Chapter 80 Volume 3 Chapter 7 Atlantic Battle (1941) Western Haikou Area

Great Anxiety German Submarines and Airplanes Combined Operation Western Haikou Tensions Our Countermeasures A Life-and-Death Struggle Landing Supplies Reduced by Half Ship Losses and Port Congestion Memorandum of 28th February Memorandum of 22nd February Western Seaport Area Command moved from Plymouth to Liverpool 17th February Our older ships were badly damaged in a storm Hitler 30th January Intimidation of the day Admiralty Salvage Division Sortie of the German cruiser Hill in the South Atlantic Scharnhorst and Gneisenau suddenly sailed out March 15th and 16th We had 80,000 of us Tons of ships sunk March 22 German attack ships concealed in Brest Hitler's mistake Battle of the Atlantic Battle of the Atlantic Commission I issue on March 6 German submarines form wolf pack tactical issue Passage of Lend-Lease March The import budget passed on the 26th has a close relationship with the United States. The Dunkirk incident. President Roosevelt exerted pressure on Vichy.

Of all the serious incidents that have ensued, there is one that disturbs us most.Battles may be won or lost, adventures may be won or lost, territories may be gained or lost, but the crucial issue that commands all our power, that enables us to fight and even survive, is that we control our ocean-going routes and enable our ships to Freely approach and enter our ports.In a previous volume I spoke of the dangers posed to us by the German occupation of the European coastline from the North Cape in the north to the Pyrenees in the south. [1] On the Norwegian island of Magru.translator Enemy submarines are constantly improving in speed, endurance, and range, and they can strike from any port or bay along this long coastline and destroy our seaborne food and merchandise.Their numbers are also increasing.During the first quarter of 1941, the production rate of new submarines was ten per month, which was increased to eighteen per month shortly thereafter.These submarines include the so-called 500-ton type and the 740-ton type. The former has a cruising range of 11,000 miles, and the latter has a cruising range of 15,000 miles.

At this time, in addition to the disaster brought about by German submarines, air raids by long-range aircraft in the ocean were added.Of these, the Fokker-Wulf 200, known as the Condor, was the most feared, fortunately in limited numbers at first.They could take off from Brest or Bordeaux, circle the British Isles, refuel in Norway, and return the next day.Due to the lack of escort ships, we have to form a huge transport fleet consisting of forty or fifty ships. The enemy's long-range aircraft can overlook the departure or return of these transport fleets from a high altitude on the way, and they can use devastating bombs to attack these transport fleets or Individual ships may also inform the submarines on standby for interception.While it was still December we had begun preparations as a last resort for the installation of underwater explosive nets from the mouths of the Mersey and Clyde Rivers to a depth of 600 feet in the northwest of Ireland. 【１】

[1] The proposed mine screen was never set.See volume two of this book, chapter thirty, pages five hundred and thirty-six, and pages five hundred and thirty-seven. At this time, we have ordered the expansion and redeployment of the Air Force and Coastal Defense Corps to supply pilots and aircraft first.We plan to increase the Air Force of the Coast Defense Corps to fifteen squadrons by June 1941, and among these reinforcements are the fifty-seven American Catalina seaplanes which we expect to receive by the end of April inside.Southern Ireland's refusal to afford us all facilities again had a pernicious effect on our plans.We are ramping up new airports in Northern Ireland and Scotland and the Hebrides.

The disadvantages mentioned above continue to exist, and some have intensified.It is because of British scientific and technological achievements, and because 20,000 loyal workers have painstakingly put the research results to use in thousands of small boats with many new and different instruments, that we have made the magnetic mine. The noose is a little looser, so that the enemy does not tighten it.Our whole sea transport operations along the east coast of Britain were constantly under threat from German light bombers or fighter jets, so that traffic was severely limited and curtailed.The Port of London, considered vital to our survival during the First World War, is now reduced to a quarter of its throughput.The English Channel is the waters of actual combat.Enemy air raids on the Mersey, Clyde and Bristol severely damaged these remaining major commercial ports.The Irish and Bristol Channels are either blocked or severely hampered.Every leading expert, a year ago, would have immediately declared our situation hopeless, a life-and-death struggle.

Our protection measures are large-scale and very detailed, including escort, rerouting, use of degaussing cables, mine clearance, not taking the Mediterranean route, and so on.Most ships have extended sailing times and distances.Meanwhile, ships were delayed in port for some time due to bombing and blackouts.For all the above reasons, the effective transportation capacity of our ships has been greatly reduced, and this situation is more serious than the actual losses.In the beginning, the Admiralty's first thought was, of course, to get the ships safely into port, and to measure their success by the standard that the fewer the wrecks, the greater the achievement.However, it can no longer be used as a standard for measurement.We have agreed that the survival and operations of the Nation depend upon the quantity of imported supplies safely ashore.In my memo to the First Sea Lord in mid-February, I said: I understand that in January less than half the number of ships loaded with cargo was imported in January last year.

