs (M. Maurice Dejean). “M. Laval has decided to sell his country to Germany,” he said, “and from now on he is openly continuing the systematic destruction of France’s spiritual forces by seeking to present his nolicy in the light of a commonsense solution, but he will be hard put to it to convince the people. While hostages were being shot and prisoners systematically starved. M. Laval had the audacity to say that the Nazis were not prepared to abuse then’ victory and had never thought of humiliating France. M. Laval means to have recourse to Nazi methods in order to impose a regime of unscrupulous exploitation of labour, aggravated by terrorist police measures. M. Laval’s ultimate aim was the enslavement of .the nation to a so-called master race. If possible he would drag France into the war, but he still had to reckon with the French people.”

According to reports from Istanbul. General Mikhailovitch’s forces have driven out Italian and German units from a number of points in the Rogatica area. They flouted largo forces sent by Neditch to attack the patriots, who killed 800 thereof. The patriots are also tightening their grip on the Italian Alpine Division, which has been surrounded for over four months near (Plevije. The division lost over 500 killed or wound-

ed in a desperate attempt to break the encirclement.

The Japanese have 'taken the first (ricks by treachery ana surprise, but we will take the last.” This /is how a British General on the Irrawaddy front summed ujp the situation in Burma ,says the British United Press correspondent at Maymyo. The Genenal’s opinion is based on the fact that the British are disentangled from the jungle lands for the first /time, and are meeting the Japanese in open country, resulting in the first Japanese setback at Yenang- 1 yaung. Traitor Burmese and Japanese sneak methods in the jungle have thus far greatly aided the invaders. Japanese, dressed in Burmese clothes, slipped from 'tree to tre, calling to the Indian troops in Hindustani:‘“Don’t shoot! Friend!” Until they infiltrated behind the Imperial lines, (the Japanese compelled the Burmese peasants to supply guides. A tank captain reported that American tanks had been an action in Burma for many weeks. They were mechanically perfect, with all the fire-power one could want, and the’r armour withstood any Japanese guns. His wish to meet ithe Japenese in the open will soon be realised, as the fighting is moving from the jungle area.