Pacific News-Review
pp. 3-4 · Read in the full issue
Notes And Comment On
The Progress Of The War
From June 12 To July 11
June 12: The general war situation is described in London as extremely serious.
Italy now is formally at war with the Allies. The whole German front from the end of the Maginot Line, in the east, right across to the Somme River, in the west, is moving steadily southwards. Ad vanced German units are as far south as Rouen, in the west, and Chateau Thierry, near the Marne. Some units are within 20 miles of Paris. Paris has been aband oned. The French armies are reported re treating in good order, but there are some indications of far reaching disor ganisation and loss of morale.
It is still assumed generally that the French will give effect to their declara tion, of some weeks ago, that even if they were driven out of the northern portion of their country and out of Paris, they still would continue the fight in the southern part of France; and if driven from there would fight on from their colonies in North Africa. This atti tude of France, despite military disasters, explains why Turkey and Egypt are pre paring to honour their obligations and assist the Allies in resisting Italy.
June 13: Paris declared an “open city” —which means that it will not be de fended.
June 13: Germans are trying to separ ate the French armies In the centre from the Maginot Line; situation hereabouts is most critical. Part of a British division, with French troops, was surrounded near the mouth of the Somme and captured.
June 13: The British R.A.F., with un dimmed spirit and courage, continue attacks upon enemy bases and communi cation in the Low Countries, in Germany and Northern France. Some British planes have even penetrated to Northern Italy and bombed Turin and Genoa.
June 13: Millions of pounds worth of munitions and equipment and hundreds of aeroplanes are being shipped to the Allies by the United States Government.
June 14: The German armies to-day marched into Paris and occupied the city. There was no street fighting.
June 14: The Premier (M. Reynaud) broadcast an urgent appeal to other democracies for the utmost possible help for France.
June 16: There is growing doubt whether the French will be able to hold the Maginot Line, and whether French morale will stand up to the double shock of losing Paris and the Maginot Line.
June 16: Large Russian armies have occupied Lithuania. This is causing spec ulation concerning Russia’s objects. Ob viously, the greater the German triumph m Western Europe, the greater is the ultimate German danger in the eyes of Russia. It may be accepted as funda mental that, sooner or later, the Russians and the Germans will fight.
June 16; President Roosevelt has given renewed assurances of assistance to France.
June 17; Marshal Petain, who has be come Premier of France, in a radio an nouncement from Bordeaux, said that “France must give up the fight”, and “I entered into negotiations with the enemy last night, as between soldiers, to deter mine whether any agreement could be reached to make an end to hostilities”.
It is disclosed that the Reynaud Gov ernment has been overthrown. M. Rey naud has resigned, and has disappeared In the prevailing obscurity and confusion, it is only clear that Petain is Premier and, associated with him are Weygand
Laval, Badouin and other Frenchmen who are notorious Fascists, and believed to be in active negotiation with the enemy through General Franco, Fascist dictator of Spain.
It is officially announced that Britain and the British Empire are determined at all costs to continue the war against Germany.
June 17: Russian armies are marching into Esthonia and Latvia and occupying those countries, apparently as part of a defensive plan made by Russia. Russia’s intentions are a complete enigma. No one believes that the Soviet will make any move to assist the Allies.
June 17: The British aircraft carrier “Glorious”, 22,500 tons, two destroyers and a tanker of 5,600 tons were sunk by Ger man battle-cruisers which trapped them in the Arctic, near Norway. All, although the position was hopeless, fought to the last, and went down with their guns still firing and their flags flying.
June 18: Hitler and Mussolini conferred at Munich and arranged armistice terms for France.
June 18: Before the Petain Govern ment surrendered, the British Govern ment, on June 16, proposed to France a Franco-British Union, so that France and Britain would fight on together as one nation. “Every citizen of France will en joy immediately citizenship of Britain, and every British subject will become a citizen of France”, was one part of the proposed declaration. The French Govern ment, being now dominated by Fascist anti-British elements, rejected this momentous plan, by 13 votes to 10, and then sought an armistice.
