Vital Chapter Of War Being Written Now

Northern Advocate, 22 December 1939, Page 5

Vital Chapter Of War Being Written Now

LONDON, December 20,

The Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence (Lord Chatfield) in a broadcast. address, ‘ referred to the surprise felt by many people that Germany had not yet started her threatened military offensive of mass air attacks.

He said:- “You may be absolutely sure of one thing, namely, if Germany has not started in either of these two ways it is solely because she has not got confidence that she could succeed. “Whatever we may say, .Germany needs a short war, and so she hopes to break the British Navy’s grip on her supplies and to defeat us rapidly where we are indeed most vulnerable and yet where we are strongest, namely, on the sea.”

Illegal Use of Mines, Subs.

In this connection, Lord Chatfield spoke of Germany’s illegal use of submarines and mines.

Now that Britain had broken the back of the submarine campaign Germany was resorting to the use of a new type of mine, not laid according to international law, and more recently to machine-gunning and bombing British fishing vessels.

Continuing, the Minister said: “I believe that one of the vital chapters of the war is being written now, for, in defeating, with our great Ally —France —the enemy’s plans to deny the seas to the merchantmen of the world, we are laying the foundations of victory and ensuring that all future military operations will be safely conducted.”

Tribute to R.A.F,

In a tribute to the Royal Air Force Lord Chatfield said that by their successes and endeavours, the members of that force were building up experience and confidence in .themselves, which would steadily give Britain the same ascendancy in the air which she had possessed for centuries at sea. He also paid a tribute to the magnificent war efforts of the Dominions and the Empire as a whole and to Britain’s French allies.