Giraud's Great Plea, Praise For France

Northern Advocate, 23 July 1943, Page 3

Giraud's Great Plea, Praise For France

(Received 1.30 p.m.) (8.0. W.) RUGBY, July 22. General Giraud, at a Press conference in London, laid emphasis on the impossibility, from a military standpoint, of leaving the liberation of France to armed forces of her British and American allies alone. The French army, which had proved it could fight with its former prowess, must be revived. It would fight even better when the pitiful inadequacy of its armaments was made good. He had seen first-class quality arms coming from the United States. He greatly appreciated the very good effort being made in speeding delivery. Actions of the small French army left in North Africa since the armistice afforded the best proof that it was well worth while for the Allies to give the necessary armament to the 300,000 men he intended to mobilise. In Tunisia there had been 75,000 French soldiers still under arms, but only with miserable out-moded weapons left them by the Germans and Italians. It would have been foolish in normal times to employ them against the best German troops equipped with the most modern products of German war industry, including heavy Tiger tanks, which appeared m Africa earleir than in Russia. French Held Tunisian Gate But, iwith the bad state of communications, it was necessary for him to take the responsibility of sacrificing those troops to give the British and American Allies time to develop supply lines and deploy.

Till January the French practically held the whole Tunisian front alone, taking over the central sector when the British and Americans arrived successively at the front. The sacrifices of Frenchmen were in consequence enormous. Of 75.000 men under arms they lost over 15,000 killed, missing and wounded. At least 2500 were killed, not counting those who vanished in minefields or were never found.

Heroic Defence of Bridge

Eleven days after the landings, two squadrons of Chasseurs D’Afrique were detailed to hold a bridge at Medjez el Bab against two battalions of German infantry, two tank squadrons and four squadrons of Stuka dive-bombers. In the evening the bridge was still in their hands, but of 190 men they had lost 80. They achieved this armed only with rifles and a feKv 25-millimetre antitank guns. At the end of the campaign there were still 50,000 Fi’ench in the battle line, 25,000 having been withdrawn because of the heavy strain.

In the first twelve days of May they took 40,000 prisoners. During the campaign the Allies delivered very little material direct to the French army. Main help consisted in lending anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft guns and field artillery, with men to serve them. No Political Ambitions Referring to army reforms now being worked out, the general said all reforms so far were only proposals which waited his agreement. He reiterated that he had absolutely no political ambitions for himself. Frenchmen outside France had only one right before France was liberated: to be killed for French liberty. Only the French homeland could decide its own political future. Speaking as one whose wife and children were stil in France, whose daughter and children had been taken to Berlin as hostages, Genei’al Giraud pointed out that speed was of the utmost importance in the delivery of France. Only that morning he had spoken to several compatriots-recently an’ived from Paris, Lille, Lyons and Marseilles, who confirmed reports that France was 'starving and would be dying of hunger and cold next wniter. One should never under-rate the inner strength of the Nazi regime, nor speculate that German morale would crack soon. It was no good to count an adversai’y as being weak when he really was strong. General Giraud was sure the Nazis would be beaten. Their success would mean the end of civilisation. Why Nazi? are Strong Reasons for the great strength of the Nazi regime were: (1) It had given the German people real material advantages, such as much improved housing for the working classes, which he observed whilst a prisoner. (2) The Nazis could use the historically developed spirit of submissiveness of all Germans to iron .discipline which was not found among democratic nations, such as the English, Americans and French.

The Only Way General Giraud believed lasting peace could be safeguarded only by the closest collaboration of the three western democracies, the United States, Britain and France, in close collaboration with Soviet Russia. His father had to fight the Germans in 1870. He fought them in 1914. His son had fought them in 1940, and he did not want his grandson to have to fight them again in 20 years. De Gaulle in London The Queen received Madame de Gaulle. General de Gaulle visited Sir John Anderson and laid a wreath on the Cenotaph and drove through the city to see the air-raid damage.

Sweetener. Vichy radio says that French prisoners of war released for work in German industries, will be given 15 days’ leave in France from August 23 onward.