Pacific News-Review
pp. 3-4 · Read in the full issue
Notes And Comment On
The Progress Of The War
From July 14 To August 12
July 14: First Lord of British Admiralty, broadcasting to the United States, saia that Britain was threatened as she had not been threatened for centuries. She was now prepared to meet the invasion— her air force and her navy were ready.
July 14: One third of the Polish Army in France —estimated at about 80,000 — escaped from France when the Retain Government capitulated. It has been re equipped and re-organised in England.
July 14: Discussion continues on Japan’s demand on Britain that she close the Burma Road against war supplies being sent in to China. Meanwhile, British women and children are being rapidly evacuated from Hongkong. Most of them are going to Australia via Manila.
The preparations which are being made by the British in the Far East clearly indicate that while, every effort is being made to avoid war, the possibil ity of war is recognised.
July 15: Every day, R.A.F. fighters meet German raiders over the English coasts, while every night increasingly large for mations of British bombers strike terrific blows at aerodromes, munition dumps, factories, railway junctions, etc., in West ern Germany. All the evidence obtained through neutral channels indicates that the destruction done by the nightly R.A.F. bombing raids in Germany is very great, and demoralising.
There is a strong suggestion that tne reason why the long-awaited German in vasion does not materialise may be be cause of the damage caused to aero plane and equipment factories by R.A.F. raiders.
July 15: An agreement between Britain and Japan in relation to the Burma Road has been reached. Britain has agreed that for three months she will stop the trans port of munitions and supplies to China —such supplies having come mostly from U.S.A. and Russia.
July 16: Because the army and navy withdrew its suonort. the Japanese Cabinet led by Admiral Yunai has re signed. Prince Konoye will form a new Government, which is expected to have a much stronger pro-German leaning and to favour a Southwards thrust.
This development is obviously the out come of the Burma Road agreement.
The Nazis in Tokyo are trying to counter American support to Britain by forcing Japan into belligerency in the Pacific.
They do not want to see any agreement between Britain and Japan. Anti-British demonstrations will now be organised in Japan. But war between Britain and Japan should not be anticinated. There is a very strong body of middle-class opinion in Japan which will try to keep Japan out of the war.
July 16; Continued clashes between British and Italian forces the borders of Libya, Kenya, Somaliland, etc., have mostly been inconclusive—it is apparent that the Italians have little stomach for fight. Reports coming in of insurrections in Abyssinia are probably the result of wishful thinking. The British, however, have taken the former Abyssinian Emperor, Haile Selassie, who was de throned by Mussolini, from England to the Sudan, and it is insisted that he is going over into Abvssinia to arouse the tribesmen.
July 17: Europe tingles with rumours that Hitler will deliver an ultimatum shortly to Britain—either Britain must enter a peace conference and end the war, or be blown out of existence in a terrific German attack.
July 18; Mr. Roosevelt, by an over whelming majority, secured the Demo
cratic nomination for the Presidency, which will be decided in November. This is the first time that a retiring President has sought a third term of office. As Mr.
Willkie, the Republican nominee, is also a strong advocate of giving the utmost possible American assistance to Britain, the future of the war is not likely to be affected by the Presidential election.
Some observers, however, expect that the United States attitude towards Nazism will become stiffer after Mr. Roosevelt has been elected for a third term.
July 19: The Australian cruiser “Sydney”, 6,830 tons, caught and sank the Italian cruiser “Bartolomeo Colleoni”, 5,069 tons, in the Mediterranean. The two warships were evenly matched in gunpower, but the Italian was much faster. The “Sydney” beat her with more accurate gun fire. Another Italian cruiser escaped under a smoke screen.
July 19: Hitler, addressing a hastily summoned meeting of the Reichstag, made what he called a final appeal lo reason. He demanded that Britain forth with engage in peace discussions with a Germany which he described as being stronger than ever—otherwise he would destroy the British Empire.
July 22; Commentators say there is no possibility of Britain undertaking land operations before 1942. But, in the meantime, Britain should strive to organise revolts in German-occupied nations, and should constantly attack with her navy and her air force.
July 23: Britain has formally rejected the peace conference bait dangled by Hitler. “Britain”, said Lord Halifax, “will not cease fighting until freedom for our selves and others is secure.”
July 25: Rumania, having delivered herself into the hands of Germany and Italy, is now being carved up by those nations and, apparently, can do nothing about it. Germany has decided that Transylvania shall be transferred from Rumania to Hungary and that the Dobruja is to be transferred from Rumania to Bulgaria. Rumania will re main as a small inland state, without a port on the Black Sea. This, of course, means that all Rumanian oil and wheat will now go to Germany. Rumanians are “talking fight”, but their position is quite hopeless. The Rumanians will re ceive no sympathy—in political and economic matters they always have been the scallywags of Europe.
July 25; The Germans topedoed ana sank the French ship “Meknes”, of 6,000 tons, when she was carrying 1,300 French officers, soldiers and citizens back to France. She carried all her French colours and was brightly illu minated. The death roll is heavy. Such a callous act of murder has arousea world-wide indignation.
July 26: The R.A.F. fighters in their daily fight over the Channel to-day against Germans, who were attacking shipping convoys, shot down 28 German planes, for the loss of 5 British planes.
This, for the moment, is a record for one day.
July 26: Great annoyance is expressed by the Retain Government at the action of British airmen in distributing over France a series of leaflets giving the French people a true account of what has happened since the French-Fascist Government surrendered to Germany.
July 26: Many newspapers sharply criticise the British Government because it only now has published the news that the British liner “Lancastria”, 16,250 tons, was sunk by the enemy on June 17, when assisting the British evacuation from France. Of 5,300 refugees who were
aboard the liner, only 2,477 were picked U p—although others may be in enemy hands.
