The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-25
PHANTOM TROOPS
 RAID NORMANDY

Continued from Page D
 
 the Commandos operate with tom. my guns, grenades, knives, sticks and dynamite. They always operate under the cover of night.
 The Commandos black their faces to make them match their weird black battle dress.
 The daring hit and run raid made by the Commandos Sunday night was the first against the continent to have been acknowledged offi- claly. But 1t has been known that the group acted as the spearheads in British blows against the Noc- wegian Lototen islands, Spit2ber- gen and Bradia.
 First Reports Of Raid
 First reports of the raid made by the Commandos Sunday night did not indicate that 1t was on any scale comparable with the as- saultS on Bardia, Spltzbergen and the Lofoten islands. But the Ger man high command mentioned it In today's communique issued from Adolf Hitler's field headquarters, The Germans, however, said the raid had been repulsed and that heavy losses had been inflicted cn the British.
 Reyes attackeds the "braSs hats of Whitehall" for frustrating every worthwhile offensive action I have ever tried to make"
 Reyes said that the service conl- mittees and subcommittee which have sprung up since the start Of the war have become almost the dictators of military policy instead of the servants, as they should be, of those who bear all responsibil- ities."
 He said the service committees and subeommittees concentrated on the difficulties and dangers of every emphiblous enterprise which suggested"
 "They have hitherto succeeded .n thwarting or delaying execution uTl- til we either have been forestalled or actions have been taken toe late for success" he said. Strikes btaft Hard
 Until the staff system Is thor oughly overhauled we will always be too late for everything we un- dertake."
 He said that the cumberous mach- irery of Whitehall had either stran- gled before birth or mangled by endless discussions in one commit tee after another all amphibious actions which he suggested.
 T have unbounded faith in our ultimate victory but that victory will be delayed while, in Whitehall phraseology, every stone Is turned and every avenue Is explored" he told the commons.
 "The glorious visto of the great goal beyond Is shrouded in the fog of indecision, Time is passing and so long as procrastination, the thief of time, is the key word of the war machine in Whitehall, we shall continue to lose one oppor- tunity after another.
 T cannot help thinking that when the Prime Minister spoke in the house on July 2 he had in mind some of the heart-rerding frustra- tions and disappointments we have met with this summer" Refers to Churchill
 Reyes referred to a speech made by Churchill in which he said that the difficulty was not to have more brakes upon the wheels but to get more speed behind them.
 It was recalled that in a broad cast last weekend the British radio warned the French people Ito pre- pare for the hour of invasion that the Allies one day will make"
 There was no suggestion, however, that the latest raid was big enough to be connected with any invasion hopes. The BEG broadcast, however, called on the French people to prepare to give the best possible support to invading armies"
 After IS months of experience as director of combined operations and having been frustrated in every worthwhile offensive action have tried to undertake, I must fully en- dorse the Prime Ministers comment on the strength of negative power which controls the war machine in Whitehall" Reyes said.
 He said that Churchill unfortun- ately was handicapped not only by the same kind of machinery which Whitehall enforced in the last war but now with the even greater force Of, apparently, a constitutional power.
 After his speech in commons Reyes declined to amplify his as- sertions that 8 year ago the com mandos might have electrified the world"
 It is known that the commandos originally were organized to form the spearhead of a full scale invasion But they have been used for quick thrusts at night. That has been ad- mited as one of the reason for the secrecy which surrounds all of their activity.
 Widespread Sabotage
 Tn view of widespread sabotage on the coast of occupied areas, 1t was considered possible, the British authorities do not desire to give the Germans any clues as to whether particular train derailments, factory explosions and other sabotage was caused by local inhabitants or the cOinmandos.
 The ministry of information dis- closed the latest raid By the com manaos.
 This patrol returned complete" 1" the ministry said. aThe only casu-