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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1942-12-24, Page 7DAILY MILEAGE OF B.C.A.T.P, PLANES iireo In three years the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan has grown from a vision and a few blueprints to a vital factor in the confident hopes of the United Nations. The Plan which already has placed thousands of trained airmen in the aerial fighting fronts of the world is still growing and its production of aircrew is still accelerating. Day in and day out, training planes of the BCATP in Canada fly an average of 2,000,000 miles. Trips to the moon are still fantastic but .the distance travelled by training aircraft is ap- proximately the equivalent of nine one-way trips to or from the moon. CHRISTMAS IN PRE-WAR DAYS By: George M. Speedie There were eight of us all told and we were gathered from widely different parts of the world. The Christmas season is always a spe- cial time when sailors foregather. Even after the lapse of years, I recall that big fellow from some- where in South America, the two sailor lads from Glasgow and two from London—both pairs appar- ently anxious to compete for a prize in their fine sense of humour. There was a inan from Denmark, also-; but the one who interested me more than others was a young sailor from Toronto. It was Christmas Eve, and prep- arations for the celebration of Christmas were abundant. The Christmas tree—the largest that 'amid be had—lay at the end of the Hall, waiting for the sailors from the home vessels to erect in its proper place and to decorate according to the usage of past yeare. * * • This place of meeting for those young sailors from all over the seven seas was the British & American Sailors' Institute iu Ham- burg, Germany. I was there for years as the Chaplain to the sail- ors frequenting that great port. "Great" is permissible, for at that time it was the third or fourth largest port in the world. On this Christmas Eve we gathered around the fire. As Chaplain, I suggested that we each tell our best Christ- mas story. It was simple to get them to talk. The sailing ship stories were particularly interest- ing. The Toronto sailor confined British Colonial Empire is Not Coming To End Lord Cranborne Asserts Cit. izens Have Mission To Do Replying authoritatively to crit- ics of imperial policy, Lord Crate borne declared not long ago that "the British Colonial Empire is not coming to an ead." "The work we have to do is only beginning," the House of Lords wits told • • by Lord Oran - borne, retiring colonial secretary, who replaced Sir Stafford Oripps as lord privy seal in the recent cabinet shakeup. "We citizens of the British Em- pire have a mission to perform . essential to the welfare of the world ... to ensure the survival of the way of life for which the United Nations are fighting and in harmony with the principles of the' Atlantic charter," he said. "In that great inlssion we must notand. shall not fail." "Let ns not forgot,", he said, "that what stood between. Hitler and absolute victory in 1940 after the fall •pf France was not Bri- tain, an isolated island standing. alone In the sea, but the British Empire, that commonwealth of free peoples and dependencies which only clang closer as the danger grew.',;.• "We any, and truly, that the ult.imat'a objective of our policy is to promote self•govermnent in the colonies," be said. himself for the most part to the Christmas stories he had heard at the Sunday School of which his parents were members. He told his stories differently to the other men. He was educated and had had experience on the Lakes as a sailor. All would have gone well but father and he had had a seri- ous misunderstanding that drove the young chap to sea. Something opened the gates of memory and he thought of Home. There was a motto on the wall just over' his head "A Home From Home" which probably made him think of his home in Torouto. We encouraged him to talk of it for it was Christ- mas. * k * Strangely enough, perhaps, Christmas was usually a quiet day at the Sailors' Institute at Ham burg. For one thing the offices of the British Consulate downstairs were closed. The vessels going to the British Isles and the "Tramps" to all parts of the world had a free day as far as it could possibly