Pacific News-Review
pp. 3-4 · Read in the full issue
Notes and Comment on the Progress of the War, Aug. 13 to Sept. 15
Aug. 13: Masses of RAF bombers, guarded by new, secret Whirlwind fight ers, carried out greatest daylight raid of war over German cities. Berlin, Han over, Essen suffered. Two vital power stations at Cologne were smashed. Minor raids damaged objectives in Holland and Northern France. Thirty-four Brit ish planes were lost.
Aug. 13: Nazi panzer units in Ukraine have reached the Black Sea, encircling port of Odessa. On this front, Russia’s “scorched earth” policy has prevented Germans from obtaining coveted Ukraine grain harvest.
Aug. 14: Lord Privy Seal, Mr. Atlee, in world broadcast, revealed that Mr.
Churchill, British Prime Minister, and Mr. Roosevelt, President of United States, met at sea aboard a battleship, some where in Atlantic, early in month, with their military and economic advisers.
A joint British-American declaration of war aims was issued, containing 9 basic principles. Main points: They seek no territory; wish no territorial changes not in accord with freely-expressed wishes of people concerned; will restore sovereign rights and self-government to occupied countries. Peace promises; Equal trade and raw materials for all; fullest economic collaboration among nations; freedom of the seas; “all men in all lands shall live out their lives in freedom from fear and want”.
Aug. 14: Marshal Budenny’s Southern Russian army has been extricated from German encircling move in Ukraine, and is being reorganised east of Bug River, before Ukraine’s main industrial areas.
Aug. 15: The Churchill-Roosevelt meeting has stirred the world. News papers proclaim their declaration as “an international New Deal”.
Aug. 15: Lord Beaverbrook, dynamic British Minister for Supply, has gone to USA to accelerate war supplies for Britain and Russia.
Aug. 15: Further powerful Australian reinforcements, soldiers and airmen, have arrived at Singapore to guard Malaya.
Aug. 17: Russia has accepted offer to hold conference with British and US representatives in Moscow to discuss Soviet’s war needs. Expected that Stalin will ask for tanks, planes, and war material of all kinds, in belief Russians can defeat Hitler if they have equip ment.
Aug 18; Russians admit several towns in Ukraine evacuated in face of strong Nazi drive.
Aug. 19: A German drive on north of Eastern front is now only 70 miles west of Leningrad.
Aug. 20: Despite fairly large territorial gains, Nazis have failed to smash Rus sian army organisation, as second month of conflict draws to close. Commentators say Germany is likely to settle down to hard winter campaign in which she is not nearly so adequately equipped as Russia.
Aug. 20: Moscow claims 1,500,000 Ger mans have been killed, wounded or taken prisoners, and 6,000 tanks and and 8,000 guns destroyed or captured in past six weeks. Losses of men and equipment on both sides have been colossal.
Aug. 21: Marshal Budenny, in Ukraine, blew up great Dneiper Dam, one of world’s foremost engineering works, to
prevent Germans crossing Dneiper River.
Thousands of Nazi troops and fleeing Russian peasants were engulfed.
Aug. 22: Soldiers and civilians are feverishly converting Leningrad into an armed fortress.
Aug. 22; Japan has asked USA for guarantees that American bombers will not be based in Eastern Siberia. She is gravely concerned over shipments of American war supplies to Russia, via the Far East.
Aug, 22; Berlin claims Germans are within 30 miles of Leningrad.
Aug. 24: Britain’s open declaration that she will go to war with Japan if the latter fights United States has had a sobering effect on Tokio. There are indications that Japan may modify her pro-Axis policy, in view of Britain and America’s stiffened attitude in recent months.
Aug. 25: British and Russian troops to-day simultaneously entered Iran (formerly Persia) at three points, follow ing Iranian Government’s refusal to expel large number of German agents and technicians congregating there.
Allies’ invasion met with only token resistance.