June 18: There is the utmost anxiety in England concerning the future of the French Fleet and Air Force.
Obviously, if the French Fleet goes into British hands and Japan remains neu tral, the only hostile fleet facing Britain will be Italian, and Britain therefore will have domination of the seas. But if the French Fleet falls into enemy hands, French and Italian warships will be able to challenge Britain.
June 19: A raid of practically the whole of England by over 100 German planes is regarded as the first sign of German preparations to invade England. Its chief result has been the speeding up of every possible preparation to resist invasion.
June 20: Mr. Churchill said: “Even if we should be beaten down in Britain, it still will be possible for us to send our fleets across the oceans to the Dominions, whence they will protect the Empire and enable it to continue the war and the blockade of enemy countries until the Nazi regime is broken.”
June 20: There is concern about the future of the French Colonies. A French Government dominated by Nazis will not be permitted by the remaining free coun tries to administer the French Colonies which lie alongside their own territories.
Japan is officially asking Germany and Italy about the future of Indo-China— France’s most important Colony.
The general opinion is that, in view of the disclosed internal weakness of France, and the unlikelihood of her Col onial Empire holding together, Indo- China will pass, sooner or later, to Japan.
June 20: A contingent of Australian troops arrived in England and was given a most enthusiastic welcome. This con tingent, which left Australia early in May, believed they were going to Palestine, but when Italy entered the war and
rendered Red Sea navigation dangerous, the destination was changed to England.
June 21: Giving full play to his spite and his sense of drama, Hitler received the French delegates this afternoon in the* Forest of Compiegne, in the same spot and the same railway carriage where Marshal Foch dictated the armistice terms of 1918; and there he personally handed to the French delegates the terms of the armistice. The railway car riage was dug out of the Hotel des Invalides Museum, by the Germans, for this purpose.
June 21: President Roosevelt has added two notable Republicans, Colonel Knox and Mr. Stimson, as Navy and War Minister respectively, to his Cabinet— this being an indication that American effort is being united for the assistance of Britain.
June 21: There have been numerous border clashes between light forces of Italians and British in Northern Africa, along the borders of Egypt and Libya, Sudan and Abyssinia, and British and Italian Somaliland. The poor perform ances of the Italians give colour to the contempt in which Italian fighting ser vices generally are held.
June 23: The armistice between France and Germany was formally signed at 4.50 p.m., on June 22, in the Forest of Compiegne. The terms will not be pub lished, and will not become effective until after a similar armistice has been signed between France and Italy. Meanwhile, the disorganised French armies are still fighting.
June 23: The terms of the armistice have been somehow obtained and pub lished by Britain. They provide for com plete surrender by France. The north ern part of France will be occupied by the Germans indefinitely. French Gov ernm3nt, of a character to be dictated by Germany, will be permitted to function.
The French army is to be demobilised and disarmed. The French Air Force and French Fleet are to be immobilised and held by the French Government. Mr Churchill says that the terms placed France and the French Empire entirely at the mercy of the German and Italian dictators.
General de Gaulle, who was chief mili tary assistant to Premier Reynaud, set up a French National Committee in London and is appealing to Frenchmen through out the world to organise under his lead ership and contine the war. He is making strong appeal to the French navy and the Governors of French Colonies to refuse the French Armistice.
June 24: Mr. Churchill announces that of the 400,000 British troops who went to France since the war broke out 350,000 have returned safely to England All heavy equipment south of the Somme was saved.
June 24: Air activity continues in tense. Practically every night German air squadrons raid Britain, and as regu larly squadrons of British bombers at tack enemy bases and communications in Germany, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium and Northern France.
It is always claimed that British bombers have done a great deal of harm, while German raiders over England apparently do very little harm. For that reason people are sceptical of the reports. It is officially explained that on account of the long straight roads and railways in Ger
many, it is easy to find the airmen’s ob jectives, whereas there is dense vegetation and winding roads and a good deal of ground mist in England, which is one of the most difficult countries in the world to fly over. In addition, it is clear that the British airmen are more daring and have more initiative than the Ger mans.