be arranged; and the English people in Hamburg had their Christmas at home with their friends. It was the occasion for the quiet enter- tainment 01 "Boys away from Home"—lonely lads on the great sea of life, and our Toronto friend was among them. There were quiet heart to heart talks with him about his early experience of Sun- day Sabool and Church, and the Pilot of the Galilean Lake and he said, "I will arise and go to my Father." Probably that is not quite the exact way he phrased it but, looking back over the years, let me say that was the decision he reached on that Christmas Day years ago, * * * Yes, years have passed, and I am now in Toronto. When first I came, I looked up my friend oe, Hamburg days but changes had taken place. The house bad been demolished. And so: we had .met and parted like: ships meeting in the night—the pathos of it! It is surely a matter tor thank- fulness at this Chirstmras 'season that organizations such as the Brit- ish Sailors' Society are keeping open door and a hearty welcome to the Sailors of the Navy and of the Mercantile Navy all over the seven seas. V -ONCE OF THE PRESS IMPARTIAL R.A.>', While some people are busy trying to sell the maudlin idea that we are fighting the Nazis and not the dear, good German people, it is comforting, to find that the Royal Air Force draws no such distinctions. With all duo respect to His Grace. of Canter•• bu•:y, or anyone else who may feel sentimental at times; about the enemy, the bald fact is that, without the enthusiastic support of the `German people' aforesaid, there would have been no wise of Nazism. —Brantford Expositor —0— WITHSTOOD A LOT The human body is a wonderful instrument. Although he lived without water and had only one- half an orange to eat for twenty two. days Capt. Edward V. Rielcen- backer was in excellent shape when rescued from a rubber life- boat in the mid -Pacific, according to U.• S. Navy Pilot Lieutenant Joseph Isner. —Sault Ste.' Marie Star —0— HELPS TO EXPLAIN IT ' War orders placed in Canada by the United, States so far total al- most a billion dollars. That's how close relations are between the two countries and it helps to ex- plain why Canada has been able to pay its way without relying on lease -lend aid. —Sault Daily Star —0-- A BIT TOO THICIC Remember hearing: "No matter how thin you slice it it is still ba- loney?" Wen, no natter how thin you spread it, the butter situation is still a bit too thick.. —Woodstock Sentinel -Review —0— COST OF DEFEAT Stalingrad, it is said, cost 'the Boche 3,300 men a day in killed alone over the 90 -day siege. A terrific price even for victory— but Hitler paid it for a defeat. —Ottawa Journal —0— BRITAIN'S GREATEST WEAPON ' Not since mid -summer of 1940 has there been any doubt about Britain's greatest weapon and the source ,of her unconquerable strength. It is Winston Churchill. —Detroit Free Press —o— HAVE NOTEBOOK HANDY • Even a doctor will tell you the best thing to take when you are run down is a license number. —Guelph Mercury —0— DEFLATED Mussolino must be feeling so small right now that he could crawl with ease through a stick of macaroni. —Hamilton Spectator Prime Minster's Day Of 24 Hours Mr. Churchill Adds . Two Hours To Working Effort By Midday Sleep There are 24 hours in the day of each Prime Minister, measured by the clock, The use made of them depends on physical start- lua, mental vigor, gifts of organ- ization. No man can long endure the strain of the position who is not endowed with an iron consti- tution or is unable to restore his strength with sleep, The greatest commanders and the greatest statesmen have been able to sleep at will and to do so at the height of a campaign or a crisis. rR * * Gladstone normally slept the moment he pint his head on the pillow and was not disturbed by a debate in the House but only by an unusual occurrence like the construction of a Cabinet. During the First Great War Lloyd George disciplined himself strictly at the table, went to bed about 10 o'- clock, woke early, read memoran- da, telegrams, newspapers, and sometimes dozed again before get- ting up for a 9 o'clock breakfast. During the day he snatched short spells of sleep. * * * "For every purpose of business or pleasure, mental or physical", wrote Mr. Churchill, "we ought to break our clays and our