Sept. 21.
The German press has lashed itself into a furious (renzy because of the alleged bombing of an insane children's home near Bielefeld, uttering threats of even more extensive retaliatory raids over Britain, recalling Hitler's threat in his last speech that if the British attacked German towns on a larger scale than they had up to the present the German air force would in turn erase their towns. In the absence of any British statement on the subject the story of the bombing of the asylum needs to be taken with very considerable reserve. If any such thing has taken place it may be assumed that it was accidental, though the Germans seek to establish a case that the British aeroplanes dropped flares, circled round the home, and had every opportunity of observing the manner in which it was marked. The policy of the sh Government has just lately been reaffirmed. It has no intention of attacking anything save definite military objective, and will not abandon that practice to indulge in retaliatory raids upon civilians. It is interesting to note that the reason given that it does not wish to divert machines to that work which would be rendering greater service against the enemy's military objective.
The present German tactics follow the old familiar lines, and what is to be expected in Britain is that more and more the Germans will leave military objectives alone,—they have been doing that fairly consistent-all along—and concentrate upon an endeavour to strike terror into the masses.
There can be no mistake about this.
Hospitals, churches, and similar institutions in London have been deliberately bombed, as have quarters which have not the smallest military significance. That there has been deliberation in this matter is clearly proved by the quotation, with apparent approval, by the German news agency, of a Swiss report to the effect that Londoners were astounded at "the accuracy of aiming on the part of the German airmen." On the other hand the Germans have for months talked much of the inaccuracy of British bombing, going so far recently as to allege that not one military objective in Germany had been struck.
The world knows different. It knows from neutral observers that enormous damage has been done to German industrial quarters engaged in the production of war material, Which has resulted in severe blows to the steel industry and a very substantial reduction of output. The Germans cannot have it both ways. If British bombing is so inac~ curate, us they have consistently been alleging it to be, then the damage done to the children's home—if any has been done at all cannot have been anything but aecidenta If British aeroplanes wilfully bombed it twirl success, then all the tales of poor aiming which the enemy so sedulously spreads cannot possibly be anything but lies. German newspapers are said to be clamouring for Timitless bombing of Britain, with not the' slightest consideration for British civilians. It will be easier to strike at non-military ob-Jectives in Britain than those places where they have met with such hot receptions and sustained so many casualties, easier to strike fat the quarters of London's working classes than those other points where defence has proved so efficient.
There can only be one.conclusion to -be drawn from the whole matter. To offset the sense of frustration, which the failure of the German air attempt to cow Britain has created, it is necessary to divert the attention of the German people to something different, in the hope of stirring up anger in the.place of dismay. Daily reports of the bombing of London, each one of which is so similar to its predecessor, must eventually pall even upon those Germans saturated with the blood lust. Hitler is obtaining no real successes against Britain. It has indeed been ong since he could last claim one at all, 30 the completely controlled German press has been ordered to foam at the mouth over an incident, which, even if true, is of minor importance compared with the hideous guilt of the Germans, in an endeavour to justify to themselves whatever further atrocities they contemplate perpetrating against Britain. A more blatant piece of hypocrisy it will probably defeat the Germans themselves to conceive, though of course the masterly Goebbels may still be able to evolve something.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.