The pressure is mounting and we are losing far more ships than we are building.America's vast resources can only work slowly.We can no longer expect to acquire large numbers of ships by accident, as fell into our hands in the spring of 1940 when Norway, Denmark, Holland and Belgium were captured by the enemy. Moreover, the number of damaged ships far exceeds our ability to repair them, and our ports are becoming more crowded every week, which makes us unable to cope.In early March, a total of 2.6 million tons of ships were damaged, of which 930,000 tons were being repaired while loading cargo, and nearly 1.7 million tons of ships were unusable and had to be repaired.It would be a great relief if I could avoid these serious troublesome problems and engage in a vigorous, if not smooth, military adventure.How I would have liked to substitute a grand assault for these elusive, incalculable dangers, indicated by charts, curves, and statistics!

As early as January 1941 we had set up the Import Management Committee, which included the main import departments and was chaired by the Minister of Armaments.At the same time, a parallel agency production management committee was established, chaired by the Minister of Labor. The main purpose of the former agency was to deal with the import situation, to improve the organization of ships and traffic, and to solve the many intricate problems of labor and organization in the ports.These two powerful institutions often meet to discuss issues.At this time, I worked closely with them to coordinate their actions.

Prime Minister to Shipping Secretary January 4, 1941 The import management committee should study the whole situation of imports, and the development of the import situation is one of the reasons for setting up the management committee.I will personally maintain the closest contact with the Import Regulatory Commission and try to make the necessary decisions.I hope that if more efficient use is made of our ships, ship turnaround times, ports and labor potential, the available tonnage will exceed your current estimate of 33 million tons. The Departments of Shipping and Transportation, together with the Department of Labor, should actively cooperate with the Import Administration Committee, and the Import Committee should effectively coordinate the work of these departments.In addition, the Admiralty will be required to further devote itself to the repair of ships, even if it interferes to some extent with the construction of new merchant ships.We hope that American aid is imminent, and we hope that as the days grow longer and the nights shorter and our reinforcements of the important escort ships are active, our convoys will be in greater safety.

Prime Minister's letter to Import Regulatory Council January 23, 1941 Please do not be bound by the ship's loss estimate proposed by the Ministry of Shipping, or use it as a basis for future calculations.The Ministry of Shipping estimates annual ship losses at 5,250,000 tons, calculated from the time of the collapse of France, including the unusual losses suffered by our forces during the retreat from Norway and France.Another better calculation method is based on monthly average calculations, and the loss for the whole year of 1940 is 4.25 million tons.Or use another calculation method to subtract the losses since the start of the war from the special losses during the withdrawal of the troops, and the annual loss is 3.75 million to 4 million tons.

2. It is prudent to assume that this rate of loss will continue.This is not to say, however, that the loss figures will not decrease as we adopt improved methods and add destroyers to our fleet.I considered this and thought it safe to average the losses since the beginning of the war on a monthly basis. The events of 1941 fully confirmed my estimation to be correct. Earlier this year I asked the Privy Councilor, Sir John Anderson, to take on a special task to formulate and implement a plan for bringing the entire economic resources of the country into the wartime regime. Prime Minister to Privy Councilor January 28, 1941 The Import Control Committee and the Production Control Committee should actually deal with the operational issues within their respective areas, but it is important that the larger issues of economic policy be dealt with primarily by you, in the committees you chair.This is in line with the inclination of public opinion, which is informed on all sides.Therefore, you should not hesitate to start looking at the big picture.You should call on economists like Keynes to state their opinions directly to you.You can suggest any assistants or clerical staff you need, of course, the Statistics Office should be used.Professor Lindemann