Evening star., 1940-06-02
Lloyd George Blames Leopold
For Allies Defeat in Flanders
Belgian King Opened the Door to Butchery' Says
Critic, Weighing Great Britains Chances
of Repelling Invasion
By David Lloyd Georqe,

town they were greeted with artillery
and machine gun fire from its defenders.
This forced them to seek cover. The
airplanes then undertook the task OF
bombing the British troops out OF their
sheltered positions As there were no
British airplanes available, the aerial
pomoardment was terrific and shattered
the buildings in which the British were
intrenched. q
Germans Revealed Training.
He told me that there seemed to be
complete understanding, maintained by
a system of signaling, between the
bombers and the attackers. It was evi-
dent that this kind of combined at
tack had been perfected by long and
careful training. 1t must have taken
years of practice to have brought these
mechanical columns to such a pitch of
perfection in this novel method of pene-
trating through the enemy lines and dis
organizing his forces few machine
gunners issued from the tanks and si-
lenced the British artillery by moving
down the gunners.
Had there been any British fighters
in the air, my informant was convinced
that this mechanical column could have
been driven off. He told me that he
had met on the transport men who had
suffered defeat in other combats. They
also complained that there was not
single British fighter in the skies to pro-
tect them from the German airplanes.
1t was not the fault of our gallant air
men. We know how they have to fight
against great odds, but we have not
enough to go around.
What will the Germans do next? Will
they turn to the south and attempt to
capture Paris and break up the armies
of France? Or will they concentrate on
the destruction of the hated island on
which they cast the blame for this war?
They do not really believe it, but that
kind of accusation is the unvarying pre-
liminary to every German attack on
another country. The stream of abuse
directed against England points to
Britain as the next object of their special
attention At least, prudence dictates
the urgency of our acting on that as
sumption and taking every measure to
repel attack.
Conditions Favorable for Invader.
What form will it take? Will the Ger
man Fuehrer make an attempt to invade
England? Philip of Spain with his
armada failed-so did Napoleon with his
cneci 11u CT hor 70
case they were foiled by the British Navy.
The conditions today are more favorr
able for an invader. Long-range guns
can sweep the channel Mines can be
laid, and there are incalculable possibili-
ties of aerial superiority. One must not
forget the secret weapons with which
Hitler threatened some months ago that
he would destroy England. Nevertheless,
I am still hopeful that the Germans
cannot land sufficient numbers of men.
great guns and tanks to establish and
maintain a firm hold on the soil of
Britain.
more formidable factor is the menace
Of the air, with the bombing of ports,
airdromes, and more particularly facto-
ries and work shops where weapons of
war are being manufactured. Workers
are toiling as they never did before and
are turning out machines on an un-
precedented scale. All will depend on
whether they can be given sufficient
protection while they are laboring to fill
up deficiencies that ought never to have
occurred.
Italy's Course Is Question.
In all this, the attitude and probable
action of Italy must not be put out of
reckoning. Where does she stand?
There can be no doubt of her sympathies,
and certainly none as to her expecta-
tions. Her statesmen, broadcasters and
journals have repeatedly announced that
the hour has at last struck for Italian
intervention. But she is still tarrying.
Is it due to pressure from President
Roosevelt-or from Herr Hitler? The
latter suggestion may sound fantastic.
but have heard it made by men whose
Judgment is by no means to be despised.
Why should Hitler ask her to keep out
OF it? One reason may be that he feels
confident that the Germans can finish
it off without any help. Or it may be
that he does not wish to be embarrassed
in the final settlement by making him.
self responsible for the extravagant
claims of Italy.
She is undoubtedly awaiting the signal
from the North, and the Allied govern
other serious blunder If they were not
prepared to meet a fell blow from that
quarter.
(Copyrisht, 1o40)