The landing of substantial bodies of Allied troops in Norway during the past week, now reported to be in the neighbourhood of three divisions, is the best possible proof of the manner in which the Allies continue to command the North Sea, not only on the waters, but in the air. Despite the lying, and often contradictory claims of the German propaganda machine, which really does not seem to know its own mind as to how many Allied vessels have been bombed and damaged, the Allied forces have been transported to Norwegian coasts without a single casualty, while British claims to have inflicted damage upon German shipping in the Skager-Rak indicate that the German lines of communication by sea are just as vulnerable as they were proved to be when the Germans embarked upon their mad adventure into Norway. It was at no time to be expected that, immediately upon the landing of the Allied forces, spectacular developments "would occur, for. unlike the Germans who have thrown men into Norway and left them very much to their own resources, the Allies are taking time to establish their bases without which they will be unable.to make movements against the enemy with any real prospect of success. That point was made quite clear by Mr. Winston Churchill when he told the survivors of the destroyer Hardy that they were in fact the vanguard of those armies which the Allies would use during the summer to "purge and cleanse the soil of the Vikings of Norway from the filthy pollution of Nazi tyranny." It is to be noted that, whenever the mot justo is required to describe the Nazis and all their works the First Lord of the Admiralty is always ready with it. With the closest secrecy which is being maintained with regard to the Allied expeditionary forces in Norway. necessitated because the element of surprise is still of considerable importance in this theatre of war. the actual situation is not easy to perceive. It will probably remain somewhat obscure until the Allied command has made all the dispositions it considers necessary prior to engaging the enemy, and in the absence of official communiqués it would be as well to accept the various reports with considerable reserve. All that really can be said at the moment is that the Allies are honouring their promise to Norway and have done it with a minimum of interference from the enemy.
One of the features of last week was the astonishing anti-Allied outburst in the Ita-lion Press. The latest reports to hand indicate that towards the end of the week the virulence which marked them has considerably diminished. Whether that was due to the utterances of British and French statesmen, or whether it is because of the growing realization in Italy that early German claims of success in the north have had to be taken cum grano salis remains to be seen. But whatever the cause the sudden turn-over is highly significant. There is no reason whatever to believe that sooner or later Italy will not enter the war. The whole of the Allied policy since the commencement of hostilities, and before. has been based upon that eventuality, as demonstrated by the fact that Mediterranean developments have not obliged them to make any fresh disposition of their naval forces, or to detach vessels from the northern war areas to reinforce the squadrons in the south. Politically the British and French Governments have at all times sought to reach a better understanding with the Italian Government, and approaches have been made to it with that aim in view. Up to the present Rome has made no response. The report appearing in the Bulgarian journal "Zara" to the effect that on Saturday the violent campaigning against Britain ceased. the Italian papers emphasizing the peaceful intentions of Italy instead, declares it to be because Great Britain has indicated that she would be prepared to make certain concessions in Italy. If it is possible to make concessions to Italy which would serve to keep her out of the war they will in all probability be made, but there is a limit to what can be done in this regard, and that limit might be reached much quicker than some people appear to imagine. That these alarums and excursions on the part of the Italian press may have a certain annoyance value has to be admitted, but that they inject any new factors in a situation. which has for months now been fully realized, is very greatly to be doubted.
With the loss of only two British merchant vessels during the week, as compared with none the week before one of two things is apparent. Either the Germans are concentrating upon the protection of their lines of communication through the Skager-Rak to the exclusion of everything else,—a perfectly feasible contention,—or the Allied claims to have the U-boat menace thoroughly under control are being amply justified. It really does not matter which is the real reason, the fact is that the sea borne supplies of the Allies are proceeding practically normally under the convoy systems, and that in this respect the Allies are in a better position than they have been at any time since the outbreak of, hostilities. Much has been made by the enemy that because of the occupation of Denmark, and the descent upon Norway, the Allies will be deprived of large quantities of the foodstuffs which formerly came from Scandinavia. That has to be admitted, but it need cause no concern whatever. One of the grievances of the American farmer was that because of war the supply of large quantities of their produce which normally would go to Britain and France had been discontinued. The Allies will undoubtedly turn to the American and Canadian producers for the replacement of those supplies cut off from Scandinavia. and the fact that the American farmer will thereby profit may serve to allay some of that criticism which arose in the middle west because of the situation which had been created unfavourable to those interests. To claim that the occupation of Denmark is any very great blow to the Allies from that point of view is merely another example of that wishful thinking on the part of the Reich to which it is rapidly becoming an addict. It may on the other hand be that the seizure of all Danish dairy produce may for a time assist Germany, but, as the import of foodstuffs for the cattle is impossible, the position will eventually be that Denmark will be completely eaten out by the Germans, and that source of supply destroyed. It will be seen as a result of this rapid survey of the situation that the claim that the Allies emerged from last week in a sounder position than they entered it is completely justified. The world is witness sing a steady improvement in the Allied position as each month passes, and the confidence with which the Allies entered into this struggle, is being increasingly strengthened.
If further proof were wanted of the utter brutality with which the Poles are being treated by the Nazis it is to be found in a declaration in the official organ of the Reich Labour Service, which announces that Polish boys and girls of fourteen and fifteen years of age must be sent to work in the labour camps in Germany. The previous age limit was eighteen years, but, as the Germans failed to obtain the million workers they wanted, the limit has been reduced in the hope of filling the quotas. Conditions are bad enough in Poland already, but children of tender years were still able to share their hardships with their parents, but now it is designed to tear them away from their relatives and send them to labour camps where the tots will be reduced to that form of slavery which the Germans have arranged for people unfortunate enough to suffer from their aggression. The conditions under which these children will live can be well imagined. In the desire to wipe out for ever the Polish nation it can be taken for granted that these youngsters will be given the minimum of food to keep them alive, and be forced to unremitting labour in a manner which no civilized people would contemplate nowadays for one moment. It is such things as this which bring home to the world the evil thing which the democracies are fighting. The bestial cruelties which have been inflicted upon the Jews, the atrocious treatment which has been meted out to the Poles, the brutal which have been reported from other countries now in Nazi occupation were bad enough in all conscience, but that Polish children, who should be at school, should be sent to the German labour camps will serve to outrage public opinion as will nothing else in the world. There cannot be the slightest doubt that millions of Germans themselves despise such actions on the port of their Government, for they are well known for their love of children. That, however, carries little weight with the criminals who at present dominate Germany, but the day of reckoning is approaching, and while not for one moment would the Allies descend to such depths as those in which the Nazis prefer to wallow, it may confidently be expected that those responsible for these outrages shall be made to pay the penalty. That is something which every real parent in the world will expect, for even the German father and mother owe it to themselves, lest their children in turn be called upon to fill the German labour shortage.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.