and the institution he presides over will assist you in any way you wish and act as a liaison between you and me. I wish you excellent and strong leadership of this committee.The committee should definitely meet at least once a week, if not more often. Please consult with Sir Edward Bridges on the above-mentioned matters and provide your additional comments. Anderson brought his full energy, mature insights, and administrative skills to this task.His long experience as a civil servant in the country and as a governor in Bangladesh has given him extensive knowledge of government departments and public service systems.He soon won the confidence of his cabinet colleagues and made the committee chaired by the Privy Councilor a powerful instrument for coordinating the various ministerial plans in line with overall wartime economic policy.Thereafter, the committee was able to exercise considerable authority and adjudication on behalf of the war cabinet, whether in the implementation of war economic policy or otherwise.His command of economic policy and issues on the home front freed me to devote myself to military work. Prime Minister to Minister of Defense Sir Andrew Duncan February 22, 1941 The Prime Minister would like you to bring the attached Memorandum and Diagram to the attention of the Import Administration Committee.These materials were compiled by Professor Lindemann under the personal guidance of the Prime Minister.They revealed a very serious and hitherto inexplicable tendency which, if not corrected, would have endangered the very existence of Britain and paralyzed her war effort. The Prime Minister was puzzled by the alarming drop in imports when the number of ship sinkings (although still serious) and total tonnage (not to mention shipping routes) had fallen by little. He is pleased to see that the situation has improved considerably in the past two weeks and hopes that this may be the first achievement of the Import Regulatory Commission. The Prime Minister is willing to summon the Import Regulatory Commission at 5 pm on Tuesday to see if they can propose further measures to prevent a potentially fatal danger. As early as August 4, 1940, I had asked the Admiralty to move the command center for the Western Seaport area from Plymouth to the River Clyde. [1] There was resistance to this proposal, and it was not until February 1941 that the Admiralty endorsed it due to the mounting pressure of events.A consensus was then reached on moving north.We correctly chose the Mersey instead of the Clyde.On February 17, Admiral Noble took office in Liverpool as Commander-in-Chief of the Western Seaport.Air Force Coast Defense Commander Air Force Admiral Bowser worked closely with him.The new Combined Commands soon began to work, and from April 15 the two Commands were fused into one fine weapon under the operational command of the Admiralty. 【1】See volume two of this book, chapter thirty, page five hundred and thirty-one. At the beginning of the new year there was an almost constant storm, which did much damage to our older ships, which, though old and weak, we still had to use on the ocean voyages.Soon after, Hitler gave a speech in Berlin on January 30, 1941. He threatened destruction and pointed out with confidence that they were surrounding us from all sides with combined naval and air forces. He hoped that he would Make us run out of food and ammunition, and bow our knees and surrender."By spring, we'll have submarine warfare in the oceans and they'll realize that we're not sleeping too much (courtesy cheers)," he said.The air force will also play a role, and the entire armed forces will force them to make a decision of one kind or another. Prime Minister's letter to Import Regulatory Council February 25, 1941 It is reported that the Admiralty Salvage Service has lately made as great a contribution in maintaining our fleet as in new construction; The number of newly built ships is 340,000 tons; while the number of ships being salvaged by the salvage department has increased rapidly, from ten in August to about thirty now. We congratulate them on this achievement.I am sure that the Import Control Board would assist them in these measures, if it could be done to assist them in increasing their equipment and finding suitable officers. Currently, we cannot take full advantage of these gains due to lack of repair capabilities.I am convinced that the committee you chair is planning to increase repair capacity, and at the same time, use overseas facilities to repair ships that can sail once before they are repaired. At this time, in addition to conducting submarine warfare against us, the enemy also launched attacks with powerful cruisers, which caused us to suffer serious