(C) Crown Copyright Catalogue Reference:CAB/65/20/4 Image
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
(c) crown copyright Catalogue Reference:CAB/65/20/4 Image Reference:0001 THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OP HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTVS GOVERNMENT Printed for the War Cabinet. November 1941. SECRET. Copy No. W.M. (41). 111th Conclusions. TO' BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY. It is requested that special care may be taken to' ensure the secrecy of this document. WAR CABINET 111 (41). CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street, S.W. 1, on Tuesday, November 11, 1941, at 5 P.M. Present: The Right Hon. WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, M.P., Prime Minister (in the Chair). The Right Hon. Sir JOHN ANDERSON, The Right Hon. ANTHONY EDEN, M.P., M.P., Lord President of the Council. Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. The Right Hon. A. GREENWOOD, M.P., The Right Hon. LORD BEAVERBROOK, Minister without Portfolio. Minister of Supply (Items 5-8). The Right Hon. ERNEST BEVIN, M.P., The Right Hon. Sir KINGSLE Y WOOD , Minister of Labour and National M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer. Service. " The following were also present The Right Hon. HERBERT MORRISON, The Right Hon. VISCOUNT CRANBORNE, M.P., Secretary of State for the Secretary of State for Dominion Home Department and Minister of Affairs (Items 1-6). Home Security (Items 1-6). The Right Hon. L. S. AMERY, M.P., The Right Hon. LORD MOYNE, Secre- Secretary of State for India and tary of State for the Colonies Secretary of State for Burma (Items 1-6). (Items 1-6). The Right Hon. A. V. ALEXANDER, Captain the Right Hon. H. D. M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty MARGESSON , M.P., Secretary of State (Items 1-6). for War (Items 1-6). The Right Hon. Sir ARCHIBALD The Right Hon. BRENDAN BRACKEN, SINCLAIR , Bt., M.P., Secretary of M.P., Minister of Information State for Air (Items 1-6). (Items 1-6). The Right Hon. HUGH DALTON, M.P., The Hon. Sir ALEXANDER CADOGAN, Minister of Economic Warfare Permanent Under-Secretary of State (Item 6). for Foreign Affairs (Items 1-6). Admiral of the Fleet Sir DUDLEY General Sir JOHN DILL, Chief of the POUND , First Sea Lord and Chief of Imperial General Staff (Items 1-6). Naval Staff (Items 1-6). Air Chief Marshal Sir CHARLES F. A. Major-General Sir P. MITCHELL, Chief PORTAL , Chief of the Air Staff Political Officer, Occupied Terri (Items 1-6). tories, East Africa (Item 5). Lieut.-General Sir W. PLATT , General Officer Coinmanding-in-Chief, East Africa (Item 5); Secretariat. Sir EDWARD BRIDGES. Mr. W. D. WILKINSON. Major-General Sir HASTINGS ISMAY. Mr. L. F. BURGIS. [23142] WAR CABINET 111 (41). CONTENTS. Minute No. Subject. Page 1. Parliament 141 Debate OH the Address. Naval, Military and Air Operations 141 Air Operations. Naval Operations: Shipping losses. Military Operations: U.S.S.R. 3. Par East 142. Co-operation with the Netherlands Government. 4y Air Policy 142 5. Ethiopia .... .... 142 6. Blockade 145 Interception of French convoy en route from Madagascar. 7. War Cabinet Arrangements .... .... .... .... 146 146, 81 UTSi&R. Parliament. 1. The Prime Minister said that he thought the Debate on the Debate on the Address should be allowed to continue over Wednesday and Address. Thursday, the 12th and 13th November, and also Tuesday and Wednesday, the 18th and 19th November, if so desired. There should be the fullest opportunity for the expression of views, but it would, of course, be necessary to move the House into Secret Session at once if airy dangerous topic was touched on. He hoped that Ministers generally, and in particular the Foreign Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty, would find it possible to be on the Front Bench for a considerable time during the progress of the Debate. The Prime Minister indicated some of the topics he proposed to refer to in his speech in the Debate on the Address. He did not propose to be drawn into discussion of strategical matters. The War Cabinet took note, with approval, of this statement. Naval, Military 2. The Chiefs of Staff gave the following information in and Air amplification of Cabinet War Room Records Nos. 795-800 :—* Operations. Summary of aircraft losses since the 5th November :— (Previous Reference: Home Theatre-— W.M. (41) 109th Enemy— Conclusions, 14 destroyed. Minute 3.) 9 probable. Air Operations. 13 damaged. Our Own— 24 fighters (3 pilots safe). 52 bombers. 7 Coastal Command aircraft. Overseas Theatre— Enemy— 10 destroyed. 4 probable. 4 damaged. Our Own— 18 destroyed. 