Ditppc and A.,,..,. Air P"'"' Widely •Mphaoizcd the Point That Naai Forces Repelled Tho Attack Without Having to Call on Rescrveoi
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I - - -~~ ;--- - SWllllT Sr.can IC>roa had con,'OJ'l<d cam. (erroaeoWIQ- repol1ec) u the ~). lo& launching of a teeood front, and (2) that 0cnnan defeated an invaaioo buod on months or planning. There in the ConJ Sea ~t. waa no oingte propeganda "lino", but An. propogandista widely •mphaoizcd the point that Naai forces repelled tho Ditppc and a.,,..,. Air p"'"' attack without having to call on rescrveoi. ln tho general The Dieppe raid on Augu8t 19 !'llllulted in tbe bcavieet tide or jubilation oome o~era noted au undercurrent of engagement of Allied and Axil air loroee aine<1 the peak or the relicl. Batlle or Britain in Sep1etnber, 19i0. The Germans, who Firsl. ~rte from France iDclieate that a ~table ba'-e been reluctani '° acoept baule in the frequent BrilWi perceniap or the populatioo applauded the action, although dayliaht ...-eep11 O\'V Franco and the Low Count~, &pp&r regrctUng that ii wu not the long-hoped-lor ooUlblislunentof enlly could nol rial< the chance of invasion which a land a 11000nd rront. The British brDGdcasta, announcing that it atta-0.k in rorce iJnpliee. In the resulting action they loet was only a oomnu.ndo rnid and th•t Frcnclun()Jl were there boovily in air c88ualti-perhapll &a many aa 170 planee fore not to jeopardise their occurity by hoolilo action against loot and 140 <i&mag<!d, ii both combat and accidental 1,_ the •ncmy, appear to have made a la.'Orable tmpreeoion in all are taken into acoou:nt. quarlerl. Tho collaborationist Vichy IJllormatioo Mini8tzy, Further incwsions on Genna.n air power, •' the sea.le aec. bowe, .., , bu follo..-.d the Oerman line and enclce,'Ored IO by t.he Dieppe raid, would weaken German 11..,,.line plane oonvinoo the French that a British invMion attempt bas strength appreciably, according IO .our current analysis ol been d•rcated. the Ocnnan air pooition (eeeA)lpendlx I). Tho total oombat strength or tho Lu/lt/:Q/e already' wu de<1lining by at lcaat Allo<k B:p<cWJ. in EWPI 20 to 120 planee each month-the estimated ave~ rate at to launch his long-delayed oft'ensi,·e whicb OemwiI- exceeded production in the three monlhe, Rommel ii expected days. Axil ha•e been mnrorml and May IO July. For the lint time, apparently, the Oennan Air in the next few ro._ the 19\h Ligbi Oh.Won (which bu hem pan Force is feeling the strain of i11 fu-ftung oommitmenll, and n'glOuped, and of previous atlacb) bas been ahirted IO lhe would hardly weloome many repetitiona of the Dieppe alfair. of the tpearhead aouthem end of the line our the Qattarn deproaoion, acoord ing to preu reporta. Tho inore!IBOd nativity ol motor trans llt®liont °"I/co Ccmti....u to IM Diepp< Raid port and aerial reoonnaiaance in the BOulhero eector indicates The Dieppe raid WU pven an extraordinary amount or prcparationa ror an attack. The Brilish have enpged in allention in t.he Axil I>'- and radio. The ~neral picture baruaing actions. p,_,IAld wu that an ill-planned in'-.aion attempt had been Rommel is now believed to ha,·e approximately 70,000 unclorlakrn, but had been repubed with heavy 1- by oomba\ troope al his dilpmal, although BOme l'ltimala or his Ocnnany'a "line of iron". Axil and oollaboratiool.a• propa total rorce1 run higher. Afore than half or lhooo aro.0•~· ganda showed oonfulion in their olmultanooue auerUOllll (I) Preci8e luiowledge or Axil annored reinforcement.I ,. lacking, that Stalin had pven Churchill a 12-day ultimatum !or the but C!llemy tank strength ii placed by BOrne oboorvere at .. 7 6 8t(lUI' I about 400. Paratroope, frequenlly reported in Creu, have laithfully adhered. Be discounlAI the Briliah explanation alao ap~ in F.gypt. To dale they ha\'e beeJi UIOd that their p.-nt political acti•ilieo are n-.y on ground& exclu&\'ely u infantry. of roilit&ry 9CCUrity, and impli"' that the British .;.,, ii to Extemive Allied attacks on enemy port.I, shipping, lighW., dJeplace the Freooh in the area. While lamenting the elfcct motor tranoport, and •upply dwn?i have aerio\Ully compli of thho oontroverey on the whole Arab world, De Oau!Je ho cated Rom~'• problem, and may have forced him to delay pn!pued to uae loree apinlt tho British if a aolulion ;,, not his &tlaclt until lhe p.