Pacific News-Review
pp. 3-4 · Read in the full issue
Notes And Comment On
The Progress Of The War
From April 16 To May 14
Apl 16: The Balkans situation is bad.
While Greek and British have been retiring in orderly fashion to a new line through the mountains of central Greece, the armies of Yugoslavia have collapsed, and unified and controlled resistance to the Germans has virtually ceased. The enemy is coming round the left flank of the Allied line, near Monastir, which makes probable the retirement of the Greek and Allied line in central Greece, as well as of all the Greek armies in southern Albania.
Apl. 16: Much stronger British resis tance in the Western Desert has slowed up the German advance through Libya and the Germans—obviously suffering from torrid desert conditions and the dis advantages of very long communication lines, which the RAF is constantly bomb ing—are now virtually halted on the border of western Egypt.
Apl. 16: German radio boasts that the German and Italian columns will reach Suez in a fortnight are being enthusias tically quoted by the Japanese. The arrival of enemy forces .at the Suez Canal may be the signal for Japan’s entry into the war against Britain.
Apl. 16: Only three Italian strongholds now remain in the Italian East Africa (Eritrea, Abyssinia and Somaliland) namely, Dessye, Gondar and Jimma. The remnants of the Italian forces are being steadily driven back into mountain fast nesses and the campaign in this part of Africa is close to an end.
Apl. 16: It is formally announced that as long as the American fleet remains in the Pacific the American nation will not tolerate Japanese attacks on British or Dutch territory in the Western Pacific.
Apl. 17; The German forces have pene trated the Greek defences in western Macedonia, north of the Pindus Moun tains, and thus are in danger of turning the left flank of the Allied defence lines.
Apl. 17; British forces at Tobruk and in the Solium area of Libya continue successfully to resist all attacks by the German and Italian columns.
Apl. 17; British naval forces on the night of the 15th completely destroyed an enemy convoy of five supply ships and three Italian destroyers, which was creeping under the cover of darkness from Sicily to Tripoli.
Apl. 17: An important development is announced in the shape of an agreement signed last week with the Danish Minis ter under which the United States Gov ernment will establish bases in Green land. It is understood that the United States Government will convoy ships from the United States to Greenland, and that also, during the summer, USA planes will be flpwn from the United States via Greenland and Iceland to Britain.
Apl. 18: British and Greek forces in the Pindus Mountains are gradually withdrawing to a shorter line of defence, just north of Athens. The Germans are concentrating against the retreating armies an enormous weight of mechan ised divisions, supported by hundreds of aeroplanes. The Greeks in Albania are retiring.
Apl, 19: British and American news papers are featuring numerous reports of the magnificent resistance being put up against overwhelming odds by Austra lian and New Zealand troops fighting in the various Greek passes and protect ing the withdrawal of the main armies to shorter lines.
Apl. 19: Last night powerful British bombers dropped hundreds of new type bombs on Berlin, which suffered its heaviest raid of the war.
Apl. 20; Greek and British armies have withdrawn in comparatively good order from the Pindus Mountains to a new line, northwards of Athens.
Apl. 20: Strong British forces have arrived at Basra, the port of Irak, in order to protect British interests in Irak against the forces of Raschid Ali, who recently carried out a coup d’etat and established a pro-Nazi anti-British administration.
It is believed that the arrival of the British forces in Irak is a dramatic counter-stroke to Nazi plans to seize the Mosul oilfields in northern Irak.
Apl. 20; Savage air raids were made upon London on Wednesday and Satur day nights and enormous additional damage was done. The spirits of Lon doners, however, remain high and the life of the city proceeds as usual.
Apl. 21: Observers in the Far East are puzzled by the present conditions in Tokyo. It was expected that, following the return of Mr. Matsuoka from Berlin and Moscow, active preparations would begin for Japan’s long-discussed south
wards drive. But there seems to be a gradual diminution in the Japanese newspaper attacks upon Britain and America. Indications are that the Japan ese Government is very carefully review ing its whole programme in relation to foreign affairs.
