Oct. 14.
The British offensive in the Channel against Cherbourg, the endeavours of the German press to wean their readers from the idea of a short decisive and victorious war to that. of a prolonged struggle, and the allegations that conditions in the British Isles are far worse than those which the Germans are themselves undergoing indicate that a change is coming over the situation. That opinion is corroborated by the statement that the invasion of Britain is off, and the fact that the Axis Powers are showing increased activity in the Balkans,—the trend to the south-cast which is the classical resort after failure along the Channel. That change has been developing gradually, and was first perceived by neutral observers. Thus on September: 17 in the New York "Post" Vaughan Henry cabling from the French-Spanish frontier quoted neutral diplomatic representatives from Paris and Bordeaux as saying that the assurance which permeated the Germans in France with regard to their operations against Britain have given way {o uneasiness and doubt. 'The stiff resistance of the British, he said, has dispelled much of the cockiness of the Nazis, growing tenseness and irritability. tare evident, especially amongst. the officers amd' there is no more talk of in Paris, and a flight to London for tea, further evidence were wanted of the vowing opinion on the Continent that the British ore holding their own it is to be found in the writings of the Press in unoccupied France. An example appeared in "L'Action Frangaise" quoted by the Vichy correspondent of the New York "Herald Despite the terrible experience revealed by the new form of war, and although the county born of feelings that the Islands were protected by a maritime barrier which could hot be crossed, has totally disappeared, nevertheless Britain's moral doesn't seem to have weakened up to now. As tested metal the old British tenacity resists the ordeal. Nobody can fell whether England will survive the ditd to death in which she is now engaged but rhe will not collapse like a weakened organism. The spring is intact sand does not rack.
About three months ago French newspapers: like "L'Action Frangaise" were predicting the speedy downfall of Britain before Hitler's mies. That was a belief which Hitler confidently shared with Mussolini, and the re cent meeting in the Brenner Pass was clearly for the purpose of readjusting schemes in view of the failure of the enemy plans.
Nothing would be more fatal at the present time than to seek to exaggerate the importance of the change which is coming over the scene. Much will yet have to transpire before its full significance can be fully realized, but it is.a demonstrable fact that the German air offensive against Great Britain has clearly failed to get the quick re~ sults which its designers expected of it, and has driven the enemy to seek new methods of carrying on the struggle. The reasons for the failure of that offensive are plain for all men to see. Hitler made the great mistake of turning his attention after Dunkirk to the task of smashing Franco, which is now clearly shown to have been in no position to threaten the German armies. Had he struck straight at Britain he would have found her not nearly so well prepared as she has now become, and the result is that the much
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.