June 25: The armistice between Italy and France was signed at 5.15 p.m. on June 24, and hostilities between France and the Axis powers ceased at 11.35 p.m. on June 24.
The British Prime Minister said that many solemn assurances had been given by France that the French Fleet would never be allowed to fall into German hands. It therefore, was with grief and amazement that he learned that the armistice provided that the French Fleet would be collected in specified French ports and disarmed under German and Italian control. It is officially announced that everything possible is being done to secure the French Fleet for the Allies.
General de Gaulle expects that the French Fleet will not surrender. Tne French commanders in Syria and North Africa have announced that they will fight on. Resolutions in similar terms have been announced from most of the French Colonies.
June 26: The relations between Britain and the Petain Government are obscure.
It is obvious that much will depend upon what is done with the French Fleet.
June 27: Rumania to-day acceded to a Soviet ultimatum which demanded the immediate cession to Russia of the pro vinces in Bessarabia and Northern Buka vina. The Russian armies are marching in, and the Rumanians are withdrawing.
The development has aroused the liveli est speculation throughout the world. Is Russia taking moves which are hostile to the Axis Powers?
June 27: The American Fleet has dis appeared from Hawaii and its where abouts is unknown. Well informed people refuse to accept the report that it is be ing transferred to the Atlantic.
June 28: The Republican Party nomin ation Mr. Wendell Wilkie as President is of great importance. Mr. Wilkie, al though all his grandparents were Ger man, is regarded as strongly pro-British, and an advocate of all possible assistance being given to Britain.
June 28: Although French Colonies generally had promised General de Gaulle that they would continue the fight, it is now revealed that the com mander in Syria has announced the ces sation of hostilities there. A Polish brig ade with the French army marched across into Palestine and joined the British.
June 28: Japan demands that Britain shall not permit goods for the Chinese Government to pass over the new motor road in Burma.
June 30: Japan announces a “Monroe Doctrine” relating to East Asia and the South Seas—that region is to be “a co related sphere, with Japan as the central ‘stabilising influence”. In other words, Japan will not permit any other Power to alter the status quo of any territory in that region.
June 30: Air Marshal Balbo, Italy’s most notable airman, and regarded as Mussolini’s chief rival, reported killed in an air action with British planes in Libya. There were no British planes there at the time. It is strongly sug gested, therefore, that the death of Balbo
was deliberately brought about by Italian officials, to get rid of a strong personal ity, whose criticism of Mussolini was em barrassing.
July 1; German troops enthusiastically greeted by Spanish officials on the r ranco-Spanish frontier. This may be the first step towards the alignment of Fascist Spain with the Axis Powers, so that there will be a Nazi-Facist bloc from Northern Scandinavia right down to Gibraltar, and eastward to the Balkans July 1: The return of the American Fleet to Honolulu and the announcement that it will not be withdrawn from the pacific has given relief to British com munities.
July 1; The commander of the French forces in North Africa has obeyed the Petain Government’s order to cease hos tilities.
July 1: It is believed that the Japanese Government, influenced by insistent de mand of Army and Navy officers that this is an oportune time to take control of South East Asia is making plans relating to French Indo-China ana asking the British to alter traffic in Burma. The evacuation of British women and children from Hong Kong began to-day. They are being sent to Manila, thence to Aus tralia. Japanese are in force near the frontier oi the Kowloon Peninsula (which is the mainlana part of the British Colony of Hong Kong).
July 2: The air war increases in in tensity. Practically every night, the Germans raid Britain, but seldom achieve military damage, although they kill many civilians. But the military damage being done by the constant B.A.F, raids on Germany is enormous.
July 2: Britain expects an early attempt by Germany to invade England, via the east coast, or through Ireland, or both, but the whole country is united in making preparations on a scale never before known.