losses.In November 1940, when the Hill attacked a convoy of transports, it sank my famous Gaffers Bay. The circumstances of the incident have been discussed before.In January, the Hill was in the South Atlantic, heading for the Indian Ocean.It destroyed ten of our ships in three months, totaling 60,000 tons, and then successfully returned, arriving in Germany on April 1, 1941. We have not been able to deploy a strong fleet to deal with the Graf Spee as we did a year ago.The cruiser Hipper, which had broken into the Atlantic in early December 1940, was hiding in Brest.At the end of January, the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, finally repairing the wounds suffered in the Norwegian battle, were ordered to attack in the North Atlantic, while Hipper harassed the route from Sierra Leone.The two battlecruisers were nearly destroyed by the British Home Fleet during their initial trial runs under Admiral Lukins.The lingering fog saved them.They passed through the Denmark Strait without incident on 3 February.Meanwhile, the Hipper had left Brest and headed south. On February 8, the two German battlecruisers were cruising along the Halifax route, watching out for an approaching British convoy.The German ships immediately separated to attack from different angles.Suddenly, they accidentally discovered that the transport convoy was escorted by the battleship Ramie.Admiral Lukins withdrew immediately. His basic instructions were to avoid an engagement with an evenly matched enemy ship, which he interpreted as any British ship of war with fifteen-inch guns.His prudence has paid him off.On February 22 he sank five ships, stragglers of an outgoing convoy.Fearing a counterattack from our side, Lukins sailed further south, and on March 8 encountered a convoy from Freetown.However, this time he discovered that one of the battleships, the Malaya, had to call in the submarines and let them gather to attack.Submarines sank five transports.After he appeared in this sea area, he returned to the western Atlantic Ocean again.At this time, it was there that he achieved his greatest success.On March 15th he intercepted six empty tankers straggled from an outgoing convoy and sank or captured them all.The next day he sank ten more ships, most of them belonging to the same convoy.In this way, he destroyed or captured more than 80,000 tons of ships within two days. But the Rodney, escorting a convoy sailing from Halifax, approached.Admiral Lukins has taken enough risks and will show them.On the morning of March 22, he sailed into the port of Brest.During their two-month cruise, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sank or captured twenty-two ships totaling 115,000 tons.At this time, the Hipper encountered a convoy returning from Sierra Leone near the Azores.It sank seven of nineteen ships in a frenzied attack that lasted an hour.She had no intention of rescuing the surviving crew and sailed back to the port of Brest two days later.This was a significant loss in addition to our losses in submarine warfare.Furthermore, the presence of these powerful enemy ships compelled us to use nearly every capital ship we had at our disposal for escort.At one time, the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet had only one battleship. At this time, the Bismarck had not yet entered active service.The German Admiralty is expected to be awaiting the completion of the ship and her companion Tirpitz.Hitler utilized his two massive battleships most effectively by keeping them on standby in the Baltic while constantly spreading rumors of an impending attack.We would thus be obliged to muster nearly every new ship at or near Scapa Flow, while he would have all the convenience of choosing his moment of attack without being constantly on the alert.With ships requiring regular overhauls, it is difficult for our forces to maintain the adequate margins necessary for naval superiority.Any serious accident will deprive us of this power. Day and night I pondered this shocking question.At this time, I pin my only sure hope of victory on our ability to fight an indefinitely protracted war, pending the attainment of overwhelming air superiority, and the possibility that other great powers may join us in the fight.But this mortal danger to our lifeline makes me restless.As early as March, Admiral Pound had reported to the War Cabinet that the sinking of the ship was particularly serious.I had seen the figures, so when I met Pound in the Prime Minister's Office in the House of Commons, I said to him: We must bring this matter to the highest level, above all other matters.I'm going to call it the Battle of the Atlantic.This designation, similar to that of the Battle of Britain nine months