July 28: Some newspapers say that a diplomatic struggle between Germany and Russia for control of the Balkans— and especially Rumania—now occupies the centre of the European stage. But well-informed observers say that there is not the slightest sign of war develop ing between the two dictatorships.
July 29: American wai' observers say that the R.A.F, is daily establishing it self as the finest fighting force in the world and that despite Germany’s superiority in numbers of machines these British airmen clearly have a marked and growing moral ascendancy.
July 29: The arrest of 11 British busi ness men in Japan has caused a great stir. This is believed to be the first move by the new Japanese pro-German Gov ernment to force war with Britain. It is reported that the British are charged with espionage.
July 29: The R.A.F. shot down 15 enemy planes over the Channel to-day.
One British plane was lost.
July 30: The total number of British arrests in Japan is now 14. One, Mr.
Cox, who was Reuter’s agent in Japan, was killed. The Japanese say that he committed suicide. Europeans believe that he was murdered. Britain has pro tested, and is believed to contemplate strong action.
July 30; The Pan American conference at Havana unanimously adopted a reso lution providing for collective trustee ship over the westerp Hemisphere pos sessions of conquered European nations.
This is in furtherance of the Monroe doctrine, which provides that no Euro pean nation shall acquire further terri tory in America.
July 31: Japan’s attitude towards Britain is defiant. She refuses to consider any protest from Britain regarding the arrests.
July 31: The United States announces a complete ban on the export of aviation spirit and scrap iron to Britain, Japan, Germany and Italy. The ban does not affect Britain, because her needs are al ready well provided for, but it is a matter of vital importance to Japan. The Japanese are reacting furiously.
Aug. 1: The new Japanese Government announces that its foreign policy is “The construction of a new order in greater Eastern Asia, having for its foundation the solidarity of a group comprising Japan, Manchukuo and China. The zone affected would include Indo-China and the Netherlands East Indies.”
Aug. 1: Molotov, Russian Premier, out lining Russia’s foreign policy, criticised both Germany and Britain. He re affirmed the German-Soviet pact. He de clared further that Germany would not easily win the war against Britain.
Aug. 2: Britain is still protesting to Japan against the arrest of British busi nessmen. Several of the latter have now been released.
Aug. 4: Britain has arrested a number of Japanese businessmen in London and elsewhere, who have been placed under interrogation. It is stated that this has not been done in retaliation for the arrests of British.
Aug. 4: The appearance of German aeroplanes at Dakar, French West Africa, show the possibilities of the Germans advancing through France, Spain and French North Africa, and thus attacking British spheres in Africa.
Aug. 6: Anglo-Japanese position is now described as “distinctly easier”. British
are withdrawing: 1.500 troops from Shanghai—all they have there. The temper of the Japanese press is quieter.
The position may be regarded still as extremely delicate. Clearly, Germany is trying to induce Japan to embarrass Britain in Asia, while Italy attacks Britain in the Middle East and Germany launches her grand attack on Britain herself. But Japan’s extremist Govern ment, despite itself, is being affected by Britain’s firmness, by the attitude of the United States (as disclosed in the ban affecting aviation spirit) and by the steady resistance of the Japanese middle classes to the idea of an Anglo-Japanese conflict.
Aug. 6: Shiploads of British women and children, evacuated from Hongkong are now arriving in Australia, where they are being warmly welcomed and assisted economically.
Aug. 6: While reports multiply that Germany’s attack on Britain will be made from Norwegian, German and French coasts, about mid-August, there are noticeable movements of Italian troops against the British territory in Egypt and East Africa. It is estimated that there are 100,000 Italian and 150,000 native troops gathered in Libya ready to march across the desert towards Egypt, while large forces of Italians are reported also on the border of British Somaliland and East Africa. British Somaliland is a small, useless, desert-like place of little importance, except that it lies directly opposite the British fortress of Aden, near the mouth of the Red Sea.
Aug. 7: Three Italian columns from Italian Somaliland are simultaneously invading British Somaliland. The only British troops in the place, a camel corps, have been withdrawn towards the coast.
Aug. 7: There is much controversy in the United States as to whether the United States should sell 50 old destroyers zo Britain, where they are urgently needed.
It is expected that President Roosevelt will take action and let them go.
Aug. 7: In to-day’s air battles over the English coasts the R.A.F. definitely de stroyed 60 German planes, for the loss of 16 British fighters. Five ships, totalling 5,000 tons, in a convoy, were sunk, and 7 other small coasters were damaged. The R.A.F. also destroyed 15 Italian planes in Northern and Eastern Africa.
Aug. 10: There are growing indications of preparations for the invasion of Britain. Ah activity over the Channel is now almost continuous. Apart from fighting over the English coasts, the RA.F. bombers, every night, penetrate deep into Germany, causing enormous damage.
Aug. 11: The Germans attacked the British coasts to-day with about 100 planes—2oo being launched against the British naval station at Portland. Fight ing continued all day. 60 German planes are known to have been destroyed and 26 British were shot down, Aug. 12: The British troopship “Mohammed Kebir”, 7,290 tons, was tor pedoed in the Atlantic. 740 of the men aboard were saved and 120 were lost.
Aug. 12: It is reported that troops from various parts of the Empire are be ing assembled to resist the Italians in East Africa. An effort will probably be made to hold Berbera, in British Somali land.
Hon. E. P. and Mrs. Holmes, who recently spent several months’ holiday in Australia, have returned to Rabaul, New Guinea.
Lt.-Colonel N. G. Hatton arrived in Port Moresby, Papua, in July to take up duties as Commandant of the newly created Bth Military District of Papua and New Guinea.