July 2: Rumania has formally repudi ated all connection with Britain and France, and is now seeking the aid of, if not an active alliance with, Germany and Italy, fene is receiving little encour agement, however, as Germany does not wish to become embroiled with Russia.
The whole of Rumania’s oil resources now become available to Germany.
July 2: Britain has withdrawn all her forces and most of the 60,000 civilian population from the Channel Islands, and abandoned them to Germany, because their retention would be a military em barrassment.
July 2: The Petain Government is en tirely under the domination of the Ger mans and Italians, and official France is increasingly anti-British. There is in tense indignation in Britain because the Petain Government liberated 400 German airmen who were prisoners of war, and nearly all of whom were brought down and captured by the RA.F.
July 3: Spain, increasingly under Nazi domination, believed to be making plans to attack Gibraltar.
July 3: British bombers reached Kiel naval base, and severely damaged the battleship “Scharnhorst”, which was be ing repaired after contact with the British off Norway.
July 4: Britain has taken special steps to immobilise or destroy the French Fleet.
Two battleships, two light cruisers and numerous submarines, destroyers and smaller craft in British ports were seized.
A battleship, four cruisers and numerous smaller ships at Alexandria were im mobilised. French Fleet at Oran, in
Algeria, refused to negotiate, so a British battle squadron attacked the French ships and destroyed them all except the new battleship which escaped to sea, although badly damaged by a tor pedo.
The British Prime Minister expressed his bitter regret that it was necessary to take this action, but Britain dare not allow these warships to fail into enemy •hands.
July 4: Blue Star liner “Andora Star”, 15,5 u j tons, torpedoed by Germans on her way to Canada with j.,500 uerman and Italian internees. A frightful panic oc curred among the internees, resulting in about 9uu of them being arownea. untish crew and soldiers guarding the internees behaved admirably ana, weie it not for the mad panic (among the Germans especially) most would nave been saved.
As it was more than half the British crew and guards also were drowned.
July 7: Petain Government resentful of Oran action, and diplomatic relations with Britain probably will cease.
Petain Government, acting under Ger man direction, is cancelling France's constitution and introducing a Consti tution modelled on Fascist-Nazi lines.
This is the final, shameful betrayal of France by the Fascist gang which got control in Bordeaux when Reynaud was displaced.
July 7; Petain Government sent two French naval air squadrons to Gibraltar, and attacked British warships from Oran.
Madrid reports that 8 French planes at tacked Gibraltar, but there were no casualties or no material damage.
July 7; K.A.F. bombers accomplished outstanding feat in laying extensive mine fields along the coasts of Norway, Den mark and Holland, thus immobilising Ger man sea transport.
July 8: As a result of much sporadic fighting in Africa, between British Col onial and Italian forces, at least 74 Italian aeroplanes destroyed, and 30 dam aged. At least 12 Italian submarines de stroyed in north and south of Suez Canal.
July 8: French Embassy in London is being withdrawn. Some expect a formal declaration of war upon Britain by Petain Government, acting under Nazi instructions.
July 9: British warships and seaplanes crippled the most modern and powerful of FFench battleships—‘‘Richelieu’, 35,000 tons, which had taken refuge at Dakar, French West Africa, This means that all French battleships, and large part of the smaller ships are accounted lor. Several cruisers may be in enemy hands. Posi tion is officially described as satisfactory —Britain will retain naval superiority.
July 9: Britain now is described as a great fortress —she is ready to repel with men and arms any attempt at invasion.
July 9: Germany apparently, organising attack on Gibraltar, to get command of the straits and so transfer armies to Africa, to occupy the French Colonies and attack Egypt and the Sudan.
July 9; French Government now estab lished at Vichy. French Chamber of Deputies and the Senate attended by half their members, practically unanimously accepted the new Fascist Constitution.
Those absent included all the Leftist and Democratic groups.
July 10: Italian squadron met British squadron in Mediterranean and fled to port at great speed, hotly pursued by British.
July 11: Russia reported to be demand ing, from Turkey, control of Dardanelles.
Such a move would have vast repercus sions.