earlier, was a signal to draw the attention of all those involved and departments concerned to submarine warfare. In order to give the subject the closest personal attention to me, and to issue instructions in time for the removal of difficulties and obstacles, and for the advancement of the work of many departments concerned, I have established the Atlantic Combat Committee.This committee meets once a week and is attended by all concerned ministers and senior officials, both military and civilian.The meeting time is usually not less than two and a half hours.The whole situation was examined carefully, and every question was thoroughly discussed; no question was put on hold for indecision.The number of committee meetings is sufficient to indicate the pace of the Atlantic campaign in 1941.From March 19th to May 8th, the committee met weekly without interruption.Then there is a period of biweekly meetings, and a final period of less frequent meetings.The last meeting was held on October 22nd. We command operations across a wide range of organizations, including thousands of capable, dedicated personnel who work together to transform the situation, and who see this side of the war with penetrating eyes from many, many angles.As indicated in the previous chapter, March 6th was a day of tension when the question of sending troops to Greece was still in doubt.Even so, before this decision was taken, I wrote the directive entitled Battle of the Atlantic.I read this directive to the House of Commons in conclave on June 25, 1941, but it is also necessary for this document to appear here for the sake of this history. Battle of the Atlantic Minister of Defense Directive March 6, 1941 In view of the statements made by the Germans, we must consider the Battle of the Atlantic to have begun. During the next four months we shall try to thwart the enemy's efforts to cut us off from food and from America.To this end, the following measures should be taken immediately: 1. We should take the offensive against German submarines and Fokker-Wulff bombers anytime and anywhere.German submarines at sea should be searched and submarines in shipyards or docks should be bombed.Make an air attack on the Fokker-Wulff and other bombers used to attack my ships, or destroy them at the airfield. 2. We should devote ourselves to the following tasks first: equip ships with aircraft catapults or use other methods to launch fighter jets to defend against enemy bombers attacking our ships.Measures for implementation should be proposed within one week. 3. The following work should be actively promoted: all approved or under preparation measures to concentrate the main force of the Air Force Coastal Defense Corps in the Northwest Haikou area, and measures to control the east coast with the assistance of fighter and bomber fleets.With longer days and shorter nights and new routes taken, the German submarine threat is expected to diminish in the near future.Of particular importance is the effective countering of the Fokker-Wulff bomber and the possible Junker 88 bomber. 4. In view of the great need for a large number of destroyers for escort, it should be considered whether it is necessary to dock the US destroyers already in service for a second stage of refit before the end of the tense phase of this new campaign. 5. The Department of the Admiralty, in conjunction with the Department of Shipping, should re-examine the question of excluding from the convoy fleet ships traveling at 12 to 13 knots, and reconsider the possibility of allowing such ships to sail for a period of time. 6. The Admiralty shall have priority in applying for all short-range anti-aircraft guns, and other weapons capable of being fitted on board suitable merchant vessels plying dangerous seas.The British Air Defense Forces and relevant factories have been ordered to supply 200 Bofors or equivalent anti-aircraft guns.But, besides this, there should still be a steady supply of anti-aircraft guns, together with gunners or chief gunners, ready to be received by the Admiralty at any time. A three-month plan should be developed. 7. We must be ready for concentrated enemy bombardment of the ports on which we are especially dependent (the Mersey, Clyde and Bristol Channel). Therefore, these ports should be provided with maximum defence.A report should be submitted within one week on the status of the progress. 