Britain’s Life-Line

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 5 August 1941, Page 7

Britain’s Life-Line

THE SEA CAMPAIGN \ few In mi rs after I lie Orman !n- ---\ ardiiii of Russia stal led on June 22, : Mr. ('liureliilt in a broadcast said: “We I shall give whatever help we can to | Russia and to the Russian people, and j we (shall appeal to all our friends and allies ill every part of the world to j follow tluil course and pursue iI, us we j shall, fa it h fully and steadfastly to Hie j end.” Mr. < hurehill added that Great Britain had offered Russia any technical Or other assistance in her power that was likely to he of service. This offer was supplemented immediately l.y I Ik- (li'.-ismii ~f l-rcsiilfliL H.iiwv.-lt to give Russia all possible A meric., e. aid under the I/ease I/end Vet Tie interchange of visits by British, United Stales and Russian military, naval, air and teehnioal experts* indicates that steps already have been taken to implement the offer* of aid to Russia. No Western Offensive Hut help for Russia as envisaged by Mr. Churchill does not mean 11. at Britain "should launch a land o|Te:i-ive in the West to draw some of the German armoured divisions from the Soviet front,” as is suggested in a cable message today. Such an offensive on the part of Great Britain would require months of intensive preparation and immense organization. It. would absorb a vast tonnage of sea transport to land an invading force and keep it supplied. In the present circumstances it can he ruled out for this year. It is barely eight months since Mr. Churchill remarked that Britain was still "a half-armed nation lighting a well-armed nation, a fully armed nation, a nation which has already passed the saturation point in its armaments." But, he added, “in the course of 11)41 we shall become a wellarmed nation, too.” It is barely a fortnight since lx* warned Britain that the possibility of a German attempt at invasion was still to be faced. Struggle At Sea While the Russians for six weeks have been facing the tierce onslaughts of the German armies, it must he remembered that Britain for more titan 12 months has Ih-cu locked in a grim and dead 1 v struggle with the AxiBowers at sea. Hitler knows, as Mr. Churchill has said more than once, that in order to win this war he must either conquer Britain by invasion or he must cut the life line which joins her to the United States. And since last Februar> Hitler ha - greatlv intensified the activities of his raiders and I bouts and air l>oml»crs at sea in a doiteruie attempt to cut off Britain’s supplies of food and war materials. Because the greater part of it must necessarily he shrouded in secrecy, tin* immensity of Britain's war effort at sea is dillieulr to grasp. Since the collapse of France in June of last year she has had to carry on the war at sea against Germany and Italy alone and with inadequate force-. Month after month the losses of merchant ships and their vital cargoes have continued to mount.: and vast as are the shipping resources controlled b> Britain, these losses could not continue indefinitely without seriously affecting her war effort and her means of Mtb•‘When you think how ea-y it is to sink ships at sea and how hard it is to build and protect them, when you remember we never have less than 2000 ships all oat and 300 to 400 in the danger areas, when you think of the great armies we maintain and the reinforcements in the Fast and the world-wide traffic we have to carry, can you wonder.’’ asks Mr. Churchill “that it is the Battle of the Atlantic which holds the first place in the thoughts of those upon whom rests t lie responsibility for Secrets Of The Na\> The Royal Navy has taken and is taking aLI possible measures to meet this deadly attack. It. bears the responsibility of protecting day and night throughout, the year the immense stream of British ships on all the oceans while in the North Atlantic it carries on an unceasing offensive against the enemy's U-boats and raidMost of what the Navy does cannot be told while the struggle lasts. It has outfought and defeated the enemy in numerous actions of which we know; but the major struggle, to preserve Britain’s life-line goes on all the time in silence and secrecy in the vast spaces of the sea. That is what is called the Battle of the Atlantic, which in order to survive Britain has to win on salt water just as decisively as she did win the Battle of Britain in the air less than a year ago. The Merchant Navy has the task of carrying from the ends of the earth all the food supplies and war materials and munitions essential to Britain’s war effort, as well as the thousands of troops, and right well it has performed that task. Wonderful and extraordinary exertiotis have been made by the Navy, the Merchant Marine and the Air Force in meeting the attacks of the enemy and defeating his utmost efforts to stem and break the rising tale that is streaming across the oceans. Growing Pressure Every month adds to the strength of the Royal Navy and its arbility to cope with the Nazi menace at sea. The defeat of the U-boat and of the surface raiders has been proved to be entirely a question of adequate protection of convoys. A year ago the Navy was desperately short of escort ships, and the losses of merchant tonnage rose to serious figures. But recently there have been indications that the position is becoming more favourable Merchant shipping losses are not to be published at regular intervals in future, but it may be assumed that as more and more escort ships and increased protection from air attack become available the curve of losses will progressively decline. The patrol of the western Atlantic by the United States is an important factor in the situation, since it affords considerable relief to British naval forces in securing the safe passage of merchant ships across the Atlantic. Meanwhile the enemy is being made to feel the pressure of the British blockade in ever-increasing degree. German losses at sea last month are officially computed at some 300.000 tons. This takes no account of operations in t-he Mediterranean, where British submarines and aircraft continue to take heavy toll of enemy shipping. German ind Italian shipping losses since the beginning of the war now amount to more than 4,500.000 tons. At the same time the heavy bombing attacks by the R.A.F. on German ports and industrial centres continue with scarcely a break. Their effect on the enemy’s war effort is difficult to measure accurately, but the cumulative results must be causing him considerable anxiety. The destruction of German war industries and supplies Is an important extension of Britain’s sea blockade.— (S.D.W.)