Evening star., 1940-12-15


missed it. 1t was at the height of our election
campaign, and besides, it was not the kind of
big-scale invasion that excited imaginations
have been forecasting And further. according
to the report. it failed.
But suppose it had not failed. Suppose
German expedition had succeeded, even tenn
porarily, in establishing itself on the soil OF
this hemisphere. You know what that might
mean You know how firmly our government
has warned: Hands off, What highly stra-
tegic point was it in this hemisphere which
meant so much to the Germans that they
we're willing to risk American action to possess
it,
Here is what the British broadcast said:
IAN unsuccessful German attempt to seize
the meteorological observation station at
Greenland is reported from Stockholm. 1t is
said that a German expedition of fifty men
has been taken prisoner by the Norwegian
patrol boat Fridtjof Nansen.'
Risking so much for a mere weather sta
tom Fantastic? Not when you understand
the crucial importance of accurate weather
forecasts in modern war.
The normal flow of the weather is from west
to east And this has worked for Britain, and
against Germany. England has known what
the weather was going to be, and has been
able to prepare for it. But with a weather
station in Greenland, the Germans would
have been able to forecast the weather over
Britain three or four days ahead, and would
have gained tremendous advantage in plan
ming their air raids.
If YOU don't think that would make much
difference. consider the evacuation of Dun
kerque That certainly was a crucial event
in the whole war. 1t was, to be sure. a gallant
and heroic action. But it was also an action
that probably never could have taken place
if it hadn't been timed, by sure advance
knowledge, with the weather. The British
knew that heavy clouds we're on their way
across the Channel - clouds that would re-
duce the effectiveness of the superior German
air force to minimum knowing that. they
pushed every boat they could muster into
service and accomplished, with the wealth
er's help, one of the miracles of the war.
In the Front Line
AS matter of fact, in modern war the
weather man stands always right at the elbow
of the general and the admiral. Modern war
fare requires exact coordination of many
forces, on land, sea and in the air. Every
movement must be planned to take place at
a time when each force can do its part, un-
hampered by the elements - aided by them
if possible. And only the weather man can say
when that time will be.
Both the British and the Germans have
developed their weather -forecasting staffs to
high degree and made full use of them.
When Germany invaded Poland, the Scandi-
navian countries, the Low Countries, she
moved each time at the exact moment to take
advantage of favorable weather. When she
had to turn her attention to Britain, that was
not 50 easy - and the results, or lack of
them, showed it. She didn't have the weather
stations to the westward to provide her me-
teorologists with the information they need
ed. Britain, also with expert weather scien-
lists. actually had the advantage.
No, there is nothing particularly fantastic
about the idea of German attempt to seize
a weather station in Greenland. 1t could