MOVES AT VICHY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24138, 3 December 1941, Page 6

MOVES AT VICHY

Since the dismissal of Weygand the stage has been set for further collaboration between Berlin and Vichy. Weygand was the last symbol of French independence in North Africa. The more serious ,the Axis position in Libya the greater becomes German pressure for the use of French African ports and in particular the great naval base of Bizerta. Now comes the news that Petain and Goering have .met. Goering has been rather out of the picture recently, but his jovial brutality may be the correct instrument for cajoling and bullying Petain. If the result of the meeting should be the transfer to Germany of the bases at Dakar, Casablanca, Oran and Bizerta it will be a short step to the cession of the trench Navy. After the British engagements with the French Navy in July, 1940, it was estimated that Vichy had available for service one battle cruiser of 26,000 tons, 4 cruisers each of 10,000 tons, 4 light cruisers, 55 torpedo craft and 50 submarines. The aircraft-carrier Beam and a

cruiser lying at Martinique are not available to the French or unfortunately to us. Other ships have been demilitarised and laid up at Alexandria. But since July, 1940, the French claim to have repaired the great battleship Richelieu, of 35,000 tons, and the Dunkerque, of 26,500 tons. The units of the French navy at Dakar were active enough in their resistance to General de Gaulle's ill-fated attack and there is no guarantee that they and the other Vichy ships would refuse to follow Petain if he went wholeheartedly into Hitler's camp. Hitler may soon resort to desperate measures against France unless, like Rumania and Finland, she becomes his satellite. Petain's visit to Goering is probably the opening for an unsavoury deal with French ports and ships.