-nt- Ho....,ver, OOMiderable wnnage werked out. baa heel> reaching North Alrie& d"'pit.e Allied plane a.nd Although inmtinc on the maintenance or Ftanoe'• poeition subm&rino Me&Ulta, and in general it is M8UDled th&t Rommel in the mandate, De Gaulle etatco that the Fighting French has been abln to ..,cumulaw sufficient aupplil!ll to auatain have declared the independence or tbe Levant 1tatA!8 IJO lar active oporatiooa. He is probably now making aome uae or u ii compatible with war conditions. Elections will come lhe railroad. The p,_,ro on his l!llpply lines may urge him 0 u eoon as the aituation pt.nnit&." De Oaull6 is now at no• to delay his &t1"ck any further. work trying to impro•-e ~ch relaliona with local leaden. The British have alao rooeived &dded 1treng1h. Allied Meanwhile the British sbow no aign of al wring tbeir policy. rorc:es bavn a c..lear superiority in air power which tho enemy For instance, Ocneral $pcat11 this week 1ummoned tho ha.snot u yet attempted to o'"""°mc. Whether Rommel is Syrian Co-nment to a lonoal meeting. While r«<>gnbioc given large mruoreementa in &ircraft &t this critieal juncture that France enjoya the political iniliati•-e in the Le•·ant, may i:-ibly olfer aome guide to tho quantity of German air Churchill e&nDOL agree that British """"' are meddling rcoervee available at this time. beyond tbeir p_,.y inilit&ry concerns. &8idee her buai In Cairo Churchill hlld luncb with Premier Nahoa and a n<WI and arniy inlAJl'()l!t.s in tho area, Britain U. committed, brief interview with the King. The latter perried Churchill'• alone with lhe ~ch. in the dccl&ration or fr-tom for dlorUI lO get down to braa tacb whh -.ks versing on the Levant made by Catroux in lllU. The Briti!h go"ern levity, and did not favorably imp"'"' hil guest.. mtnL oonsiden the De Caullilt.1' atatua in the Levan• to be dilfercnt lrom that of previoua regimes, but hopes that tho cooperation of the Fighting French may be obtained. Angll>-Frtndi T~ in Svria lo a more general way De Oaulle bu emphasiaed th&t the There bu beeJi IU> ·..,la.ulion ol the acute situation th&t Plcblinc French mutt maintain France'a richlAI intact all over cmne to a bead with De Caulle's arrival in the N-Eaa1. (A lhe world, or they wou.ld have no reaaon to jualily their being. sketch of the beckg:round of Fn.noo-BritWl rel&liooa in this To have French help in the war and in tho coming peace, the area appeAra in Appendix IV.) Fighting French must be trcatoo AB an Independent ally. De Oa1dle hu m&de it clear th&t the Fighting French e&n Any other action or 1tatus, he inaist.s, merely lends color to cooperate with the United Kingdom in the Levant only if the lhe propepnda of Vichy &nd the Axi&. Tho Fighting French British there rel rain from political interference in looal alfairs. in London are alao disappointed with the failUn! of the They muat l'Olp<CI French "ri&hta" u defined in the eeveral Unlted Sta..,. to ex!Md to them "politieal" u well u "mlli ~ta to which, De Oaulle _,II, the French bave t.ary" recognition. 8 9 SllORft $r.(Jllft L<m2l'1 Po<ition 4t vichv oommerco is gmitly hampered by lack of merehandise, ad· Now evidence that the Germans may be pl&nning to kocp minislrative resulntiOll8 And delays, Md tbe lack of transport Laval in power, at le8'1t for the time being, appeared in a fMilitiea. Tho wino trade hAs apparently all but ceased. D. N. B. article from Berlin that was carried in aU tho Pariii Trade wilh lbo North Afrionn oolonJC8 hAs been octive, es I>*' except DorioL'• Ori du Peupu (and ev•n lh•t hu ceaeed pecially with Morocco, but Franco is unable to supply tho ii.s ati.aoka on Laval}. The article praiseo Laval as tho first nooded industrii>I producU. in return. International oom Frtnclunan who adheres without reserve to tho "Jlfontoiro merco hao oonsisted llhll08t e.•clusively or expo re.. to Oennany, poUcy" of ooU.boratioa, and who reoogni.l(>I that t'ranoc'o while oommerco with auch foreign oountriC8 as SwitJerlAnd, first objective muat be an accord wilb o.rn1any inoidc the Spain, Hungary, and Finland hao oonst.anUy dimini!hed. New Order. Laval and Plt&in ha\'& created a "climate of To eue the economic oiluation in the Empire, Vichy baa oonfidtMe" and a llflV intUDAI order, it states, despite requested that trade bet"'9ell the Anlilles and ~!orooeo be difficulties which Oennany fully appreciates and it eocklavor allowed 10 .-ime, under conditions limilar I<> t1-exioting ing co bdp \'ichy ove<come. prior co tbe entry of the Uruted States into I.be war. On the olber band, n•1e1" visicoro in Vichy retumin& co North Afnea have expressed the belief that Lftval'1 p.....,nt Nnn Prom Frmdi Ntwlli A/M tenure of office may not last beyond October.