GRIP ON FRANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 18 November 1940, Page 8

GRIP ON FRANCE

GERMAN’S MISGIVINGS BRITAIN’S STRIKING POWER CONDITIONS IN BELGIUM LONDON. Bth October. The taking over of the whole of France by Germany in the near future is being freely predicted by German officers in the occupied zone, writes Mr Vaughan Henry in the "Daily Telc- ! graph." i This is what I gather from respon- ! sible neutrals, including diplomats, who j have just arrived at the Spanish-French I frontier from Paris. Bordeaux and other occupied districts. They are convinced that signs point more and more conclusively to the elimination of the Vichy Government and the occupation of the unoccupied areas, possibly within the next 60 days. A sharp swing-about in the German troops* attitude during the last three

weeks—from assurance and jovial anticipation to concern and depression, especially among the higher officers—is also reported. Growing tension and irritability are evident. GERMANS LESS CONFIDENT The net effect of the news of the ’ situation in England and British bombing in Germany proper, plus continuing destructive raids on air-fields and npply depots in the occupied zone, has been to make the German forces much i less sure of themselves. While technically the Germans obI serve the armistic terms in their dea!- . ings with the unoccupied zone, they J are stretching the provisions far beyond any intention. Two and a-half million German soldiers are quartered in the occupied zone. The individuals change, but the number remains fairly constant. Many of them, especially among the 250.000 to 300.000 in Paris, are soldiers on leave, enjoying their furlough. In a sense the entire occupied zone has been turned into a pasture 'for this huge herd of soldiery, saving Ge'rtnany the problem of feeding them for the time being. HOPE. IN . BELGIUM In both zones' the French are beginning to realise 1 the extent of their misfortune. Their- first - dazed reaction has changed to worry • and depression. Eighty per cent, in both zones, now that Britain has shown the possibility of, resistance, are hoping for her victory j as a means of escape from their own . predicament. The first faint hope in Petain has vanished entirely. De Gaulle.! were it possible, would be acclaimed 1 j by an overwhelming majority.

To turn from France to Belgium, f have been able to read and .will quote from a letter which deals with conditions in Belgium, the rising disaffection among the German forces in occupation. and the recognised efficacy of the Royal Air Force offensive over the Belgian border.

It is the letter of one who was formerly a prominent official and is still in Brussels: written there in early September and smuggled through to his friends near here. Excerpts from the letter follow :

"All of us shut up here in Belgium i are certain the English will be victori-1 ous! Their bombers come over often. I though our newspapers say not a word j of it. All our aerodromes have been! turned into smoking ruins and new fac-1 tories demolished. Yesterday I witnessed a succession of bombardments' from one in the afternoon up to midnight. and again at one and two in the morning: all directed at petrol stores and factories. No alarms were sounded. "We hear that the morale in Germany itself is very low since they have been bombarded regularly; they had not been taught to expect that. No Belgian has any real voice here now. The King (Leopold) doesn’t get on with them (the Germans). The control of the Belgian nation has been sold out utterly.

"Listening to England on the TSF is forbidden, on penalty of a severe sentence to hard labour. Police functions are left to us. but the real control Is German. Our existence has become frightful and despicable . . we are constantly under a menace and not an iota of liberty is left us. Daily living is terrible; we all ask how we are going to. survive the Winter. Milk is almost impossible to get. even for the children.”