Evening star., 1940-06-20
BY MAI. GEORGE FIELDING
ELIOT.

There Is still no certainty as to the
fate Of France, but 1t does seem cer-
tain there will very soon be a pow
erful development Of the axis otfen-
sive against Great Britain.
Generally speaking, q country. like
a fortress, may be attacked in one
Of two ways-by assault or by in
vestment. 1t is probably by q combi-
nation Of efforts that the Germans
will seek to attack Great Britain.
No country in Europe is more vul-
nerable to blockade than Britain.
She has been preserved from it here
tofore by her sea power. Now the
task Of that navy Is more difncult
one than it has ever had to face be-
fore. 1t must keep open the vital
sea lanes to British ports or in the
end the British people will starve
and British industry shut down for
lack Of essential raw materials.
East Ports Doomed.
The east ports from Dover to
Scotland may, I think, be written OF
at once. The Germans can so block
ade the Strait Of Dover as to make
it an impractical waterway for mer-
chant vessels in any number and
from Norway they can pretty well
prevent entry into the North Sea.
The Channel ports, from Folke-
stone to Lands End, lie under the
direct menace of German airplanes
operating from the opposite French
shore and of the smaller German
submarines and high-speed motor
boats. While convoy can give good
protection against the submarine
and motorboats. convoy brings to-
gether large and vulnerable air
target. Calculated combination of
the two forms of attack-and in this
lies the chief German genius In this
war-can produce telling results.
The defense of conveys by the
operations of British shore-based
aircraft may be undertaken, but
that there will be enough fighter
planes available for this, and also
for the defense Of the vital centers
of the island and for defense against
the ever-present threat of invasion,
is doubtful. In the crucial months
just ahead, at any rate. by far the
greater part of British sea-borne
trafic will fall, therefore, on the
west coast ports, chiefly on those
of the Bristol Channel, the Mersey
and the Clyde.
The approach between Lands End
and Ireland will be far more dam
gerously covered by German air.
craft Operating from Brittany
than the North Channel between
Ireland and Scotland. Both these
approaches, however. and the vi
cinity of the three port areas men,
toned will see tremendous con-
gestion Of shipping under conditions
which will be ideal for the opera
ton of submarines as far as con-
Germs targets.
Ireland Vulnerable.
At the tip of Brittany the Ger
mans would be less than 800 miles
from the south coast of Ireland. AS
to the defense of Ireland, we have
here another case of an outworn
conception Of neutrality {as with
Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands
and Belgium until it may be too
late. Ireland can neither defend
itself against such weapons as the
Germans possess or will the Irish
government apparently call in
British aid while there is time. AS
have repeatedly pointed out, the
Germans are holding considerable
number of submarines in reserve.
and of course they are holding them
against just such a moment as now
seems at hand. when they can be
usefully employed in large numbers
and not wasted in driblets. There
are, moreover, 120 Italian subma-
rines, of which some might be avail
able for the Atlantic.
Aside from the use of aircraft as
a weapon against shipping. there is
their direct employment against mill
tary and other objectives in Britain
to be considered. In support Of the
blockage, air attacks might be di-
rected against seaports, whose docks
and harbor installations (as we'll as
shipping at anchor or tied up) make