This development has forestalled pos sible German attempt to secure the Iranian oilfields (production: 100,000,000 tons yearly). It opens up also a direct “supply route” for British and American help to Russia. Thirdly, it removes menace of any Nazi move to strike at Soviet through her “back door”.
Aug. 26: British and Indian troops in Iran are pushing on towards Tehran, the capital, meeting with little opposition.
Aug. 26: Soviet has launched counter attack in central sector, inflicting what Moscow describes as “major defeat” on Nazis.
Aug. 27: 101 German planes destroyed in two days during terrific aerial blitz on Leningrad.
Aug 27: Promising expulsion of Ger mans, Shah of Iran is seeking cessation of Anglo-Russian invasion. British have occupied all important oilfields.
Aug. 27: Soviet has warned Japan against interference with US shipments of war materials to Russia.
Aug. 28: After weeks of internal poli tical bickering, Mr. Menzies has resigned Prime Ministership of Australia. Mr.
Fadden (Queensland-born Country Party leader) is new PM. There have been no other Cabinet changes.
Aug. 28: Pierre Laval, pro-Nazi ex- Premier of France, was seriously wounded by young de Gaulle adherent, in assassination attempt. Two other French fascists also shot. Reports indi cate that unrest and sabotage in Occu pied France is rife, as conditions imposed by Nazi overlords, through Admiral Dar lan, become more harsh.
Aug. 28: “Cease fire” order given to British and Russians in Iran.
Aug. 29: Talks are going on in Wash ington between President Roosevelt and Japanese Ambassador (Admiral Nomura), with a view to arranging settlement of situation in Pacific.
Aug. 31: Russians appear to be hold ing out on all fronts —Nazis have made little progress in their drive on Lenin grad, in north; Marshal Budenny’s army in Dneiper area has been reformed, to hit back at Germans in Ukraine; Odessa, while encircled, has not yet been taken.
Aug. 31: Hitler and Mussolini have again met to discuss war developments.
Aug. 31: Although there is much opti mism in certain USA quarters concern ing the possibility of easier and better relations between USA and Japan, Brit ish observers do not take so hopeful a view of the underground negotiations and have again advised Britons where possible to leave Japanese territory.
Sept. 1: The voluntary withdrawal of Russian armies from the Karelian Isth mus, where they were facing the Finnish armies, has set most commentators speculating. The withdrawal, in view of reports that the Finns are prepared to consider a separate mediated peace with Russia, is significant.
Sept. 1: England on Sunday night ex perienced its first large-scale air attack since mid-July. A north-east coastal town was “blitzed”.
Sept. 2: Japan officially states that the replies of the United States and Russia to Japan’s protest against the shipment of American oil to Russia, by way of Vladivostock, are unsatisfactory, and further representations will be made.
Sept. 2: There are increasing signs that the Axis powers are putting pres sure on Turkey to allow Axis naval forces to go through the Dardanelles, to attack the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, and thus open the road to the Caucasus oilfields.
Sept. 4: A terrific battle for Leningrad is developing and the German forces, step by step, are creeping around the city. They seem to be at an average distance now of between 10 and 15 miles from the city, on the south and east.
Sept. 5: It now is clear that negotia tions for a separate peace between Fin land and Russia have been discontinued.
Sept. 5: Unarmed, and flying the American flag, the first tanker carrying American petrol to Russia has arrived in Vladivostock.
Sept. 5: In a heartening review of the shipping position, the Chairman of USA Maritime Commission stated that Britain and American would be able to manage, now, with their existing merchantmen, with current production taking care of replacements. There has been a steady fall in shipping losses in the Atlantic.
The July figures were the best for a year, and the August figures are better than July.
Sept. 5: Increasing sabotage in the occupied countries of Europe is being answered by increased German terror ism.
Sept. 5: United States announces that USA destroyer “Greer”, 1,090 tons, was attacked by a submarine off Iceland, and it immediately fought back and dropped a depth charge.