In the meantime the British defences based at Singapore are being steadily strengthened and there is increasing col laboration between the naval, military and air forces of Britain and the United States in the Far East.
Apl. 21: It is generally acknowledged in London newspapers that the complete withdrawal of the British forces from Greece is likely. The British, with the Greeks at their left flank, are withdraw ing in orderly fashion, and maintaining an unbroken line, although the Germans are attacking furiously with at least 10 divisions.
Commentators now are speculating freely upon Germany’s next move. The majority expect the “pincer’s movement” —namely, that Germany will put pres sure on Spain to permit the passage of strong forces which will come south and attack Gibraltar, and cross over into Morocco, closing the western end of the
Mediterranean; while she will either invade Turkey, pass through Turkey with Turkey’s consent, or by-pass Turkey, using the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea, and thus reach Syria, from which a strong attack will be made against Palestine, Irak and Egypt.
Apl. 22: German forces operating from eastern Macedonia have occupied the Greek islands of Samothrace and Lem nos, which command the entrance to the Dardanelles.
Apl. 22: The British navy yesterday heavily bombarded the Libyan port of Tripoli. The British garrison at Tobruk is holding out staunchly. German- Italian columns are completely held up on the western borders of Egypt.
Apl. 23: The evacuation of the British from Greece is proceeding. Terrific attacks by German aircraft on the large numbers of transports being employed are reported.
Apl. 23: Greece announces that the whole of the Greek armies on the left wing—that is, those which were in Albania—capitulated on Sunday.
This capitulation became inevitable after the Germans thrust across the peninsula in the vicinity of Janina, thus severing the Greek armies in Albania from the rest of the allied forces and exposing the British flank.
Apl. 23: The Greek Government and King have transferred from Athens to Crete.
Apl. 23: The much stronger British forces now being employed in the West ern Desert are harrying the far-flung German and Italian columns in the Libyan desert. On Saturday night. Brit ish forces raided Bardia and did much important damage.
Apl. 23: British bombers made their tenth attack upon the two German battleships “Scharnhorst” and "Gneis nau”, sheltering in the French harbour of Brest.
Apl. 23: Minister for Aircraft Produc tion (Lord Beaverbrook) says Britain has received immense deliveries of American aircraft—more than 1,000 assembled American and Canadian aeroplanes have already been handed to the RAF.
Apl. 25: The American Minister for the Navy (Colonel Knox) has strongly indi cated that the United States will convoy shipping to Britain.
Apl. 25: After one of the fiercest battles in the East African campaign, South African troops routed the Italian forces holding the mountain barricades before Dessye, Abyssinia. The Italians are now retreating rapidly.
Apl. 25: There is a growing agitation throughout Britain for more and more truthful war news, more munitions and tanks, and more anti-tank weapons and aircraft.
Apl. 27: Despite incessant attacks by overwhelming masses of German aircraft the British forces have been successfully withdrawn from Greece, in all sorts and conditions of vessels—mostly to Egypt, but some to Crete. The Germans occu pied Athens at 10 o’clock this morning.
Apl. 27; President Roosevelt announced that American neutrality control ships will operate “as far into the waters of the seven seas as may be necessary for the defence of the American hemisphere”.
Mr. Churchill has commented upon the importance of this announcement. Ameri can warships now will escort ships loaded with material for Britain about half-way across the Atlantic, and will broadcast in plain language the presence of any
enemy craft. The effect of this will be to release large numbers of British war ships for patrol service elsewhere. Naval experts in Washington say that these extended American patrols will be as effective as convoys in keeping the North Atlantic free of raiders.
Apl. 28: Mr, Churchill, in a broadcast address, said he had a very strong con viction that although the Battle of the Atlantic would be long and hard, it had entered upon a more grave, but it seemed to him a far more favourable phase.
Apl. 28; Night by night the air attacks by the RAF on Germany and the Ger mans on England are becoming more intense. The Germans are concentrating their heaviest blows upon the various western ports of Britain, to paralyse Britain’s shipping industry.
