General Quade was promising his hearers that "It (the Luftwaffe) will also master the last and greatest task." William Shirer an American broadcasting reporter speaking from Berlin said that most of the ordinary Germans hoped that the war would be over before the winter. "German people," he said, "realize that they have now no chance of compromise. As for the Germans who are doing the fighting, sailors and airmen are dead certain that the war will end before very Jong." A French commentator just about the same time speaking over Radio Lyons said "Britain proceeds towards the total destruction of her air force, which should be a fait accompli within a year.
Both Berlin and Rome had comparatively little to' say to their own people about the transfer of the fifty U.S. destroyers to Great Britain. It was an uncomfortable fact which it was as well to keep away from domestic ears. To the outside world the German commentators chose to adopt a scornful tone a loging that the whole transaction was mere. ly" proof of British desperation. But the merry game of endeavouring to delude the world at large went on. Hamburg professed inclination to see in the British determina tion to hold out longer a "terrible piece of military ignorance." Rome declared that the Italian population knows that the total defeat of Britain is "only a matter of a few days now." Berlin boasted "Gigantic air battles have occurred almost daily. But these batties are not fought over Germany or France, or elsewhere on the Continent, but in the air over the British Isles.... The Churchill lines have begun to sway even before a German soldier has set foot on the soil of the British island, British Somaliland had been evacuated by the" British" yielding before numerical Superiority. General Bellati, an' Ttalian commentator expressed the opinion that the Strategieal Importance of this Ttalian "con test" was in the removal of the continuous lish, threat to Ethiopia, while Radio Rome boasted "the Halians have not allowed the British to carry off even. a handful of sell from Somaliland, which wilt remain forever allan territory:' "In passing it might aptly be remarked that the italian "forever" \ap-Pears now to have Deen a very short time Indeed. "Yn contrast to all this' vainglorious boasting Britain was taking her reverses her stride, confident that they would not be the last word in this struggle. Huge pre-Parations were being made for home defence, While what reinforcements which could then be spared were sent to Africa: The time was fast' approaching when the Italians would feel the quality of the British army, and within 'a few months the Italian armies. orth Africa and Abysinnia were to be des~ troyed by very numerically inferior British The expectation that the British air force would come to an end was not fulfilled. Instead the R.A. daily carries the war over geeupled France and well into, Germany. Berlin has had a taste of the bombing which was inflicted upon London. Other German cities have been, like Hamburg reduced to a shambles of ruin. The war industrial Potential of western Germany has been seriously damaged, and the RAF. is stronger now than it has ever.been before, and well on the way to be ing a greater air force than' the German. So much for -the radio commentators of a year It is as well to! remember these boasts, and keep them in mind when listening to, or reading the vain-lo vious claims of which the enemy continue make. if they could possibly be believed the war has already been won, That they have steceoes no One would be £0 foolish es Swalened fo the fact that, so far as Britain, but they will ultimately be
fand her Allies are concerned, this war is stilt its early stages, and that it will be continued, no matter' how Jong, until, victory crowns their arms. It will be interesting {then to learn how these enemy propagandists will explain away their thousands of lies, "Their defeat wilt be probably accounted for as the result of some new perfidy of the Jews, though if the Laplanders come in for blame this time, it will not be surprising.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.