8. All relevant departments should work together to step up efforts to deal with the large number of damaged ships currently congregating in our ports.By the end of June, the net tonnage of these ships due to repairs should be no less than 400,000 tons.To this end it may be advisable, for the time being, to take care of immediate needs, both in the construction of merchant ships and naval vessels.All newly-built merchant ships that cannot be completed before September 1941 should be suspended and workers transferred to repair work.The Admiralty has promised at the earliest opportunity to draw 5,000 men from the long-term construction program of warship construction or ship repair, and another 5,000 men from the long-term merchant ship construction tasks. 9. Even at considerable risk, all methods of simplifying and speeding up the repair and installation of degaussing cables must be applied in order to improve the slow turnover of ships in English ports.If fifteen days can be saved in the process of ships entering and leaving the port, it is equivalent to an increase of 5 million tons of imported materials, or (equal to) an increase of 1.25 million tons of imported ships.The Admiralty has instructed officers stationed in various ports to assist as much as possible in this process, including repair work.Orders should be issued at any time in the future, and the officers stationed in the port should be instructed to report on their work and whether they have any suggestions.It may be necessary to hold a meeting of the port officials, at which all difficulties can be raised and views exchanged. 10. The Minister of Labor has reached an agreement on the issue of mutual exchange of port laborers in his meeting with both employers and employees.This will really effectively increase the total workforce. In any case, at least another 40,000 people should be transferred to ship repair, shipbuilding and dock work as soon as possible.In ports and shipyards, strong awareness-raising efforts should be in place to make all workers aware of the importance of their work.At the same time, it is inadvisable to use newspapers or radio broadcasts locally, since this can only encourage further efforts by the enemy. 11. The Ministry of Transport shall ensure that the phenomenon of accumulation and congestion on the wharf is overcome, and all goods that land on the shore shall be removed at any time.For this purpose, the Secretary of State for Transport may ask the Chairman of the Import Regulatory Board to give him any further assistance he may require. He is also expected to report weekly to the Import Regulatory Board on progress in improving port conditions.To improve port congestion, we especially resort to tools such as cranes transferred from other ports.He should also report on the progress of adding new facilities in smaller ports and the further use of barges to increase the speed of loading and unloading. Twelve. A standing committee has been constituted by representatives of the Department of Transportation of the Admiralty, the Department of Shipping, and the Department of Transportation, which shall meet daily to report on obstacles or difficulties encountered by the Chairman of the Import Administration Committee, which shall make all These measures are coordinated and reported to me on a weekly basis so that I can seek authorization from Cabinet to take any further steps. Thirteen‧In addition to the domestic measures, we must do our best to ensure that our ships shorten the turnaround time at overseas ports.Special instructions on this point should be issued to all parties concerned and they should be asked to report on the measures taken and difficulties encountered in their implementation. Also on this busy day of March 6th, I wrote a memorandum on the strength of the Army based on what I knew about the imports.This memorandum is contained in the appendix to this volume. 【１】 At this time, German submarines began to apply a new method called wolf pack tactics. This is a coordinated attack by several submarines from different directions.At this time, the attack is usually carried out at night, and the submarine speeds across the sea at full power, so it can only be seen when it is close to it.Under such circumstances, only destroyers can quickly catch up with them. This type of tactics will be the key to fighting in the next year or two, which confronts us with two problems.First, how to defend our convoys from such high-speed nighttime attacks.Submarine detectors are practically useless in such attacks by the enemy.The solution lies not only in increasing the number of fast escort ships, but also in developing effective radars.Furthermore, a solution must be found immediately, otherwise our losses will soon become unbearable.In the past we had been quite successful against small German submarine attacks early in the war, creating an undue sense of security.Now, just when the storm is coming, we lack the scientific equipment to meet our needs.We worked hard on this question.Due to the unremitting efforts of Chinese scientists