Apl. 29: The evacuation of British troops from Greece is still proceeding.
Indications are that losses in wounded and killed are small, but that from 10 to 15 per cent, of total forces employed, about 60,000, have been taken prisoner.
Apl. 30: It is announced that over 45,000 British troops have been evacuated from Greece out of an expeditionary force totalling about 60,000. About 3,000 were killed or wounded in actual fight ing. and 10,000 taken prisoner.
May 1: There now are faint indica tions that, owing to a considerable change in the attitude of the Japanese Government, it may be possible to stabil ise the situation in the Pacific.
May 1: Now that the British forces have evacuated Greece there is much speculation concerning Germany’s next move. American newspapers insist that strong German reinforcements have been landed in North Africa so as to permit a continuance of the thrust through Libya towards Egypt; and that there will be an attack through Spain on Gibral tar, and through the Grecian islands and Syria towards Egypt.
There are daily references to German pressure upon the Vichy Government, that German troops shall be permitted to use French territory in North Africa. It is believed .that the old Frenchman, Marshal Retain, is resisting these demands, but that his deputy, Admiral Darlan, who is anti-British, is prepared to agree to them, provided that Ger many eases her pressure on France.
May 2: British bomber formations in the Western Desert have now resumed full-scale operations against the enemy in Libya, and are upsetting his supply organisation.
May 4: A serious position has developed in Irak. A second British force landed in Basra, whereupon Iraki troops attacked the British air base of Habbaniyah, near Bagdad, and fighting commenced between Iraki and British troops at Basra.
Raschid Ali has appealed to Germany for help.
Obviously, if Nazi forces were trans ferred by air to Irak to help the Irakis against the British, a situation of dan ger to the Iraki oilfields will develop.
Commentators insist that this Iraki out burst is part of the Hitler plan for driv ing against the Suez Canal.
May 5: Portsmouth, Plymouth, Liver pool and Glasgow have all received a ter rific battering in recent nights from the German air force, an obvious part of the German plan to paralyse the British transport industry.
May 5: Great importance is attached to a conference now taking place in Tokyo between high members of the Japanese Government and military lead ers. It is believed that Foreign Minister Mafsuoka has submitted his foreign policy programme.
May 5: Iraki troops have flooded the Mosul oilfields and fighting between
British forces and local troops continues.
Irak radio claims that Arab tribes have captured all the British controllers of the oil pipe-line between Mosul and Haifa.
May 5: To-day, exactly five years after he had been expelled from his country by the Italians, the Emperor of Abys sinia (Haile Selassie) entered his capital, Addis Abbaba, in triumph at the head of a column of Abyssinian and British troops. Thus the sovereignty of Abys sinia has been restored to the Emperor.
May 6: Large forces of the RAF destroyed most of Raschid Ali’s air force in Irak, battered his airfields and dam aged his army.
May 7: The general situation in Irak is much improved. The rebel troops have been driven away from the Habbaniyah aerodrome; British are in occupation of Basra, apparently hold Mosul, and have taken the aerodrome and military post at Rutba, some 200 miles west of Bag dad.
May 7: The House of Commons, after a two days’ debate on the war situation —some of it very critical—carried by 447 votes to 3, a motion of confidence in the Government. Mr. Churchill made a characteristic fighting speech; and. as he left the chamber, an unprecedented scene occurred, members from all parties forming a lane to cheer him as ,he passed.
May 7: The United States Secretary for War (Mr. Stimson) in a broadcast address, made the most warlike state ment yet uttered by a member of the United States Government. He advocated the use of the United States navy to safeguard the safety of shipping sup plies to Britain, and he warned Ger many that the United States would not permit munitions to be sunk.
May 8: The German and Italian forces in Libya have made very strong and repeated attacks on the British garrison at Tobruk, but on every occasion they have been thrown back with serious losses in tanks and personnel.
May 8; There was great aerial activity over Britain and Germany last night, and RAF night fighters shot down their record bag of 23 German bombers.
