Chapter 81 Volume 3, Chapter 8, The Battle of the Atlantic (1941) American Intervention

U.S. Armed Aid Secret Staff Meeting in Washington U.S. Naval Base Developments Importance of German Submarines Moving Westward to Iceland More than 800,000 tons of ships sunk in three months More aid from the United States The safe area was expanded on April 11 to the Azores. I sent a telegram on April 24 to the Department of the Navy. Admiral Gormley's talks President of the United States declared an indefinite state of emergency on May 27 Hitler was afraid of fighting the United States German submarines were having a hard time The enemy's fierce combined tactics broke down our advantage from June onwards We needed More and faster escorts and long-range aircraft and good radar. Ship-launched fighters to counter Fokker-Wulf bombers. Stop publishing weekly ship sinking figures. Achievement of our combined command in Liverpool. U.S. in July The seven-day occupation of Iceland threatened from Brest the unity of command of the fighting establishment, our loss and the intense efforts of Lord Leathers' appointment of Mr. Lewis Douglas to clear the stockpiled cargo in the port.

Now, submarine warfare has undergone major changes.In March we eliminated three German sea aces and improved our defenses, which had an effect on submarine tactics.The enemy found that the fighting in the western Haikou area was too fierce, so they moved their submarines westward to further sea areas.Since southern Ireland refused us the use of its ports, we had only a few escorts of the small fleet to sail into those harbors, and had no air cover there.Our escorts, sailing from the United Kingdom naval base, could provide effective cover for our convoy only about a quarter of the way to Halifax.In early April, a pack of wolves attacked a convoy at 28 degrees west longitude, before the escort arrived.In a protracted battle, ten of the twenty-two ships were sunk, as was a German submarine.We have to somehow expand our sphere of control, or our days of existence are numbered.

Until now, assistance from across the Atlantic has been limited to supplies; but, in the present state of heightened tension, the President is acting on the basis of his powers as Commander-in-Chief and enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, Start giving us armed aid.He was determined not to allow a war waged by German submarines and attack ships to approach American shores, and to make sure that his munitions to Britain were at least half way along the route.As early as July 1940, he sent a naval and army mission to Britain for exploratory talks. Admiral Gormley, the American naval observer, soon observed with satisfaction that Britain was determined and able to withstand any threat that loomed.The task he shared with the British Admiralty was to determine how best to focus American power on: first, all assistance under current policy except participation in war; , in joint operations with the British Armed Forces.

From the outset there was an extensive plan for the joint defense of the Atlantic by the two English-speaking nations.In January 1941, secret staff meetings began in Washington, covering the entire war situation and formulating a joint world strategy.U.S. military chiefs agree that the Atlantic and Europe should be considered the decisive battlegrounds once the war spreads to the Americas and the Pacific.Hitler had to be defeated first, and U.S. aid in the Atlantic campaign was organized around this concept.In order to meet the needs of the combined ocean-going transport fleet in the Atlantic Ocean, various preparatory work has been carried out.In March 1941, American military officers visited Great Britain to select bases for their transport fleet and air force.Immediately the construction of the base began.During this period, the work of the United States to develop bases in British territory in the western Atlantic (this work had begun in 1940) progressed very rapidly.The most important base for the North Atlantic convoy is Arganshaw, Newfoundland.From this base and the ports of the United Kingdom, the armed forces of the United States could make the most of their use in the Atlantic campaign, or so they seemed to be able to do at the time when these measures were planned.

Between Canada and Great Britain are Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland.These islands lie on one side of the shortest, so to speak, arc-shaped shipping line between the port of Halifax and Scotland, not far from it.Armed forces based on these stepping stones can control the entire route in sections.Greenland is completely starved of resources, but we can quickly put to good use the remaining two islands.It has been said that whoever occupies Iceland will firmly hold a pistol against Britain, the United States and Canada.When Denmark was ravaged in 1940, it was on this basis that we occupied the island with the consent of the people of Iceland.We could now use it against U-boats, and we established a base on the island in April 1941 for our escort squadron and aircraft.Iceland became a separate area of ​​command, and from there we extended the range of operations of our sea escorts to 35 degrees west longitude.Even so, there remained an ominous gap to the west that, for the time being, could not be filled.In May a convoy sailing from Halifax was severely attacked at 41 W and lost nine ships before our anti-submarine escorts could arrive.

At this time the strength of the Royal Canadian Navy was growing, and their new escort cutters began to roll out of the shipyards in large numbers.At this critical time, Canada is poised to play a major role in this life-and-death struggle.The loss of the convoy sailing from Halifax showed very clearly that the whole line from Canada to Britain must be convoyed.Accordingly, the British Admiralty on the 23rd of May requested the consent of the Governments of Canada and Newfoundland to use St. John's, Newfoundland, as an outpost for our combined convoy.They immediately agreed, and by the end of the month, continuous escort across the line was finally achieved.Since then, the Royal Canadian Navy has taken on the responsibility of escort, using their own manpower and material resources to protect the transport fleet on the western section of the ocean route.We can protect the ships on the rest of the voyage from Great Britain and Iceland.Even so, the number of ships available is still very small, and it is difficult to fulfill the responsibility of escort.At this time, our losses rose sharply.

