The fact that the more the Allies "take Europe, the more does American public opinion incline in their favour should cause the German High Command some concern. The effectiveness of the Nazi tactics in Flanders has acted like a Medusa's head on some of the small nations in Europe and has turned them into stone; but the United States is a very different matter. German treachery, German brutality, and Hitler's complete disregard of what the rest of the world still believes to be justice and honour, do nothing but nauseate the true American. The review of American opinion, published elsewhere, proves this. There is an increasing sentiment in the United States in favour of extending every kind of aid to the Allies, short of actually entering the war on their side. There is a full realization of the urgent need for improving the defences of the country, inspired by the fear—fortunately not well grcunded—that the Nazis might win the war in Europe. It is understood that Norway, Holland, and Belgium did their utmost, as the United States is now doing, to keep out of the war; nevertheless Hitler forced them into it. Will he force the United States into it, too? If so, he will find the American nation ready. It is noteworthy that the drive being carried out by the Department of Justice against "fifth column" activities has so far been directed against Nazis and Communists, not against any persons suspected of pro-Allied activities. Why should this be so? The answer is simple. Those who may be working for the Allied cause, no matter how they are doing it, "play the game." Those working for the Nazis do not know the meaning of the phrase. There is no deception or treachery they will stop at. They may deny this fact themselves, but their leader, Hitler, has admitted it in his "Mein Kampf." He has stated plainly that no scruple whatsoever will stand in his way, no humanitarian principle—unless it is applied to Germans—will hinder or slow down his progress. That he means what he says has been proved by the actions of his forces in bombing and machine-gunning women and children in the crowded highways of France. The seriousness of the Nazi threat to civilization is being belatedly understood by the man in the street in America, and his reaction is a strong one. Everything possible must be done to stop the wild beast which is running amuck The Same Old Trick Three characteristic examples of German methods in preparation for illegal actions are to be noticed during the past day or so. The first is the German allegation that the British are preparing to sink the s. President Roosevelt in which some hundreds of American refugees are being transported from Britain back to the United States. The British will most surely do no. such thing, for the very last thing they would wish at a juncture such as this would be to do anything, or permit anything to happen which might be likely to spoil the excellent case which the Germans are building up in America on behalf of the Allies. That the Germans may endeavour to sink the vessel, and attempt to blame it upon the Allies, is a distinct possibility of which sight should not be lost, The second is Marshal Goering's threat to shoot French airmen taken prisoner by the enemy in reprisal for every alleged murder of German airmen taken prisoner in the ratio of five Frenchmen to one German, and fifty French for every airman shot while attempting to land by parachute. This decision is said to be based upon the story of a German wing commander who alleged that on landing by parachute he was beaten and robbed by French Moroccans, and w: only saved by the intervention of the French gendarmes, who apparently were kind enough to allow him to escape, and return to the German lines where he could tell his story. The third concerns another German fabrication to the effect that an appreciable number of British undercover and secret intelligence operate have been concentratd in Mexico for the pu pose of staging incidents and sabotaging which could then be blamed on the Germans. This the British authorities brand as absolutely false. and as the British consular officials in Mexico City said constitutes an advance warning that the Germans intend to become active in Mexico. That was in fact reported some days ago, and with this particular lie the Nazis have been somewhat late. The obvious stupidity of such proceedings as these are perfectly manifest. The st thing either Great Britain or France would desire to do at the moment is anything calculated to interfere with the rapidly growing sentiment of sympathy with them in the United States. The Germans, on the other hand, would greatly Like io do so, and, if they can create incidents and commit sabotage with any chance of getting away with it, they may be confidently expected to make the attempts. They may even allow some of their agents to be captured in order to confess that they were in the pay of the perfidious British. It is unlikely, howe that the United States secret service, which has been working in cooperation with the British, would be likely to be deceived by any such transparent device Nazi Air Strength There is every reason to believe that, while certain Nazi tactics on land have surprised the Allied General Staff, the Royal Air Force has been almost as disagreeable a surprise to the Germans. And there is ro cause to doubt th correctness of the British claims that lose are in a proportion of four to one, if not higher The principal fighting plane used by the Germans is the Messerschmitt 109, which was designed in 1935, and has since been fitted with a more powerful engine which has increased its speed but diminished its manoeuvrability. It is mass-produced, and this fact is hampering ini-provements which the present war has shown to be badly needed. For even a small alteration in the mass-productive system will put out of gear the whole elaborate organization. In speed and armament it is no match for the British Hurricanes. The newer German fighter plane, the Messerschmitt 110, a twin-engined two-seater armed with two cannons and two machineguns in front and two machine-guns firing in the rear, is a more formidable craft, but its performances, especially against Allied bombers which it seems to have been specially designed to attack, have so far given little satisfaction to the staff of the Luftwaffe, or Nazi army air arm. In the German bombers everything has been sacrificed to speed and carrying capacity Their armament is therefore not so good as the armament of British planes. and the slim fuselage of the Heinkel III. of which type the Germans have more than any other, has made it impossible to fit power operated turrets—one of the great advantages of British machin The latest Nazi bomber, the Junkers 88, is also principally designed for speed and carrying capacity. It suffers, though to a less degree, from somewhat the same disadvantages as the Heinkel III when opposed to British fighters. It has only one machine-gun firing forward and two aft. As protective metal detracts from bomb-loads, it has no armour. and its speed, though high. is not high enough to enable it to escape from British Hurricanes or Spitfires.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.