Sept. 6: Following the occupation of Iran by the Allies, the Iranian police are taking action to prevent 700 Ger mans from leaving the German Lega tion. They will be interned.
Sept. 9: RAF raids on Berlin on Sun day night were the heaviest yet carried out against the German capital.
Sept. 9: Canadian, British and Nor wegian troops temporarily occupied the Spitzbergen archipelago in the Arctic, destroyed all mining machinery and other material which might have been of use to the enemy, and withdrew.
Sept. 9: Mr. Churchill told the House of Commons that there had been a great falling-off in the sinking of British and Allied shipping in the last three months. He said that Britain must make serious sacrifices in order to pro vide munitions for Russia and the skil ful defence of the Russians had made it certain that Hitler’s hope of a short war in Russia had been dispelled.
Sept. 10: While the Russians are con tinuing a counter-offensive on the cen tral sector, Hitler is reported to have
ordered his northern armies to take Leningrad quickly, at all costs, and the tury of the German assault upon the city has been re-doubled, taking no account of huge losses of men and material.
Sept. 10: Mr. Churchill says the Allied iront now runs in an immense crescent from the Arctic to Tobruk, and the British section of this front will be held by British and Imperial forces, with growing strength, fed by ocean-borne supplies from Britain, USA, India, Aus tralia and New Zealand.
Sept. 11; The American ship “Sea farer , and the Danish “Sessa”, under USA control, have been destroyed and sunk by German action. . Sept. 11: RAF bombers carried out a neavy night attack on Northern Italy, the main objective being Turin They flew across the Alps from England.
Sept. 12: Indications that Britain is preparing to launch in Libya the most powerful land offensive of the war. The flow of supplies and reinforcements con tinues unabated.
It is obvious that if Britain could throw the Germans and Italians out of Libya, and could occupy Tunisia and French Northern Africa, as they occu pied Syria, the German operations in north-west Africa would be cripped. At present the Germans are using the ports of Dakar and Casablanca as bases for submarines against British shipping in central Atlantic.
Sept. 12: President Roosevelt, in world broadcast, warned the Axis, that if Ger man or Italian warships entered waters, the protection of which is necessary for American defence, they will be shot at.
Americans will not only protect Ameri can ships, but any ships engaged in legitimate commerce.
Sept. 13: Seven great battles raging simultaneously along the Eastern front have carried the war in Russia to new heights of intensity and ferocity. A new German thrust in the southern portion of the central sector is regarded very seriously, as menacing the Ukraine.
Meanwhile. Leningrad fights on steadily in a great defensive battle, to the accom paniment of ceaseless air warfare.
Sept. 13: American reports say that very powerful and influential groups in Japan are now willing to make an agreement with the Democracies, which it is suggested will be based upon a resumption of trade relations and an assurance of peace in the Pacific.
Sept. 14: A complete Wing of the Royal Air Force, complete with pilots, machines and ground personnel has arrived in Russia.
Sept. 15: Terrific fighting is still in progress all along the Eastern front and it is apparent that a decisive stage is rapidly approaching.
Sept. 15; Supply routes to Russia have now been opened up not only through the Persian Gulf and Iran, but also through Syria and Irak.
Sept. 15: An order for general mobili sation in Bulgaria may mean that Ger many is preparing for the long-awaited attack upon the British in the Mediter ranean.
Miss Elsie Matthews, of the Unevan gelized Field Mission in Papua, is at present spending leave in Victoria.
Sgt.-Pilot Kenneth Williams, formerly of New Guinea, who has been serving in Britain as a member of the second RAAF Spitfire Squadron, carrying out patrol work, was posted in early September to the crack RAAF Fighter Squadron.
Lieutenant Hugh Lyons, of the NG Volunteer Rifles, and formerly a mem ber of Guinea Airways staff at Lae, has come South to join the AIF.