The Grand Alliance (148 page)

If so, he may be more useful for football than war.

Could Napoleon have run seven miles across country
at Austerlitz? Perhaps it was the other fellow he made
run. In my experience, based on many years’ observation, officers with high athletic qualifications are not
usually successful in the higher ranks.

Prime Minister to General

4.II.41.

Ismay, for Secretary of State

for War and C.I.G.S. (Copy to

C.-in-C. Home Forces.)

The statement that one division could not be transferred from Great Britain to Ireland in less than eleven
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days, no matter how great the emergency nor how
careful the previous preparations, is one which
deserves your earnest attention. When we remember
the enormous numbers which were moved from
Dunkirk to Dover and the Thames last May under
continued enemy attack, it is clear that the movement
of personnel cannot be the limiting factor. The problem
is therefore one of the movement of the artillery and
vehicles. This surely deserves special study. Let me
see the exact programme which occupies the eleven
days, showing the order in which men, guns, and
vehicles will embark. This would show perhaps that,
say, nine-tenths of the division might come into action
in much less than eleven days. Or, again, a portion of
the mechanical transport, stores, and even some of the
artillery, including Bren-gun carriers, might be found
from reserves in this country and sent to Ireland in
advance, where they would be none the less a reserve
for us, assuming no need in Ireland arose. Surely now
that we have the time some ingenuity might be shown
in shortening this period of eleven days to move fifteen
thousand fighting men from one well-equipped port to
another – the voyage taking only a few hours. If necessary some revision of the scale of approved establishments might be made in order to achieve the high
tactical object of a more rapid transference and deployment.

We must remember that in the recent training
exercise “Victor” five German divisions, two of which
were armoured and one motorised, were [supposd to
be] landed in about forty-eight hours in the teeth of
strenuous opposition, not at a port with quays and
cranes, but on the open beaches. If we assume that the
Germans can do this, or even half of it, we must contrast this with the statement of the eleven days required
to shift one division from the Clyde to Belfast. We have
also the statement of the Chiefs of Staff Committee that
it would take thirty days to land one British division
unopposed alongside the quays and piers of Tangier.

Perhaps the officers who worked out the landings of the
Germans under “Victor” could make some suggestion
for moving this division into Ireland via Belfast without
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taking eleven days about it. Who are the officers who
worked out the details that this move will take eleven
days? Would it not be wise to bring them into contact
with the other officers who landed these vast numbers
of Germans on our beaches so swiftly and enabled
whole armoured divisions and motorised troops to
come into full action in forty-eight hours?

Evidently it would be wiser to keep open the option
of moving this division as long as possible, and in order
to do this we must have the best plan worked out to
bring the largest possible portion of the division into
action in Ireland in the shortest possible time. I am not
prepared to approve the transfer of the division until this
inquiry has been made. There must be an effort to
reconcile the evident discrepancies as between what
we assume the enemy can do and what in fact we can
do ourselves.

Prime Minister to Home

5.II.41.

Secretary

I think it would be wrong to use soldiers or men of
military age for smoke-protection purposes. You ought
to try to do your best with over-age volunteers, or
women or young persons. Pressure upon effective man
power will be very heavy in the near future. I could not
support your claim to the War Office as at present
advised.

(Action this day.) Prime

5.II.41.

Minister to First Lord and First
Sea Lord

A number of convoys with most important munition
cargoes are now approaching. I know what your
stresses are, and I feel sure you will make every effort
possible.

2. We have now the gift announced of 250,000 more
rifles and 50,000, 000 rounds–.300. To get this here
quickly and safely is a prime object. Pray go into the
matter with others concerned and let me know what is
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possible. I cannot bear to see more than 50,000 rifles
or 10,000,000 rounds in any one ship. Less if possible.

Prime Minister to Minister of

6.II.41.

Agriculture

I observe that you fear that anything up to 500,000

tons of Northern Ireland potatoes may have to be
destroyed as unsaleable, the heavy decline in pig
population having limited the stock-feeding outlet.

I notice that you held out hopes to the fifth meeting
of the Food Policy Committee, but only gave definite
proposals in regard to 200,000 tons, which only goes
halfway to meet the problem.

It seems a great pity that there should have been
this great reduction in the number of pigs owing to the
fear of shortage of feeding stuffs, if there really is this
large surplus. I trust that some way will be found of
utilising it. We cannot afford in these days to throw
away hundreds of thousands of tons of edible material.

Prime Minister to C.A.S.

6.II.41.

Some time ago we asked Greece to prepare airfields
for fourteen squadrons, and this work is still going on.