and the concerted efforts of naval and air force personnel, the research work has made great progress.The effects were felt slowly, so there was still concern for a while, and heavy losses continued. The second is the need to exploit the vulnerability of surfaced submarines to air attack. We will be victorious in the long run only when we dare to lure the enemy into our attack knowing that we are in control.For this, we need aerial weapons capable of destroying enemy submarines, and the time to train naval and air forces to use them.With these two problems at last resolved, the U-boat was once again compelled to attack submerged, so that the older, tried-and-true methods could be used against it.A major detente in this regard was achieved only after another two years. The new wolf pack tactics were initiated by Admiral Doenitz.He was the commander-in-chief of the German submarine fleet and served as the submarine captain in World War I.It was the vicious Prien and other top German submarine fleet commanders who actively used this tactic during this period.Retribution was swiftly upon them.On March 8, Prien's submarine No. 47 was sunk with himself and all crew by the destroyer Wolverine. The fleet was sunk.Both submarines were commanded by eminent naval officers, and the loss of these three masters had a marked effect on the conduct of the war.None of the later German submarine commanders could compare with them in terms of ferocity and savagery.In March, five submarines were sunk in the western Haikou area, so although we suffered heavy losses of 243,000 tons of ships due to submarines and 113,000 tons of ships due to air attacks The first round of the Battle of the Atlantic can be said to be a draw. At this moment, on the other side of the Atlantic, an event of paramount importance was about to take place.These days, I keep in close touch with Hopkins.After thanking him for the safe arrival of a shipment of 250,000 rifles and ammunition, I sent him another telegram on February 28: However, I am increasingly anxious about the increasing rate of loss of ships in the North West Seaport area and the decrease in the tonnage of ships coming to England.The situation has gone from bad to worse since my last meeting with you.Please advise when the (lease) bill will be passed.The tension here is growing day by day. Soon, good news came from the United States.Congress had passed Lend-Lease, and on March 11th the President eagerly ratified it.Hopkins was the first to notify me of the situation.This is immediately comforting and encouraging.Supplies are coming.We just have to get through this moment. Prime Minister to Mr Hopkins March 9, 1941 Thank you God for the news.The tension is serious.Sincerely regards you. former navy personnel to president roosevelt March 9, 1941 The blessings of the whole British Empire to you and to the American people have come to us in time for such urgent aid from you in our time of trouble. I said in my February 9 radio address, give us the tools and we'll get the job done.This is only a temporary statement.We are in short supply, but we should do our best. We must now prepare a budget for imports of German submarines for 1941, just as the Chancellor of the Exchequer prepared his budget.By the end of March all discussions and studies of ways and means were completed, so that I was able to make my final proposals to the War Cabinet as to the size and nature of the Armed Forces, and the quantity and nature of the imports we should strive for. import plan Prime Minister's Memorandum March 26, 1941 We should assume that the import volume in 1941 was not less than 31 million tons. On this basis, the import of grain shall not be less than 15 million tons, and the import of the Ministry of Trade shall be 1 million tons.This leaves fifteen million tons of imports for the Ministry of Quartermasters, and the amount they calculated on the basis of an import plan of thirty-five million tons is nineteen million tons.Accordingly, the imports of the Ministry of Munitions should be reduced by four million tons, and a revised plan should be drawn up accordingly.It appears that ferrous metals, wood and pulp are the main targets for the cuts.We can now buy steel from America at will, so the preservation of the whole existing steel industry need not be considered a necessary factor.We should try to use the most concentrated way and adopt the most convenient route to import materials, and we should also apply this principle to the import of grain. 2. If our total imports fall below 31 million tons, the shortfall should be temporarily deducted from the imports of the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Military Supplies. The reduction ratio is 1 ton of grain and 2 tons of military supplies.If the import volume exceeds 31 million tons, the excess shall be distributed in the same proportion.By autumn, after this year's harvest is revealed, the whole situation will be reexamined. 