phasize is in Lord Gort's words "The vital necessity for an expedi-
avfirsi-class war, being equipped on Mionary_foree, if If is to, be used In 4 scale. commensurate with the task fs called upon to full."
Among other pointe specially emerging from Lord Gort's review are that shipments of ammunition and other material on which he was rely~ Ing' were' delayed, that Intelligence organization in. Prance was inadequate, that armour-piercing shells for fils field quns had not been provided even by, May 10. when the Germans Tounched their invasion of Belgium and Holland, Two Separate Periods The despatches cover two periods <that "from "September 3," 1939. to January "Si, 1040, "when the B.E.P. Were, #0 10 speak, "dieting in, and that from February 1 to May 3i, the period of retreat, 'When Lord Gort took over his sec-for, the BEF. comprised two corns floating 223,200 men of all ranks. 'This "force, he had. been Informed would be increased by a. third corps early in' £040, an armoured division in' Nay" anda fourth corps including {he fiat Canadian division during the Auihough the main body of the third Corps was finally despatched to France atthe end of March, one Aivision "(the Fifty-¥irs), was dose pavaned to a point out nf Lard tarts Control, while, owing to the German fnvaston "of 'Denmark and. Norway, the Fifth Division was sent back to England en route' for Norway.
No Belgian-French Ca-operation "One, great difficulty," the review states, "was the attitude of the Belgian Guthorities whase insistence on hey of neutrality was carried to such Jongths that the French were never n'a position to obtain' reliable and accurate details of plans of the Bel-plan 'General Star 'Throughout the' operations, Lord Gort was under, orders of Gen. Georges, commander of the French front inthe north-east. The story the three week baltic which preved-the great withdrawal is one of almost continuous rear-guard actions by'men not only hungry and desperately" tired. ut conscious that.they Were opposed. to "an enemy over whelmingly strong-in swift armoured ighting vehicles and. possessing com mand of the air, Among them were men only halt-trained or brought out as labour units, but It was a ease of using every man, and Ju paying tribute to their courage and endurance, I.ord Gort says: "Most 3h, ta eRn Hey cles ocean are lat ec facts ogle A Gun Pit at Tobruk Reece es i ahd "HES the lal Seaon ws com>
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.