march- es into two. When I was at the Admiralty in the war I found I could add nearly two hours to my working effort by going to bed after luncheon." And today as 'Prime Minister he is reputed to continue the practice, to the dis- comfiture and disablement of his . colleagues and chiefs of staff. The Duke of Wellington got up at 5 o'clock every •morning and made appointments with Palmerston be - Z o r e breakfast; Mr. Churchill makes them for after dinner and prolongs them fax into the night. NEW BOSS To Paul McNutt has been given the tremendous task of allocating all 15. S. manpower, both in in- 'dustry and the armed forces. LIFE'S LIKE THAT WILL-YUM, /0\ By Fred Dreher -1--''.drZ� (Coppngbc,.1NS0, by 'Fred wee, 3 - a—:.:.— ------ "1 brought home a poor report carol.... What did you bring, Pop . , half your pay envelope?" Blue3r and Curley of the Anzacs NOW LOOK, 5UPP05IMGt 114t. MILK JUG IS . BE'.KMA21, TH' BUTTER IS 'THt AFRICAN COAST,. "Africa .. .. .. Events WAR - WEEK —� Ccommentaryo n Current Clearing Tunisia Of Axis Powers Key To Open Sea Lanes To Allies Gen.. Dwight D. Eisenhower, su- preme commander of the Allied forces in Northwest 'Africa, is un- likely to delay his task of Clear- ing the Axis out .of Tunisia any longer than is absolutely neces- sary, for, until all of Tunisia is in his hands, the successful United Nations ventures elsewhere in North Africa cannot be fully of feotive, says an article in the Christian Science Monitor. Indeed the primary mission of the cam- paign is to regain control of the sea route througb the Mediterra- nean. Not until the narrows dividing the Eastern and Western Mediter- ranean are firmly in Allied eon- trol can the route through that sea be again available to shorten the long haul around the Cape of Good Hope by about 10,000 miles and release vitally needed ship- ping to other uses. While Tunisian ports remain in Axis hands, the enemy can make the short runs from Sardinia and Sicily under cover of darkness. As long as communication of this character can be maintained, stores, mechanized equipment, and. heavy materials can be provided in far greator quantities than would be possible by air trans- port. So the sooner these ports are taken, the better. Importance of Sicily Furthermore Hitler is reported to be hastening all available air strength to Sicily and Sardinia, where the Nazis have previously erected formidable fortifications. Control of the Mediterran ean, as Mussolini's mouthpiece, Vir- ginio Gayda, pointed out in his book, "The Problems of Sicily," depends upon Sicily. Sicily, he said, was Italy's vital base through which all historic move- ments from Europe to Africa and vice versa had proceeded. The quicker Hitler's dispositions can be attacked thea the less trouble there will be in project- ing future Allied operations. Once the Axis is swept from North Africa, Hitler will have good cause to worry. Already he has moved troops into Southern France, and into Italy in antici- pation of these areas being select- ed by the United Nations as sec- ond front objectives, but there are many other miles of sea front that must be covered. From the primary mission of opening the Mediterranean flow several secondary objectives, some of which bulk almost as large in their ultimate effect as does the primary mission. Among them is the insuring of the total destruc- tion of Axis forces in Libya, se- curity of the Suez Canal, and ob- taining positions from which thrusts in force against areas in Southern Europe can be launched. Coasts to Watch Although the Nazis apparently have discounted the possibility of an Allied attempt being made through the Iberian Peninsula, probably because of the difficulty of forcing the passes in the Py- renees, there are the Dalmatian and Greek coasts to guard in addi- tion to those of France and Italy. Nor is the possibility of a descent on the Atlantic coast of Europe to be neglected. The Russian winter is now at work on the Nazis. What effect its grip will hose during the next six months cannot be foreseen, but HIitler has many more worries with which to cope than was the case last year when the Russian winter all but wrecked his eat - ern from. Allied planes undoubtedly will play a couspieuous part in fot.ing the Axis from Tunisia, but planes cannot do it all. An