18 damaged. In the last six days we had made 690 bomber sorties, compared with 237 sorties by the enemy against this country; of which only 82 had penetrated inland. On the night of the 7th/8th November 400 bombers had been despatched, of which 37 had been lost, mainly on account of weather conditions. The forecasts had been fairly good, although it had been known that there was a strong wind. After the last forecast had been received weather conditions had worsened. The wind had shifted 35 degrees and had increased 10 m.p.h. in velocity. There had been cloud up to 18,000 feet, with heavy icing. As a result, fuel expenditure bad been heavy and many of our aircraft had gone off their course on the return journey. It was possible that this accounted for most of the 37 casualties. Seventeen fighters had been lost in a sweep against a target at extreme range on the 8th November. A number of fighters had got off their course, and probably failed to return owing to a fuel shortage. , [23142] B 2 The Prime Minister said that instructions had several times been given that attacks should not be pressed too hard if the weather was unfavourable. In battle, heavy losses must be faced; but it was undesirable to expose our aircraft to extreme hazards in the course of routine operations. Clear instructions must be given to the Commanders-in-Chief that in planning operations they should take into account the need to build up our Air Force so as to have a stronger force available in the Spring. Naval The Prime Minister congratulated the Admiralty on the Operations. brilliant action by H.M. Ships A urora, Penelope, Lively and Lance against an Italian convoy during the night of the 8th/9th November. Aircraft from H.M. Auxiliary Aircraft-Carrier Audacity had brought down two Focke Wulf aircraft while escorting a convoy to Gibraltar. One of our aircraft had been shot down. Shipping Losses. During the previous six days 22,000 tons of shipping had been reported sunk. This figure included one belated report. Military The Russians appeared to have carried out a successful counter- Operations. attack on the Murmansk front, probably about six weeks ago. Two U.S.S.E. German mountain divisions on this front had been relieved. The Germans were negotiating for their withdrawal through Sweden. The Germans yesterday claimed the capture of Tikvin on the Leningrad-Vologda Railway (250 miles from Vologda). They were attacking Tula heavily from the north-west with armoured forma tions. The Russians had concentrated reserves in this area and considered the situation was in hand. Nearly the whole of the Crimea had been overrun except for Sevastopol and the Kerch Peninsula. The general picture was heartening. The situation had stabilised on the greater part of the Russian front. There was no indication of the Finnish forces ceasing to take part in active operations. The near future would probably see a further German attempt against Moscow and Rostov. The War Cabinet took note of the above statements. Far East. 3. The War Cabinet had some discussion on the situation in Co-operation the Far East, a record of which is contained in the Secretary's with Standard File of War Cabinet Conclusions. Netherlands Government. (Previous Reference: W.M. (41) 108th Conclusions, Minute 5.) Air Policy. 4. The War Cabinet agreed to defer for one month the con (Previous sideration of the Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Air Reference- (W.P. (41) 260). The view taken was that action on the lines W.M. (41) 104th proposed would be inopportune at the present time. Conclusions, Minute 2.) . Ethiopia. ' : ! 5. The War Cabinet had before them (Previous (1) A report of a Committee under the Chairmanship of the Reference: : f " 1 Lord President of the. Council (W.P. (41) 261). W.M. (41) 103rd (2) A memorandum by the Secretary of State forthe Dominions Conclusions,., - (.W.P, (41) 263) setting out.the special interests of Field- Miwte &) ; ;' - - - " Marshal Smuts and ,the-Union* Government in regard to 0 ' ; " -v. - the administration of Ethiopia. After a short preliminary discussion, Lieutenant-General Sir William Platt and Major-General Sir Philip Mitchell entered the meeting. Discussion ensued as to our military interests. Lieutenant-General Sir William Platt said that the War Office wanted the road kept open through Ethiopia from Kenya to the Red Sea, as an alternative to the sea route. The Air Ministry also attached importance to the air facilities in the country and to the maintenance of a meteorological station at Addis Ababa. The position would, however, be greatly changed once the Italian force at Gondar had been captured and all the Italian civilians had been evacuated. If, at the same time, the British troops in Ethiopia were to be removed, the maintenance of adequate communications with the country would be a matter of relative indifference. Sir Philip Mitchell said that it would probably be necessary to leave 300 or 400 Italians to run the railway. These would, however, stay of their own accord, and would make their own terms with the Emperor.