May 8: Stalin has assumed the title of “Premier of the Soviet Government”.
This is believed to indicate some import ant change in Russia’s international relationships. Russia remains a com plete puzzle, however. While some com mentators say Germany and Russia are growing apart, others insist that Stalin is preparing to enter into closer rela tions with Germany.
May 9: HMS Cornwall sank a Ger man armed merchant-ship commerce raider in the Indian Ocean.
May 9: Berlin radio admits the appear ance of a new menace to its air raiders— namely, the British night fighter, which is now having remarkable successes against German bombers.
May 9: Despite German protests, Pre sident Roosevelt is requisitioning foreign ships now idle in American ports, for use for American purposes, and it is announced that within a few weeks 27 American ships will begin carrying war materials into the Red Sea for British use in the Middle East.
May 9: German infantrymen, using flame-throwers, have been attacking the outer defences of the British garrison at Tobruk, but have been thoroughly beaten and driven off.
May 11: German bombers on Saturday night made their worst raid on London.
Very serious destruction was done, and casualties were heavy. At least 10,000 incendiary bombs were rained upon Lon don. The debating hall of the House of Commons was destroyed. Westminster Abbey has been very seriously damaged,
and Westminster Hall seriously damaged.
May 11: British night fighters last night destroyed 33 German bombers, making 124 planes destroyed in Mav which represents also between 500 and 600 trained German airmen The gradual success of the night fighter is shown by the destruction of the German bombers in the following months; January 15 February ’*' 15 March 47 April ;; 90 May (10 days) 124 May 11: The port of Benghazi, in Libya, received a fearful battering at the hands of the Royal Navy and the RAF on Thursday A series of air attacks on British naval forces in the Mediterranean on the same day failed dismally. None was damaged, and the enemy lost seven planes. . May 12: British merchant ship losses m April were 488,124 tons, which is almost the same as March. The total includes 187,054 tons lost in the Mediter ranean mostly Greek tonnage destroyed in Greek ports. British shipping monthly losses during the past year have ranged from the lowest. 306,002 tons in January, 1941, to 533,902 in June, 1940.
If the Mediterranean figures are taken out of the April, 1941. total it would appear that the Battle of the Atlantic is going along not discouragingly.
May 12: Heaviest attacks ever made by the RAF have been directed during the past couple of nights against the towns of Hamburg and Bremen.
May 13: An extraordinary change is now noted in Japanese Governmental utterances. There is a tendency to pla cate the United States and Britain and evidences of a growing breach between an important section of the Japanese Cabinet and the Japanese military leaders.
May 13: Raschid Ali, of Irak, has received no help from the Axis powers and the revolt that he inspired is fizzling cut. British forces are rapidly gaining control over the whole country.
May 13: Reports that Hitler is com pleting preparations to march through Spain on Gibraltar and Morocco, and through Syria upon Egypt continue to come from all important news sources.
Many insist that General Franco, of Spain, has submitted to Hitler.
May 13: The most sensational develop ment for many months was announced to-day, when it was stated that on Sat urday evening Rudolph Hess, Hitler's closest associate in the Nazi Party, and nominated by him as his deputy, flew over Scotland in a German fighter plane; dropped from the plane by parachute (leaving the plane to crash); and sur rendered himself to the British military authorities. He is now in a Glasgow hos pital with a broken ankle. The world is ringing with speculation as to the cause of this extraordinary event. Some be lieve that it may indicate a serious breach within the Nazi Government—so serious that Hess had to flee from pos sible assassination. The German radio is furiously broadcasting announcements that Hess has gone mad.
May 14: Hess has been removed from hospital to a secret refuge, and may later be interrogated by Mr. Churchill. British and USA newspapers continue to advance theories for Hess’ mystery flight from Germany—some say he objected to Hit ler’s plans for closer union with Russia and found himself high on the Gestapo's “black” list.
May 14: Announced that Vichy Gov ernment unanimously approved of Hitler’s terms for collaboration between France and Germany.