The Grand Alliance (168 page)

Prime Minister to Minister of

8.IX.41.

Labour

Is there any truth in the allegations made in the
newspapers that many of the so-called Jehovah’s
Witnesses are strong young healthy fellows, who do
not take part in the war effort?

Prime Minister to Minister of

10.IX.41.

Supply (Copy to the

Secretary of State for Air.)

In your minute of August 29 you tell me that the
order for fifty thousand Jefferis bombs (puff balls)
cannot be produced and that you can offer ten
thousand only.

I take it that this is due to the shortage of the explosive. I am informed that the contents of nine sticky
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bombs will fill two puff-balls. We could thus obtain the
remaining forty thousand puff-balls by postponing the
filling of 180,000 stickies. This, I understand, is only
about six weeks’ output at the present rate, and I
therefore agree that we should postpone filling in this
way.

The bombard should continue in production unaf-fected.

(Action this day.) Prime

10.IX.41.

Minister to C.I.G.S.

Please see attached from Lord Beaverbrook [about
the Trans-Persian Railway], In view of the danger to
Murmansk and the masses of stuff we are planning to
send to Russia and the difficulties of developing the
railway through Persia and carrying at the same time, it
seems most urgent to explore the full possibilities of
road transport. I could cable Mr. Hopkiris asking for the
necessary lorries, drivers, and mechanics, if these are
necessary, and I have little doubt the United States
would ship them to Basra pretty quickly. I know nothing
about the roads, but the whole matter must be examined, together with a plan for improving the roads while
the vehicles are coming from America.

Let me have your views on this, if possible by
tomorrow, so that I can act.

Prime Minister to General

12.IX.41.

Ismay, for C.O.S. Committee

It will not be possible for the whole British Army
(other than those in the Middle East) to remain indefinitely inert and passive as a garrison of this Island
against invasion. Such a course, apart altogether from
military considerations, would bring the Army into
disrepute. I do not need to elaborate this.

2. An expeditionary force equivalent to six divisions
should be organised for action oversea.

3. Unless unexpected developments open a new
theatre in Spain or Morocco, or invasion becomes
imminent, we should attempt the liberation of Norway at
the earliest suitable moment.

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4. A plan should be prepared to act in whatever is
thought to be the best place. This plan should be
brought before the Defence Committee before the end
of the present month.

Prime Minister to Sir Edward

13.IX.41.

Bridges and General Ismay

It is certain that confusion will arise between Bandar
Shahpur and Bandar Shah at either end of the Trans-Persian Railway. Therefore, for all British official purposes the two places should be called Bandar Caspian
and Bandar Gulf. Pray let directions be given in this
sense.

Prime Minister to General

13.IX.4I.

Ismay

It is certainly necessary that this appreciation [on
general strategy for the Dominions Prime Ministers]

should be brought up to date. It does not take any
account of our occupation of Persia, and of the importance of the through route to Russia, with whom we
have joined hands. It will be much easier at the end of
September or in mid-October to take a view about
Russian prospects. No reference is made to a possible
attack or pressure upon Turkey, and its consequences.

What is the hurry about this paper? In its present
form it will only hustle and worry the Dominions. Take,
for instance, the suggestion that one of the reasons for
holding Egypt is to prevent the Italian fleet from
charging through the Canal to hunt the British Navy out
of the Indian Ocean. I should be very sorry to base our
case for holding Egypt on such an argument.

Prime Minister to General

13.IX.41.

Ismay, for C.O.S. Committee

I have never asked for a second voyage [of American ships for convoying Middle East reinforcements],
though I hoped it would come. But it would be a great
help in working off the masses of troops overdue for the
Middle East. All this is most gratifying. I should be glad
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presently of details to express thanks. Please report on
facilities opened up by second trip.

Prime Minister to Minister of

13.IX.41.

Information

Surely more stir ought to be made about Hitler
shooting the Norwegian trade-unionists, and sending
others for long periods of penal servitude. Ought not
the Trade Union Congress to pass resolutions of
sympathy? Why don’t you get into touch with Citrine
and work up a steady outcry? The names of the two
victims should be publicised as martyrs.

Prime Minister to Sir Andrew

13.IX.41.

Duncan

At my request Lord Cherwell has prepared a short
note upon the import forecast. You are now considering
the programmes at the Import Executive. I work in
calendar years, and the import budget which I wish to
make must be for the year 1942. I should like to settle
this budget at latest during November. Meanwhile,
comparisons between the first and second years of the
war, and forecasts of the third year, are useful.

You must always bear in mind that I may have to
make a large further demand for shipping, in case an
expeditionary force has to be dispatched. Perhaps you
will let me have your preliminary ideas, for which the
Professor’s paper forms a convenient peg.

