GERMAN ATTACK EXPECTED

Southland Times, Issue 24164, 28 June 1940, Page 5

GERMAN ATTACK EXPECTED

MR EDEN’S REASONS FOR CONFIDENCE

BRITAIN NOT CONTENT WITH DEFENSIVE

GROWING STRENGTH IN . MATERIALS

(British Official Wireless) RUGBY, June 26.

The Secretary for War, Mr R. A. Eden, broadcasting, said that the time was approaching when the enemy would launch an attack on Britain. No doubt the bombing attacks at a height already started would be continued.

“I am convinced,” he said, “that they will be repulsed and that we shall subject the enemy in his own country to a constant heavy counter-attack from the air.”

He was confident that the enemy would be beaten off, first because of the British character. The fate of France was a lesson.

“It is only by a dedication of the human spirit and the human will through the length and breadth of the land that complete and final victory can be won,” he said. Already, though operating at a great disadvantage, the Royal Air Force had inflicted severe losses upon the enemy. It often had to fight far from its bases or from its temporary bases. It had never yet met the enemy without the numerical odds being in the enemy’s favour. DUNKIRK EVACUATION “But remember what happened on the only occasion when it was operating from its own bases and when the numerical odds were not utterly fantastic,” said Mr Eden, in referring to the Dunkirk evacuation. “Apart from our own strength, we are receiving great help from the United States, with the strong support of public opinion in that country, which is sending us supplies of arms and munitions,” Mr Eden said. “By so doing, they are giving us a service of which we are in need for a cause which they have fully understood. Let me make it quite clear that we are obtaining munitions not in the hope that they will delay the conquest of our land, but because we are confident that we can win the war. Our stranglehold is still on Germany.

“Already in other parts of the world we are achieving success in offensive operations. It is this offensive spirit which so clearly animates our forces in the Middle East. It augurs well for the future. We can have no doubt of the issue, you and I. This is a conflict between two ways of life which admit of no compromise. It is the age-long struggle between good and evil. This is the struggle for the future of man, for the external freedom of his mind and soul.”

Mr Eden said that Britain was well provided with guns which, assisted by her powerful Air Force, would make the lot of the air invader increasingly unenviable. The Royal Air Force during the evacuation of Dunkirk had destroyed as many as 70 German aeroplanes in one day. ADVICE TO CIVILIANS Mr Eden emphasized the official advice to civilians to stay put when attacked and added: “A brave and disciplined citizen population is an essential foundation for home defence, but the enemy will soon learn that it is not in the nature of our people to sit placidly and be bombed without retort. No battle is won by standing on the defensive. We will sally out against the enemy when the time comes. “During the evacuation from Dunkirk,” said Mr Eden, “the Royal Air Force is known to have destroyed as many as 70 German aircraft in a day and the enemy’s additional unconfirmed losses must, of course, have been very great. Our airmen can hope to do even better when fighting in their own skies.” Stating why he thought every other form of enemy offensive besides aerial attack would be defeated, Mr Eden said that Mr Churchill had announced the fact that there were 1,250,000 men under arms in Britain, excluding 500,000 Local Defence Volunteers and the Canadian and Allied troops who had been arriving from France. Never before had there been so many soldiers in this island.

“We are confident that we can throw sufficient forces against any enemy who attempts to land on our shores, to attack him and defeat him. We do not under-estimate the enemy, but for once he will be operating under the disadvantages which we have always experienced in our Continental wars, and, in addition, he will have,to supply his forces overseas without possessing command of the seas. I can, therefore, speak to you tonight in a spirit of reasoned confidence."