"NO VISION"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23994, 18 June 1941, Page 8

"NO VISION"

SMALL NATIONS' FATE

PERIL OF DISUNITY ENSLAVEMENT OF EUROPE LONDON. Juno 17 The Prime Minister, Mr. Winston Churchill, broadcasting to the United States on the occasion of his , acceptance of the honorary degree ' of doctor of civil law at Roehestei University, recalled the fact that , Rochester was the home town of his I mother. "What touches me most in this ceremony,'' he said, "is thai ' sense of kinship and unity which 1 ' feel exists between us this afternoon." Strong tides of emotion, said Mr, ' Churchill, and fierce surges ot passion ' | swept the broad expanses ol the union ' liu this year of fate. In this prodigious ■ j travail there were many elemental forces, there was much heart-searching I and self-questioning, there were sonic i ' pangs, some sorrow and some conflict - of voices, but no fear. "A Sublime Resolve" "The world is witnessing tho birth- ' i throes of a sublime resolve," ho con--1 | turned. "I shall presume to confess In 1 you that I have no doubts what that -1 | mous, panoplied, embattled and seem- - j ingly triumphant, casts its shadow 3 I over Europe and Asia. Laws, customs land traditions are broken up. Justice : is cast from her seat.. "The rights of the weak are trampled 1 ! down. The grand freedoms ol which ■ the President of the Fnited States ha- ! spoken so movingly are spurned and ■ chained. The whole structure of man, i his genius, initiative and his nobility, :> is ground down under systems ol I mechanical barbarism and of organised - and scheduled terror. For more than ■ a year we British have stood alone, up- ] lifted by your sympathy and respect • and sustained by our own unconquer- . able willpower and by the increasing . , growth and hopes of your massive aid. i j "In these British islands that look j so small upon the map wo stand, faith- ■ fid guardians of the rights and dearest hopes of a dozen States and nations ) j now gripped and tormented in base and . cruel servitude. Whatever happens wo shall endure to the end. 1 j One United Gesture "But what is the explanation of the enslavement of Europe by the German ' ' Nazi regime? How did they do it? It lis but a few years since one united gesture by the peoples, great and small, who are now broken in dust would have warded off from mankind the fearful 1 !ordeal it has had to undergo. ' "But there was no unity, there was i no vision. Nations were pulled down one by one while others gaped and cliat- ' tored! One by one, each in his turn, . they let themselves be caught. One after another they were felled by brutal violence or poisoned from within bv subtle intrigue. And now the old lion, with her cubs at her side, stands alone against the hunters, who are armed with deadly weapons and impelled by a desperate and destructive rage. "Everv month that passes adds to the length and perils of the journey that will have to be made. United we stand, divided we fall. Divided, tho dark age returns; united, we can save ' J and guide the world." | DEVASTATING POWER ANTI-TANK WEAPON i NEW DEVICE INVENTED LONDON, June 17 A secret anti-tank weapon, which is invisible to approaching tanks and is said to have devastating powers of destruction, has been invented by a 25-year-old officer of the Royal Engineers. 'High Army authorities, after sooing tho weapon in action, expressed the opinion ; that it would mean death to tanks and armoured vehicles if used in sufficient j numbers. The device is extremely simple and is capable of mass production. Tests showed that 60 per cent of attacking armoured forces could be knocked out and total annihilation of the enemy force was certain if the weapon was available in quantity. Tho Army and Home Guard nave already used the weapon in one area, and its adoption after further tests is likely. FURTHER PRISONERS DRIVE IN JIMMA AREA ITALIAN GENERAL TAKEN LONDON, June 17 ! During recent weeks imperial forces • in Southern Abyssinia have been drivi ing against one of the two last Italian (strongholds of resistance in that | country, namely, the Jinima area. ! Columns advancing southward from j Negelli and Yavallo are all making for j the crossroads at Soddu. During the advance various phases of the battle of tho lakes have taken place. The opposition in this area has j consisted of four Italian colonial divij sions, which have been virtually doI stroyed as lighting units owing to the ; casualties inflicted and through largescale desertions. The drive has been continued against j the Italian positions in tho .Jimma and Bonga areas without stopping to clean up the remnants of the Italian forces in the area between Soddu and Dak Abaya. There the remnants of tho Italian 2-ltli Division, joined, perhaps, by small detachments from three other I divisions, have been holding out under! General Praloruio, It has been surrounded on the east and north by thej Gold Coast Brigade and on the south and west by patriot troops. The Imperial forces, having bigger! objectives in view, have been taking! no action against I hose Italians, j Patriot troops, however, have been j harrying them successfully. The measure of success achieved by the patriots i is shown by the fact that General ' Pralormo communicated with tho Italian commander in the Jimma area! asking whether he would try to arrange for terms of surrender. He lias! now surrendered with 2000 Italian troops. FIERCE FIGHTING WESTERN DESERT AREA LONDON, June 17 'I here is little news ol Ihe progress of the fighting in the Western Desert, but military authorities reveal that British and Indian forces are now west of Hellfire Pass and fierce fighting, involving numerous armoured units, is going on in the trianglo tit Solium, Capuzzo and Hell fire Pass. Military sources do not confirm that the British have occupied Fort Capuzzo, but they emphasise that the action does not necessarily mean a large-scale offensive. The German News Agency says strong .British forces attacked the' Solium fron f on Juno 15. Figh'ing is still in progress. They claim that GO British tanks have boon destroyed and that German divebombers operating around Solium have been causing heavy losses in men and material, also that nine Hurricane fighters and bombers have been shot down. The news agency adds that bombers on June 15 attacked a strong British naval squadron on the Syrian coast, destroying a Jight cruiser and damaging a heavy cruiser.