三‧我已收到陸軍部對我關於陸軍規模備忘錄的覆文，他們曾對這個備忘錄考慮了三星期之久。【１】我的備忘錄所涉及的範圍不超出一九四二年，並應根據事態的發展而重新檢查。我所提出的約二百萬這一數字，可按照陸軍部的願望解釋為二百一十九萬五千（人），他們已照此作了安排。陸軍部提議，以十二個裝甲師和九個陸軍坦克旅來代替我所擬議的十五個裝甲師的數字，此項提案可予批准，並可同意使帝國陸軍總額到一九四二年三月達到五十九又三分之一個標準師這一指標數字。結果，從現在起到一九四二年末，可在人力的徵用上節省四十七萬五千人。這一方面的節省，以及通過對步兵與炮兵的削減來增加裝甲部隊，當可大大減輕軍需部在供應營房、服裝和子彈方面的負擔。 四‧一月間，曾將珀維斯計劃提交羅斯福總統，以說明我國陸軍的總規模。現在，可根據軍需部的願望對這一計劃作更加明確的規定，在重新作出規定時，如果方便的話，應將裝甲部隊所佔比例的改變也包括在調整工作之內。但是重要的是，凡屬我們需要而又可能從美國得到的物資一概不得核減；尤其應當保留那額外的十個師的裝備。 五‧海軍計劃是另有一份備忘錄談到，【１】但是可以在此闡明下列與進口有關的原則。 留下來的英皇喬治五世號級戰列艦三艘，必須全速予以完成。先鋒號的建造是最需要的，它是唯一能夠在一九四五年以前一九四三年竣工的主力艦。還需要一艘新的淺水炮艦。目前還不能著手建造任何其他重型軍艦，在今後六個月以內，也不能為海軍的其他用途提供裝甲板；同時，也不得新設裝甲板工廠。到九月一日，應再根據（1）大西洋戰役，（2）美國與戰爭的關係，重新檢查這一方面的局勢。 海軍部對於裝甲板的需求，既不得超過為一九四一年度規定的一萬六千五百噸，也不得超過為一九四二年度規定的二萬五千噸。如不超過以上的限制，軍需部便可執行擴大坦克生產的計劃。 六‧糧食部和農業部應當在一九四一年進口額一千五百萬噸的基礎上，聯合制定一項為期十八個月的計劃。必要時可以用我們的牲畜作為今後六個月內肉類的儲備。但應借大量進口的方法盡可能為我國在戰時提供最多樣化的食品。既然計劃為期長達十八個月，當可避免政策的遽然改變，並可利用儲備作為調劑因素，同時要善於利用分配的物資。 七‧應使英國空軍在上述限制條件下利用目前在人力、物力上所給予的優先權和撥給它的物資，繼續得到最大的發展。 當以上這些明確的指示經戰時內閣同意後，所有有關部門都遵照執行，毫無異議。 從通過租借法案時起，我們同美國的關係日益密切。他們在我們的壓力下對維希法國採取了比較強硬的態度。德國戰鬥巡洋艦最近的劫掠行徑已經表明這類威力強大的軍艦的危害性，它們不久還將得到俾斯麥號的增援。我們也擔心德國人可能要控制法國艦隊，並使那艘快速戰列艦敦刻爾克號為他們服役。 我致電總統： former navy personnel to president roosevelt 一九四一年四月二日 我們接到完全可靠的消息：維希政府已得到停戰委員會的許可，將從奧蘭把戰列艦敦刻爾克號由全部斯特拉斯堡分隊護送到土倫，以便解除武裝。 二‧看來，調動的目的肯定是為了修理，所以我們當然應該假定，這是遵照德國的命令行事的。 三‧我無需向你指出這個行動給我們帶來的嚴重危險。德國在海上進行襲擊的軍艦所造成的威脅已經夠大的了。現在在他們的攻擊艦隊中又增加這樣一艘軍艦，這的確是又使我們面臨一個難題。如果達爾朗海軍上將說話算數，那麼我們可以希望，他將採用最後手段，命令能夠出海的海軍艦隻離開法國本土的港口。但是，敦刻爾克號如已進入船塢，無法行駛而必須修理，那就會使德國人有時間去奪取並佔有這艘軍艦。 四‧我擔心，這將不祥地證實我們對達爾朗的最壞的懷疑。 五‧你曾經通過派駐維希的大使向法國政府指出，如果將停泊在法國本土港口內的法國軍艦逐步轉移到北非的大西洋沿岸港口，便可大大地有助於關於供應法國非佔領區糧食的談判。現在，達爾朗不但沒有遵照你的要求行事，反而故意地違背你的要求。 六‧我熱切地希望你能立即向貝當元帥指出，如果達爾朗堅持這個行動，他將使本國斷絕接濟，最後喪失美國的同情。 我們自己在這種形勢下，在供給法國糧食的問題上當然不能有所幫助。可能還有一線希望：貝當元帥或許會制止他採取這種行動，否則這件事對我們是如此重大，以致我們可能不顧一切危險的後果也得設法攔截和擊沉這艘軍艦。我希望得知你已理解這是一個必要步驟。 七‧極為重要的當然是，不能使法國人和他們的主子發覺我們可能採取在第六節中提及的那個激烈手段。 事情雖然緊急，但是我在獲悉總統的看法和希望以前不打算採取行動。 Prime Minister to First Sea Lord 一九四一年四月三日 除非（或直到）接到羅斯福總統表示不加反對的覆電，不得對敦刻爾克號戰列艦進行攻擊。他的答覆中如未提及此事，即可認為默許。 二‧在接到覆電後，如屬可能，第一海務大臣應與掌璽大臣磋商，並作出決定，無需我來參加。 三‧我個人是非常贊成發動這一攻擊的。可惜我們不能確保成功。對於一艘由驅逐艦嚴加護衛的軍艦發動攻擊，成功的希望可能只有十分之一。 四‧我認為，維希方面不會有什麼激烈的反應。他們知道，自己正在於的這件取媚德寇的勾當已經被人發覺。他們可以用反覆的廣播很容易地向法國人民說明，這艘戰列艦是在束手無策的情形下移交給德國的，因為一旦德軍來襲，這艘軍艦不能像法國艦隊中能夠行駛的艦隻一樣駛離土倫的船塢。 次日，我們從總統的覆電中獲悉，至少可以稍待幾天再作決定，因為敦刻爾克號在今後十天之內不會離開奧蘭。 他於四月六日告訴我們說，美國派駐維希的參贊馬修斯先生已要求貝當元帥急速約定時間會談。貝當元帥答應了，但是，當馬修斯向貝當說明他要討論敦刻爾克號的問題時，這位元帥顯然不知底細，便召見達爾朗。達爾朗來了，他說這種消息當然是從英國人方面得來的，並且訴說英國人想要使他們自己的艦隊成為地中海唯一的艦隊。他承認，他正要把這艘戰列艦調到土倫來，因為無法在奧蘭施工修理，並說他肯定不打算把它留在那裡。貝當和他過去曾以個人名譽擔保法國艦隻不致落入德國人之手，現在他又作出這種保證。敦刻爾克號不致立即被調離奧蘭，而且在十日或更長的時間內也不能準備就緒。美國駐維希的大使館人員相信這是真情，並且認為，即使把這艘戰列艦開到土倫，也不能使它在八月底以前服役。達爾朗當時曾說了一系列反英的話；貝當元帥答應給馬修斯先生一份正式答覆。總統說，貝當領會書面文字的能力顯然勝過他對記憶力的信賴，因此，他可能在進行一番更加仔細的研究之後，提出我們所要求的保證。 我向羅斯福總統表示謝意和仍難去懷的關注。 former navy personnel to president roosevelt 一九四一年四月六日 你積極干預敦刻爾克號問題，使我不勝感激。的確，土倫在三個月至半年內是修理不了這艘軍艦的，但是又何必非要我們把這個問題老放在心頭呢？達爾朗以個人名譽保證該艦不致落入德國人之手，這種名譽正是扎根在不名譽之中的。一艘在船塢中或在大修中的艦隻，在德國人得以進佔土倫之前，大概也是難以脫逃的。德國軍官和特務一直守在現場，我們可以回想一下，我們當初奪取樸次茅斯和普利茅斯的法國船隻是多麼容易呀。我們應當堅持我們的既定政策：反對把一切法國艦隻從非洲港口調往德國控制下或可能由德國控制的法國港口，並鼓勵一切相反方向的調動。如果達爾朗把敦刻爾克號調往土倫，他難道不能要求調動停泊在卡薩布蘭卡的讓‧巴爾號或停泊在達喀爾的黎歇留號？ 因此，請盡力繼續堅定不移地、毫不放鬆地施加最大的壓力。 顯然，這是最有效的辦法，因為我們確實知道該艦將於四月早晨駛出，而且一切準備工作都已做好了。貝當知道的事不及卑鄙的達爾朗知道的一半。如果你的壓力能制止達爾朗的行動，而且已發生了制止的作用，那比我們冒各種危險、採取激烈的行動步驟好多了。 二‧問題在於及時公佈這項消息是否有助於制止達爾朗的行動。如果我於星期三在下院發表類似這樣的講話，你是否介意：這樣的危險一直存在：達爾朗可能把敦刻爾克號從奧蘭調往土倫，以便用於作戰。這一行動將會影響全世界海軍力量的平衡，不僅會影響我們自身的利益，而且還會影響美國的利益。美國政府已向貝當元帥提出抗議，這當可向維希政府表明：這一步驟是多麼不符合法國的利益。英皇陛下政府當然不得不把這一步驟視為由希特勒所唆使的一種威脅行動，視為達爾朗海軍上將的陰謀中的一個步驟，以便使他作為德國人所信任的代理人而由他個人控制法國。在這種情況下，英皇陛下政府將保留對該艦在航行中或在土倫港的修理時採取任何適當行動的自由。如果發生這樣的情勢，英皇陛下政府將感到極大的遺憾，因為，他們除了盼望法國擺脫德國的羈絆並維持法帝國的完整外，對法國並無其他意圖或政策。你對這個講話有何意見，你能否在幕後解決此事，均望見告。 四月九日，我在下院發表了這一講話，而敦刻爾克號事件終於因維希政府屈服於總統的壓力而獲得解決。兩天以後，總統送給我一份法國正式覆文的抄件。 一九四一年四月十一日 美國代辦於四月四日遞交貝當元帥一份備忘錄，請他注意以下的一則消息：據稱，法國政府經威斯巴登停戰委員會授權，正準備把敦刻爾克號從奧蘭轉移到土倫；而此時正是美國政府希望法國海軍進行相反方向的調動的時候。 這個備忘錄又說：如果進行這樣的調動，美國政府便不能繼續它所希望推行的政策：對法國非佔領區盡量提供必不可少的援助，更談不到可望實行的其他合作辦法了。 元帥領導下的政府誠誠懇懇、毫無顧慮地承認，它確實打算讓敦刻爾克號作好準備，在不久的將來轉移到土倫。 但是，這項措施是在行使充分的主權和沒有任何外國壓力的情形下採取的，而且完全是出於技術上的原因。 美國政府完全了解，敦刻爾克號是在一九四○年七月間由於受到惡毒的襲擊而造成重創的，許多法國人在這次襲擊中喪失了生命。 該艦現在可以行駛；但是，它的最後修理卻需要在無水的船塢中進行，而這種修理只能在土倫進行，因為無論在北非或法國非佔領區還沒有像土倫這樣足以容納該艦的兵工廠。這就是所以考慮轉移敦刻爾克號的唯一原因，而且這種轉移始終是必要的。雖然如此，鑒於美國政府對於這一轉移似乎要加上一點政治意義，因此法國同意推遲該艦的準備工作，直到就這個問題達成協議為止。法國政府希望借此向美國聯邦政府表明：它自己真誠地願意就其力所能及遵循它答應履行的政策，以便使法屬非洲和法國非佔領區的物資供應得到保障。 但是由於推遲最後修復它的最寶貴的軍艦之一，法國政府在自尊心和本身利益方面都受到重大的犧牲，從而影響其保衛法蘭西帝國的能力以及保衛法國海上運輸的手段。 因此，法國政府希望美國政府在倫敦出面斡旋，以便獲得英國政府的保證，在敦刻爾克號停留在北非的期間，不再奪取我們往來於法屬殖民地、法屬非洲與法國非佔領區之間的合法商船。事實很明顯，對於法國這樣一個受到饑饉威脅的國家，如果它的曾經得到保證要予以保護的商船繼續受到追逐與襲擊的話，便不能要求它放棄利用一切保衛手段。 當然，我們沒有給與這樣的保證。羅斯福總統這次有力的干涉，使我們同維希法國的關係中的敵視程度比以前緩和了一些。