Prime Minister to Lord

13.IX.41.

Cherwell

It will be necessary to prevent any diminution in the
strength of the Army in 1942, and very special measures will have to be adopted to secure this. There can
be no question of switching off Army munitions for
some time to come. I have asked that an expeditionary
force of six divisions, in addition to the two going East,
should be prepared. Where it will go must depend on
events. What is left will be barely sufficient to give
security at home.

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The provision of the necessary men will cause great
difficulties. I hope, however, that A.D.G.B., A.R.P.,
Coastal Defence, and the heavy artillery, together with
some of the rearward services, may yield two or three
hundred thousand men. We shall draw sharply upon
reserved occupations. At the present time there is
grave danger of several divisions having to be broken
up.Please take the above for your guidance.

(Action this day.) Prime

14.IX.41.

Minister to General Ismay,

for C.O.S. Committee

The air force demand shows the unbridled use of
ground personnel. We are planning to place eighty
squadrons in the Middle East by the spring of 1942.

There are already forty-five thousand air-groundsmen
there, and it is now proposed to add forty thousand
more, making a total of well over one thousand men to
every squadron of sixteen aircraft first-line strength. It is
evident that a searching inquiry must be held into these
establishments, which on their present scale will ruin
our war effort.

In the meanwhile only twenty thousand air force
personnel can be included in the convoys up to the end
of December.

It should be noted that only thirteen air squadrons
are being sent from here, not seventeen, as stated in
these papers.

2. The additional divisions should go intact, in
accordance with my request to the President. He would
never have given me the extra shipping but for the
attraction of placing two strong additional divisions in
the Middle East. I cannot face him with a demand to
use his ships for details and drafts.

3. The above makes a total of sixty thousand. The
troops for India would seem to come next, in view of the
four extra divisions we are to get as a result of them.

The A.T. and A.A. artillery would naturally have precedence over the field and medium, with which the Middle
East is already so heavily supplied. Eighteen thousand
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additional Army Service Corps is a requirement very
hard to justify. What particular task is this force, almost
equivalent to a division in numbers, needed for?

4. With regard to drafts. The Army of the Nile has
not fought lately, and although there is the usual
wastage for sickness I cannot feel that drafts to complete the first reinforcements – i.e., ten per cent drafts
at the base over and above full strength with the units,
or drafts to cover estimated additional wastage –

should take precedence over organised fighting troops.

They should fit in as convenient.

5. Meanwhile, let me have a table showing the
present strength of each of the battalions or artillery
regiments (British) for which these thirty-one thousand
additional drafts are now said to be required. Infantry
drafts should receive priority over other branches.

6. Some time ago I had some figures showing the
ratio of fighting troops to the rearward services in the
Middle East. Could these be brought up to date, on the
assumption that it was possible to carry the whole
142,000 now asked for?

Prime Minister to Foreign

20.IX.41.

Secretary (Copy to Secretary

of State for Air.)

I think that great value might be obtained at the
present time by dropping leaflets on Italy referring
particularly to the fact that hundreds of thousands of
Italians have been sent from sunny homes to die in the
frozen mud of the Ukraine. Pray have this matter
considered by the Political Warfare Executive.

I am sending a copy of this minute to the Secretary
of State for Air, in order that the operational aspect also
may be considered.

(Action this day.) Prime

21.IX.41.

Minister to Colonel Hollis

Many bombards are now being delivered. What has
been done about their tactical employment? An experimental bombard battery or regiment should be set up at
once to develop the use of the weapon and to further
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its distribution to troops. Let me have proposals how
this can be achieved.

Prime Minister to C.A.S.

21.IX.41.

Do our fighter pilots over France carry a sufficient
supply of French money? I am told they are only given
fifty francs. In my view at least three thousand francs
should be carried as part of a pilot’s equipment, and
passed from hand to hand.

Prime Minister to C.I.G.S.

21.IX.41.

I am not prepared to let this lapse or be slurred over,
or fall into oblivion. More than admonitions are required
when six hundred German Legionnaires are allowed to
go back to Vichy France for further use by Germany
against us. It might take six hundred British lives to deal
with these men so casually and incontinently allowed to
slip through our fingers. A formal letter should be
written by the War Office to the Commander-in-Chief
Middle East, asking for the action taken by him, and
pointing out the gravity of the injury to British interests
involved in this supine conduct of the Command in
Syria. If a sergeant or a corporal makes a slip, he is
punished or reprimanded. The Staff Officers around
General Wilson are to blame for not having raised the
point and under stood what was going on. If General
Wilson takes the blame himself, it can be written off
against his good services in other directions, but he
ought to be left in no doubt of the harm that has been
done. The fullest detailed explanation should be provided.
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