MESSAGE OF GOOD CHEER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 May 1942, Page 3

MESSAGE OF GOOD CHEER

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BROADCASTS At End of Second Year in Office VAST IMPROVEMENT IN WAR OUTLOOK NAZIS WARNED AGAINST USE OF POISON GAS IN RUSSIA LONDON, May 10. “I can give you a message of good cheer,” said Mr Winston Churchill in a world-wide broadcast to the people of the Empire and to America, on the occasion of the second anniversary of his assumption of office as Prime Minister. “You deserve it and the facts endorse it,” he said. Mr Churchill reviewed the events of the war following on the capitulation of France. When fighting alone, resolved to conquer or die, Britain had hurled defiance at her foes and by the mercy of God had been preserved. Britain now had mighty Allies and there could be only one end, but when it would be or how it would come he could not tell. With overwhelming resources at their disposal they could strive forward into the unknown with growing confidence. ' HITLER’S FATAL BLUNDER Britain had waited for the moment when Hitler would make a fatal blunder, said Mr Churchill. It seemed to him that the dictators had made greater mistakes than had the democracies they had assailed. In June last, without the slightest provocation, Hitler’s forces invaded Russia. At that time Germany had the strongest army in the world. The Russians were resolved never to give in and fought with unflinching valour, in spite of terrible losses. Britain made a solemn contract with Russia for the destruction of Nazism. Then Hitler made his second grand blunder —he forgot all about the Russian winter, which fell upon his ill-clad army. Many millions of Germans had perished in Russia—certainly more than the 5,500,000 lost in the last war. That was probably an understatement. Mr Churchill referred to an admission, recently made by Hitler, that the German army would be better clothed and its lorries better prepared for the second winter in Russia. That was an admission that struck a chill into German hearts as cold as the icy. wind of Russia. The Russian army was stronger and better equipped than it was last year. Referring to the enslavement of Europe, Mr Churchill said the people in occupied countries had learnt to hate the Nazi name as no name had ever been hated before. ’ THE BOMBING OFFENSIVE The British and American bombing offensive, said Mr Churchill, would be one of the principal features of this year’s world war. Now was the time to use their increasing superiority in the air to strike hard and incessantly at the home front in Germany. Now was the time to bring home to the German people the wickedness of their rulers by the destruction of their factories and seaports. Hitler had not taken at all kindly to this prospect and had threatened, if Britain went on smashing up German cities, that he would retaliate against our cathedrals and historic monuments. Britain had heard those threats before. In September, 1940, he had threatened to rub out our towns and cities and he had certainly had a good try. Hitler now called into question the humanity of this form of war. He used to boast that for every bomb Britain dropped on many ten times or even 100 times more would be dropped on Britain. We had suffered, but now the position was round the other way. Britain was now in a position to carry into Germany many more tons of bombs than ever before. The accuracy of their bombers had nearly doubled and with constant practice it would improve still more. Mr Churchill referred to the effectiveness of Britain’s methods of dealing with raiders and said that in April we had destroyed one-tenth of the raiders assaulting the British Isles, whereas our bombers, in operations several times as big, had suffered losses in proportion far less. If the German population wished to escape the bombing of their cities, he asked them to leave,their work and go out into the fields and meditate upon the wickedness of their despots. Having referred to the help given to Russia by Britain and the United States, Mr Churchill said the Soviet Government had expressed to Britain the view that the Germans, in the desperation of their assault on Russia, might make use of poison gas against the armies and people of Russia. MR CHURCHILL SAID HE WOULD GIVE PUBLIC WARNING THAT ANY USE OF POISON GAS AGAINST THE RUSSIANS BY GERMANY WOULD BE REGARDED AS IF IT HAD BEEN USED AGAINST BRITAIN. IN THAT CASE BRITAIN WOULD USE HER GREAT AND INCREASING AIR SUPERIORITY TO LAUNCH WIDESPREAD GAS ATTACKS ON GERMANY. “KNOWING OUR HUN,” THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER OBSERVED, “WE HAVE MADE ADEQUATE PREPARATIONS.” Many were urging, Mr Churchill continued, the opening of a second front against Germany. He would not disclose what their plans were, but he welcomed the aggressive spirit of the British nation which w,as demanding that action. How much better it was that their should be universal demands for close and intensified attack on the enemy than that war-weariness and depression should rule. RESISTANCE TO JAPAN After referring to late events in Madagascar and Malta, Mr Churchill, spoke of the immense difficulties and immense complications that had arisen following Japan’s entry into the war, but emphasised how vast and decisive were the forces now ranged on the side of the nations fighting for freedom. The Japanese would find resistance stiffening all along their widespread front. Referring to the Battle of the Coral Sea, he said it was obvious, from the lies that Japan had been com-, pelled to tell, that a most vigorous and successful battle had been fought by the United States and Australian naval forces. The Japanese, also, could not be indifferent to the losses of aircraft, particularly off the north coast of Australia and in their repulse in Ceylon. The strength of the United States alone was many times greater than the power of Japan. He had no doubt that British and American seapower would grip and hold Japan and that overwhelming superiority in the air would ensure the success of the military operations that were ahead. This would come to pass very much more quickly if anything happened to Hitler in Europe.