Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1941-02-13
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS REVIEW

| w ~ w
Continued from Page u
Hitler to let his troops march
into its territory, it had Joined
the axis powers.
Some observers feel that Hitler
still may be planning to extend his
control to all of the Balkan coun-
tries, if it is possible in the face
of Turkish threats to prevent it.
Invasion.
MuSsOlini'S campaign in Africa and
Albania is one of the links in the
chain of Hitler's plans against Great
Britain, one may say that it is the
weakest link, and that, perhaps, the
rest of the chain may be judged by
that. But no one really knows how
strong Hitler is, or how weak. What
is generally known is that he still
intends to invade England-if he
can-and that all his preparations at
this moment are made with that end
in view.
London, also, realizes that such a
danger exists, and that is the reason
why the British Royal Air Force
few days ago resumed it's heavy
bombardment of German positions on
the coasts of France, Holland and
Belgium, as well as of Genoa and
other north Italian cities.
It is on the continental Chan
| onocf fbof uif1or ic InIsoxyo<I
to have gathered ships and air.
planes for his supreme attempt,
and that is why the British gov
eminent considers it necessary to
do as much damage as possible.
The fewer ships and bombers on
the continental side of the Chan
mel, the better for England.
While there is no official talk about
British forces invading the CONT
nent, there are quite few rumors
that such plans may be under con-
sideration, and it would, from an OBJ
servers viewpoint, be a reasonable
plan to. try out. The military ex-
pert, of course, knows more about
that than laymen sitting at desk in
far-off America. Generally, it would
seem-in a war like this-that the
one who takes the initiative has the
best prospects of victory.
Vichy.
For many days an intense fight has
been going on about political SUI
premacy in unoccupied France, and
Vichy, the capital of that part of
the country, has been the scene of
bitter discussions. Marshal Henri
Philippe Petain has been defying Hit
ler's demands for what Berlin con-
siders complete cooperation on Pc
tain's part, and Pierre Laval who
insisted that he, Hitler's chief French
champion, be given the leading post
in the Vichy government, so far, has
had to accept the fact that that post
was given to Admiral Jean Darlan.
Whether that arrangement in the long
run will satisfy Hitler and Laval,
and what they are going to do about
it-that's still question.
What is involved is not mere
ly the control of unOccupied
France but-of far greater i'm
pOrtance-cOntrO of the still al
most intact French navy and the
very considerable French army
in colonial Africa.
Up to the moment of writing there
has been nothing to show that Pc
tain would yield or that he would
surrender the navy and the army;
nor has he declared himself willing
to let the Germans use some of the
ports in Tunisia-one of their de-
mands. On the other hand, the
pressure exerted by Hitler and La
val is so terribly strong that it is
doubtful whether Petain very long
can stand by his guns even though
he may, by appointing Darlan vice
premier, have postponed an actual
crisis.
Churchill Speaks.
A few days ago Winston Churchill,
British prime minister, broadcast a
radio speech in which he joyously re-
ferred to the British victories in
Africa as healthy sign of his ma
TONS continued strength and in
creasing will to defend itself.
Churchill felt very certain that
the Germans would try to in
wade the British Isles, and equal
ly certain that that possibility
has not frightened the British.
In scathing terms he referred to
Mussolini as "that sly, cold-blooded,
black-hearted Italian, and to Laval
as the Quisling of France. He also
warned Bulgaria against repeating
her stupid mistake of 1915 when the
Sofia government joined Germany in
her then war against the British, and
warned that if Bulgaria now once
more took such step, disaster would
be sure to follow.
Less than "a hours after
Churchill had spoken, his gov
eminent instructed its minister
at Sofia to ask for his creden-
tials and to come home. Rela-
tiOnS were thus broken off.
The world now awaits the next
step which Turkey may take to keep
itc proroiSe RI holm BULGARIA. in q