The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST” WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1939. Britain Strikes First

Northern Advocate, 6 September 1939, Page 6

The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1939. Britain Strikes First

Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper

THE successful evacuation of hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren from all the great and vulnerable cities of England and Scotland provides heartening evidence of the thoroughness with which Britain has prepared for war. Though the German raiders may come, and indeed will come, those whose sufferings would be most harrowing are now in places of comparative safety. Even if British cities are badly damaged, the loss of life will be greatly minimised by the precautions that have been taken, and if preparations in other directions have been as complete as the evacuation arrangements, then the antiaircraft defences should be in such a state of readiness that hostile raiders will get a very hot reception. It is gratifying to learn, however, that Britain did not wait for the Germans to strike the first blow. Instead, the R.A.F. set things going with two spectacular exploits. One was the raid on Wilhelmshaven and the Kiel Canal. This was evidently performed with great dash and courage. The area would, in the natural course of events, be heavily protected and, in addition, the anti-aircraft armaments of the German battleships would complicate the problems of the attackers. Nevertheless, the raid appears to have been carried out with great bravery, and though there were casualties —the first British of the W ar-— the damage and the moral effect in Germany must have been considerable.

The other raid on Germany was not of such a lethal character, but effective in a more subtle kind of way. The distribution of 6,000,000 propaganda leaflets explaining to Germans why Britain is at war with the Nazi Government, may perhaps sow in the minds of many Germans a doubt as to the wisdom of this war into which their Fuehrer has plunged them. Added to this is the concern that must have been felt when it was discovered that a British air fleet had flown with impunity over a wide area of Germany. Where leaflets can be dropped, bombs can be dropped too. The rain of leaflets from the sky probably roused greater misgivings than a shower of bombs.