armored divi- iott has been calculated to con- sume. 75,000 gallons of gasoline iu its first 100 miles of march. To carry that fuel by laird re- quires 50 lorries. Each 100 utiles thereafter require another 50 Ior- ries, since the lorries 104.nt,•clv(�s lice up gasoline. The United Nations are iteleed fortunate in holding the Atie ntio ports of Morocco through watch supplies, as needed, can be sent in ease the L' -boat menace bullus large in the'• Mediterranean. - ti Manoeuvres" ,.. OUR BOYS` 16 `?Fl` MUSTARD Ppb" Mo'JtMG At,oNte PPST Tl4 ?Aft Spoofs ..., 6ES ././ WHEME MUS5o5 Other Allied Ports They also hold, in .A.lgeria, Oran, Algiers; Bougie, and Bono, Sep, arated from these by Bizerte and Tunis are the Libyan ports of To- bruk and Derna, in Lieut, Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's hands. Bengasi should be the meet valuable port for General ,Mout: gomery in his drive on Tripoli- tania. No official information ie. forthcoming here about the ere. sent state of that port, but prob- ably, for the time being, it le vir- tually out of commission. Eyes witness accounts of the much - bombed port describe havoc in .the harbor there as far worse titan anything else in North Aft'ice. However, it is extremely diffi- cult to put a port out o+f ani len altogether. Bizerte -Tunis Raids Tobruk may be virtually out of action while it is being repeatedly bombed. But when the bombing ceases it can soon be back in ecm- mission unless ships have been sunk in crucial places. Even siren no port is completely out of ac- tion so long as there is water. Damage 'to port installations, however, which was severe at Bengasi, considerably affects the amount of traffic which can be handled. Air raids are reported to be al- ready battering the Axis in the Bizerte -Tunis area, and heave Un- ited Nations ground forces are said to be closing in on their ob- jectives, but not until the enemy strength has been felt out and overcome can we be sure that our primary mission in North Africa has been attained. Howe -ver, Hitler realizes his danger full well, and he has been pouring reinforcements into North- ern and Eastern Tunisia by air and sea ever since the Allies made their thrust. He is reported to have withdrawn air support from his sorely pressed forces before Stalingrad and in the Caucasus in order to implement his strug- gle for a bridgehead in Tunisia, and German troops have been rush- ed to Southern France, Italy, and Greece. Russian Counter -offensive Pressure on the Russian Front is being eased, and the Russian counter -offensive, perfectly timed to the United Nations push in North Africa, is under way. Ger- man troops are said to be shunted first in one direction and then in another, and are being drawn from Norway and other lightly -held areas. Garrison duty is being rele- gated to Austrian, Hungarian and Italian troops. Taken as a whole, the bits of information that come from Eu- rope seem to form a composite that is none too favorable for the Axis cause, and indicate that Hit- ler at last has been deprived of the benefit he has so long derived from being able to exercise the initiative in projecting an offens- ive. Duesseldorf Ruined. 190,000 Homeless Duseeldurf is a ruined city with "no less than 199,000 people made honielee " and an undetermined number killed, the Air Ministry news service said, quoting a. Totter written by one resident to an- other in Berlin. The letter, wnich reached t..wn- den through neutral channels, said: "You may titaulc God you het off to Ii, rliu in thus. On Septenit'er 10 we ha,t site bige,et 'blitz' ca«••r. The first raid was big enc.0.,ir, out no ::otupatrisen Whit this en«1. it is impossible to eeaggerate Unw bad it W.15. 'file iiotubardmcsr at the trona cuuid:l't be worse. "'1'lte whole of Duesseldoi;, is ironies ... 1)nc•s claiorf has be- come a t'tMl1lat' (sly of ruins. 7i is a pathetic sight. No less 'Wan 190,00) p,:ople were ut,tile less. Dunt know bow utauy t «•re killed. lintt';'i:il tiantage is coio:usa1. -The night train to is Still 133 Ow station. It was just ;.TAF$ ing \\ 11011 it got a direct lin. It was . «u•t:tc,l the:, a utachboe "'You won't ithOw Duess, :u„rt again . . ... --- 'Sy'. Gurney (Australia) ii'IEIZL 5 frii55 0z, Mt)9 .- 114.15 (...\,:2:11-i• Pl.A'iir, Ct T IPS. /Z( -e ,......per,.,,..