Then, after various interchanges, you proposed
sending ten squadrons to Turkey, which the Turks have
not yet accepted, but which they may accept. The
President has cut short his journey on my message.

Suppose they do accept, and after that Greece demands further aid beyond the five squadrons allotted,
what are you going to do? I am afraid you have got to
look at this very seriously. I am in it with you up to the
neck. But have we not in fact promised to sell the same
pig to two customers? We might have a legal quibble
about the word “promise,” but I think we have got to
look into this matter rather more deeply than that. Let
me know what you feel about it and what you think can
be done.

Nothing was said about time or priority, so we have
that to veer and haul on.

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(Action this day.) Prime

11.II.41.

Minister to Minister of

Shipping

Is it true that the steamship New Toronto, which
arrived at Liverpool, was ordered to proceed north-about to London, and is it true that this order was only
cancelled as a result of the protest of the captain, who
pointed out the enormous value of the cargo, which
contained, inter alia., 19,677 sub-machine guns and
2,456,000 cartridges? The arrival of these ships with
large consignments of invaluable munitions ought to
receive your personal attention in every case.

Pray give me a report. I attach my copy of the
expected arrivals, on which I always follow the movements of these important cargoes. The ship referred to
is on page 5.

Prime Minister to First Lord

12.II.41.

and First Sea Lord

I should be glad to have a report every three days
on the state of the Furious. Night and day work is
required to fit her for her duties, which are of the
highest urgency.

Prime Minister to Foreign

12.II.41.

Office

We have made Weygand great offers, to which we
have had no reply. It is clear that he will be actuated
only by forces set in motion by pressure of Nazis on
Vichy. Our attitude at the present time should not be
one of appeal to him. Until he has answered through
some channel or other the telegram I sent him, he
ought not to be given supplies. Not one scrap of nobility
or courage has been shown by these people so far,
and they had better go on short commons till they come
to their senses.

The policy of occasional blockade should be enforced as naval means are available,
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(Action this day.) Prime

12.II.41.

Minister to General Ismay and

Sir E. Bridges

I see a new marking [on telegrams] “Officers Only.” I
do not think this is suitable, considering how many
people who are not officers must be privy to the most
secret matters. I should like to know the reasons which
have led up to starting this, but at present I am entirely
unconvinced that it should continue.

Prime Minister to Lord

12.II.41.

President of the Council

There is too much truth in what Doctor Burgin says

[in his letter of complaint about the State as an employer] for him to be put off by the usual official grimace. I
suggest that you see him and deal with his proposition.

I hear a great many cases where the Government
absolutely fail to pay individuals what is admittedly their
due. It seems to me that Doctor Burgin’s letter might
prove a very good peg for you to hang a real stirring-up
of these departments upon. When one is in office one
has no idea how damnable things can feel to the
ordinary rank and file of the public. Doctor Burgin is a
very able man and has experience. Could you not draw
him out and see what suggestions he has to make, and
also what examples he has to give of the shortcomings
which I fear with too much justice he alleges?

Prime Minister to Minister of

14.II.41.

Supply, for Import Executive

I am very anxious to send a complete infantry
division, with their guns and essential vehicles, to the
Middle East in Convoy W.S.7. The men can be fitted in
by displacing others, but the guns and vehicles will
require extra ships. I am told that eight mechanical
transport ships will be wanted over and above those
required to carry the four hundred and fifty vehicles
which the War Office already wish to send in the
convoy.

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I understand that loading would have to start about
February 21 if these ships are to arrive in Egypt at the
same time or shortly after the convoy. Pray consider
how these eight ships could be found, and let me have
a report of what can be done and at what cost in
imports, but take no action in the meanwhile.

Prime Minister to A.C.I.G.S.

15.II.41.

From your account one would think that everything
was going on splendidly, and that no ground for complaint existed [about the Dover defences]. But this was
certainly not the opinion of the responsible officers I
met on the spot. I was distressed by the vigour of their
complaints, and the evident feeling behind them. Let
me have a report each week from the Commander of
the Corps Coast Artillery, and let it pass through your
office, with any comments you may wish to make.

Prime Minister to Sir Edward

15.II.41.

Bridges (Circulate to War

Cabinet and Service Ministers

only, by my special directions.)
We went through all this [vulnerability of Whitehall to
air attack] last September, and came to the conclusion
that we could fight it out in London. Meanwhile, many
improvements have been made, although the buildings
are far from secure. The difficulties of moving are very
great indeed, but certainly the alternative citadels
should be brought to a live state of readiness by March
1. I have been concerned that there is no kind of
protection for G.H.Q. Home Forces except that afforded
by the fairly strong structure of the building in which
they live.