Evening star., 1941-09-03
Germans High Regard for Morale of British,
Evidenced by Russian War, Found Correct

prayer when one bomb blew in the
front door, another the back of the
house and a third threw an auto
mobile onto the roof. Then the
Germans began to drop fire bombs.
My lady sprang to her feet. Where
in the hell is the fire bucket?' she
cried. one second after praying, as
she led us all to the roof"
Little boys of 10 and II climb the
roofs to throw down incendiary
bombs. That's the spirit of Britain.
I thought after the collapse of
France that Britain would be beaten
I found no one in Britain to whom
this idea was not wholly novel No
one apparently ever envisaged the
possibility of defeat. In that black
hour when France collapsed, Ameri-
cans felt panic but not the British.
One servants comment to a friend
OF mine was typical apparently of
the reaction of all Britons I'm
proving, on the whole" she said
AT least, there's no one left to let
us down"
The people of Britain today know
nothing Of the Soul-searching, in
decision and doubt that affects
Americans. To them the problems
have become simple, starkly simple.
England expects that every man will
do his duty. It's that simple.
The people with whom I talked
have made their peace with death
and have forgotten any financial
worries for the future. Every one
must behave well. Every one does.
My own personal friends, without
exception, looked in better health
and happier than when I had seen
them before the war. People have
found a new courage and a new
dignity. Nothing can crush that
kind of morale.
Need American Man Power.
That morale has convinced the
Germans that an invasion of Brit
ain is too risky. Add to it two
facts. American planes. tanks, arms
and foodstuffs are reaching Britain
in quantities at last. American
warShipS are now eScorting these
supplies as far as Iceland, and the
sinkings have fallen off abruptly
Those two things mean much to
morale. Unless the Germans can
stop the supplies and force Wash
ington to recall the warshipS the
people of Britain can stand any
thing the Germans bring against
them this winter-bombings, gas or
invasion. The British cannot take
the offensive in any immediate fu-
ture without American man power
in my opinion, but they cannot be
beaten by Germany unless Ameri-
can aid is stopped.
Finally there is the promise of the
future to be seen in England today
Your train comes into the gaunt
ruins of what was once a railway
station. People have laid out fish
or newspapers or other wares on
burnt timbers placed across piles OF
bricks. They are irving to carry on
Suddenly you hear the drone of mo-
tors, then the roar. Here they
come-bombers-l0, 30, so bombers
And above and beyond them is the
whine of fighter aircraft. too high
to be seen. The peoples faces
brighten. The Royal Air Force is or
a daylight sweep across the Channel
to Germany.
Twice when I watched this scene
the people standing in the railway
station ruins lifted a cheer-the
kind of cheer that roared from the
throats of peace-loving but hard
fighting English folks at Blenheim
Trafalgar or Waterloo.
Those planes that streak out to-
ward Germany-increasingly many
of them American-made-fy in the
V victory formation.
I think Hitlers got America
wrong.
I know he's got Britain right Il
he thinks British morale is too high
for an invasion effort now.
tCopyrght, 1871, by Chicago Daily News i