Sunday Post - 06.10.1940, Qupperneq 2

2
SUNDAY POST
SUNDAY POST
is issued by S. Benediktsson
publisher of Daily Post.
Office: Al]py SuprentsmiSj an
h.f. Teleph. 4905. Reykjavik.
Sunday October 6th 1940
THE WAR AND THE
ICELANDERS
This occupation is not all jam
Tor the Icelanders and we might
as well admit it. To have — well
x + y hundred troops suddenly
appearing in your small country
and to find your capital town
quickly taking on the aspect of
war-time Aldershot must be a
bit of a shock, and the strain
pbt ion the resources of a small
though thriving community can
easily be Understood.
On the whole the Icelanders
are taking it very well. The vast
majority are friendly and very
often this friendliness is based
fan' a very real understanding of
the reasons for the occupation.
But there are exception.
We must remember that they
are neutrals and even if 'they
support our cause we cannot ev-
pect them automatically to share
our confidence.
Living far from the war, they
have heard boiw Germany has
taken country after country until
even France our most powerful
ally was lost to us. This is our
debit side; these facts are striking
and undeniable and it is not
surprising if the people here are
impressed.
Our credit side is much greater |
than this but it is less striking.
We know this and it is up to us
to help the Icelanders to under-
stand it too.
Tell them of the million and
a half trained soldiers ready to
defend our ooasts, of our sea-
soned and determined Home
Guard, of our unconquerable
Navy, of the invaluable help we.
are receiving from the Empire
and from America. Ask them if
they think the adventures of the
Nazi raiders over Britain seem
like those of invincible supermen.
And try above all to give them
some idea of our confidence and
determination.
The Icelanders are in this with
uis( and it is right that we should
help them to share our confid-
ence. 1 I '
IN OCCUPIED BELGIUM
7 HE
LIKE ALL-
CON QUER1N G
SUPERMEN
In occupied France and
Belgium today the scene is
everywhere dominated by
German uniforms. The
wearers of these uniforms
range from youths to grey-
headed men and nurses.
This is the account given by
a newspaper correspondent
who has only recently returned
after spending five years in
France and July, August and
earl September in Brussels.
DO
“So far as can be judged
most soldiers now in Brussels
have been under arms for two
years or more. If asked about
the end of the war they gene-
rally shrug their shoulders and
show no pleasure at the future
prospects. In many cases they
criticise the occupation of Den-
mark and Norway.
“They do not want to fight
and obviously have no firm
faith in ultimate victory. A
view that I often heard was ‘If
we don’t succeed in invading
England before the end of
September, and we probably
will not — though of course we
are still hoping — we will
never win this war!
NOT SEEM
“Occasionally they add
‘And that means revolution.’
“The bombing of Berlin and
Hamburg is having a very de-
pressing effect but I am con-
vinced that it is not only this
which has turned their sto-
machs against the war. They
are sick of it for many resons,
and few of them are Nazis at
heart.
“It would be too much to
conclude that this is enough
to bring them to open revolt.
They are so cowed that they
will never find willpower of
themselves to oppose their
Nazi leaders.”
On the subject of the Belgian
(Continued on page 3.)
GERMAN TROOPS
“The striking thing about
these hundreds and thous-
ands of soldiers and semi-
soldiers,” he says, “is that
they do not live up to the
picture given by their own
propaganda ministry of a
superior victorious race.
Most of them are tired, war-
weary and demoralised.
“This statement is not based
on wishful thinging but on ac-
tual observation and first-hand
experience. Intimate and un-
constrained contact with Ger-
man soldiers, officials and wo-
men, in Belgium today, makes
the propaganda in the German
and French press seem unreal.
Among the uniformed Germans
in Belgium you can seldom
hear highflown phrases about
Victory, Greatness and Invinci-
bility and the Germans show
a quite surprising lack of faith
in the propaganda of their Go-
vernment.
“Recently I heard a German
officer say quietly that he
thought the Germans would
find it impossible to invade and
defeat England.
‘Our people don’t know the
English,’ he explained. ‘But
I’ve spent many years in Eng-
land and I know.’
“German soldiers in Belgium
are frequently heard to declare
that they detest this war are
sick and tired of it and want to
go home. At first I could hardly
believe my ears and wonder-
ed whether this was not some
sort of trap or an astute new
form of propaganda but that
idea soon passed and I became
convinced that the ‘victorious’
German soldiers were seriously
demoralised.
rP HE proudest man
in England to-
day must be Mr. Cham-
berlain’s doctor. He ad-
vised Mr. Chamberlain
to resign; got a fee for
the advice that millions
of Englishmen includ-
ing many of our most
distinguished public
men have been offering
free, gratis and for
nothing for the last two
years. And the advice
was accepted!
There has been no at-
tempt to conceal the Neville Chamberlain.
satisfaction with which this news has been greeted. Even
the B.B.C. which no one could accuse of partiality has
given wide publicity to the view that his resignation has
greatly strengthened the Government. “It shows” they
say “that the Blitzkrieg has failed politically as well as
militarily. They hoped that bombardment of London
would bring the appeasers back. Now they can see that
it has had the opposite effect.”
No one would deny that Mr. Chamberlain did his
best. But it was a very bad best indeed. He failed at
war as he had failed at peace and still he lingered on.
“Hitler has missed the bus” he told us, hut it was Cham-
berlain who was missing the bus — the bus home. Now
he has had to go in an ambulance.
“Chamberlain has gone, but the warmongers re-
main” wails the German Radio. Good luck to the “war-
mongers”! TJiey will lead us to success in this war which
the “peacemongers” landed us in.
HE HAS GONE!