NOTES on the WAR NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 January 1940, Page 8

NOTES on the WAR NEWS

The R.A.F. In Action FIGHTER CRAFT AND THEIR RECORD An announcement lias been made (see this morning’s cable news) that the Royal Air Force Fighter Command has shot down half the enemy machines engaged by it since hostilities began. The same message states that nearly all the enemy machines disposed of crashed into the sea. In view of the consistent success of British pilots in air actions over the isles and the North Sea. this excellent record of four months’ operations will occasion no great surprise. The question arises, however, as to the precise meaning of the announcement and whether it is intended to refer only to the Fighter Command. The R.A.F. is divided into three commands—the Fighter Command, the Bomber Command and the Coastal Command. The Bomber Command is the offensive section of the service, and, broadly speaking, the Fighter Command is the defensive section, the greater part of which at present is in Britain. The Coastal Command works chiefly with the Navy. Its duty is to patrol the seas round the coasts of the British Isles, and a good distance beyond them, with long-range flying-boats and fast land planes—indeed, with a variety of machines suited to all purposes. All Commands Take Part Since war broke out units of every command have been in contact with the enemy. Fighters of the Coastal Command have engaged raiding machines repeatedly and with success. Doglights—some of them on a spectacular scale—have occurred between units of the Bomber Command and enemy fighters. In addition to this, fighters of the Fighter Command have distinguished themselves iu action both over England and Scotland and in France. It seems hardly likely that the announced “hag’’ relates only to the fighters of the Fighter Command. This would mean that the claim excluded the Coastal Command's exploits; whereas mention of the fact that most of the enemy fell into the.sea suggests that the Coastal Command's fighters were at work. The probability is that the message refers to British fighter aeroplanes as » whole, regardless of the particular command under which each operated. Incidentally, many pilots of the Civil Air Reserve are serving with tae Coastal Command. Most of them are carrying out reconnaissance work in machines which are not necessarily of militaiy type, hut to their credit has gone the bringing-down of more than one enemy raider. The Commander in Chie p of the Fighter Command is Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowdiug, known as “Stuffy,” though why no one appears able to say. He is 57, and his responsibilities Include the anti-aircraft defences as well as the 'balloon barrages and the Observer Corps. The Rawalpindi's End

According to newspaper reports to hand in the latest mail, of the sinking of the. British armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi by the German battleship Deutschland late iu November, the fight was not as one-sided as earlier accounts Indicated. Survivors’ accounts agree that the German ship was hit by three Gin. shells, one of which exploded amidships and appeared to do considerable damage. The unnamed second ship which was present at the sinking of the Rawalpindi is still a mystery. Naval men do not credit the report that it was the Emden, which is the oldest cruiser of the new German Navy, and has latte*' ly been little more than a training ship. It is far more probable that the “mystery” ship was an armed merchantman acting as supply ship for the raider. Modern Helsinki Helsinki, which is still Finland's defensive headquarters in spite of t’he Red air attacks, was founded by Gustavus Yasa, of Sweden, in 1550. It was then three miles from the present site of the town, but was rebuilt in its present position in 1G39, and became the capital of Finland in 1812. Before that, date it was a little town of 30(H) or 4000 peasants and fisherfolk living in wooden cabins. The city was planned by a German architect, Engel, “the father of Finnish architecture,” who designed it like a chessboard, with straight parallel streets crossing each other at right angles. (See this morning's cable pagb picture.)

Among the many fine buildings is the great railway station, probably the most suitably-conceived structure of its kind in Europe. The Natural History Museum and the university are two other buildings of which any city might he proud, but the most impressive specimen of Engel’s art is the great Lutheran Church of St. Nicholas, reached by a flight of 43 steps. It is in a wonderful position on a high rock, and dominates the whole city.

Hitler And The Slump It is not generally realized that the present war is an indirect political outcome of the 1929 “slump.” This D because the slump, or depression period, was the factor which enabled Hitler to rise to power in Germany. “Hitler was sent forward to victor? by the world economic crisis which began in the United States in 1929.” says R. C. K. Elisor, writer of No. 20 of the Oxford Pamphlets on World Affairs, which was to hand in the latest mail. The pamphlet is entitled “Who Hitler “Reaching Germany at the very end of that year,” the writer continues, “the storm struck her with more violence than any other grear European country. Very quickly there were 3.000.000 unemployed, including great numbers of young men—engineers, chemists, electricians, accountants, etc. —sons of the classes who had lost all their savings in the 1923 inflation. Nation Almost Demented “At this new blow, which made the sunshine of the Locarno interlude seem a mocking illusion, a large part of the German nation became almost demented. They turned to whatever in politics seemed bitterest and most uncompromising: and they found Hitler. “The election figures tell the tale. In 1928 the National Socialists had polled 800.000 votes for the Reichstag: and if an election had been held as late as October, 1020, there is no reason to think that they would have polled more. But in the election of September. 1030. they polled Gi millions ! “With 107 seats in the new Reichstag they jumped to the position of second largest party: and Hitler took the centre of the political stage.’’