In the three months to May, 142 ships totaling 818,000 tons were sunk by German U-boats alone.Ninety-nine of them, with a total of about 600,000 tons, belonged to the United Kingdom.The Germans continued to maintain a dozen or so submarines in the North Atlantic in order to achieve these victories, and in addition made heavy raids in the waters off Freetown in an attempt to overwhelm our defenses.In this area, six submarines sank thirty-two ships in May alone. In the United States, the President was approaching us step by step, and his vigorous intervention soon became decisive.Because we saw the need to develop a base in Iceland, he also took steps that same month to establish an air base in Greenland exclusively for the US military.It is reported that the Germans have set up a weather station on the east coast of Greenland facing Iceland, so the president's action is very timely.

In addition, according to other decisions, we can also send our merchant ships and warships injured in fierce battles in the Mediterranean Sea or other sea areas to American shipyards for repairs. ease.The President confirmed this in his April 4th telegram, which also stated that he had allocated funds for the construction of an additional fifty-eight launching sites and two hundred new ships. former navy personnel to president roosevelt April 4, 1941 I have just received a telegram from the Ambassador of the United States concerning the condition of the ship, which I am very grateful for.

2. In the past few weeks, we have strengthened the escort in the Haikou area in the northwest of our country, and severely attacked the German submarines.They are now sailing further west, and sank four of my ships this morning (April 3) at 29 degrees west longitude, a day before my escort arrived on the scene.Defeating the U-boats was just a matter of destroyers and escorts, but we were exhausted and lost focus on one.If we can get ten of your speedboats and man them, we will have them stationed in Iceland.From Iceland, the effective radius of their cruise can provide cover for our convoy and connect with the control range of my escort ships stationed in Britain.Another important factor in the Northwest Haikou area is the long-range aircraft.The planes are arriving one after another.Now, although our losses are mounting, I hope that in a month or six weeks the threat will be lessened, by which time we will have many Tornados flying from merchant ships in dangerous waters patrol or escort.

A week later came the momentous news.The President telegraphed me on April 11th that the United States Government intends to extend the so-called safety zone and patrol area established since the early days of the war to include the entire North Atlantic waters west of about 26 degrees west longitude .For this purpose the President proposes to use aircraft and naval vessels from Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, the United States, Bermuda, and the West Indies (possibly later extended to Brazil).He urged us to inform him of the whereabouts of the convoys in the utmost secrecy, so that our patrol vessels could seek out any ships or aircraft of the aggressor country west of the new line of safety.As far as the United States is concerned, as long as it finds a ship or aircraft that may be an aggressor country within its patrol area, it will immediately announce its location.The president concluded by saying: I'm not necessarily making a special statement on that.I may decide to issue the necessary orders regarding naval operations and allow time to confirm the existence of this new patrol area.

I forwarded this telegram to the Admiralty with a great deal of relief. former navy personnel to president roosevelt April 16, 1941 I had intended to answer your important Atlantic call in more detail. The Ministry of the Navy was very relieved and satisfied with this news, and has prepared a technical opinion.They knew that Admiral Gormley was due to arrive in about two days' time, and they were keen to know whether it would be best to consult with him before issuing this submission.I don't know if Gormley knew.This matter is indeed very urgent and very important.About fifteen submarines are currently operating at 30 degrees west longitude.Of course, dispatching American seaplanes from Greenland would be the most effective emergency measure. Two days later, on April 18, the United States government announced the dividing line between the Eastern and Western hemispheres mentioned by the President in his April 11 telegram.Since then, this line along the twenty-sixth longitude of the west longitude has become the de facto maritime frontier of the United States.This line of demarcation included within the limits of the United States British territories in or adjacent to America, Greenland and the Azores, and, shortly thereafter, extended eastward to include Iceland.According to this statement, United States warships will patrol the waters of the Western Hemisphere and will keep us informed of any enemy activity in this area.However, the United States is still a non-belligerent country, so it cannot provide direct protection to our transport fleet at this stage.Britain remained solely responsible for protecting the convoy along the entire line. At this time, the British and American naval chiefs were worried about the situation in the Azores.We very much suspect that the enemy is planning to seize these islands for use as bases for submarines and aircraft.These islands, near the center of the North Atlantic, in enemy hands pose as great a threat to our shipping traffic on the south as Iceland poses on the north.The British government cannot tolerate such a situation. In response to the urgent appeal of the Portuguese Government, fully aware of the danger to their own country, we have planned and prepared to form an expedition to prevent German action in this direction.We also made plans that if Hitler invaded Spain, we would occupy the Gran Canaria and Cape Verde Islands.The urgency of sending an expeditionary force disappeared when it became clear that Hitler had turned his attention to Russia. former navy personnel to president roosevelt April 24, 1941 I will now answer your call of April 11 in detail.My delay in answering the telegram was due to the wait for Admiral Gormley, whose arrival date in England had not yet been set. The First Sea Lord had a long discussion with Gormley, and he gave me the following opinion as a result of the discussion: 2. In the Atlantic campaign, besides the threat posed by enemy aircraft around our coasts, we faced two principal problems.That's the question about German submarines and raiding ships. 3. With regard to the German submarines, we were quite successful in subduing these scourges when they were operating along the 22nd longitude of the Northwest Haikou area.They now operate along the 30th longitude, perhaps because of our achievements, or perhaps for other reasons. 4. However, thanks to the US sending us destroyers, and using Iceland as a refueling station for the escort ships, we have been able to gradually strengthen our escort fleet. 5. It can be expected that the enemy's response to this will be to send submarines deeper into the western waters, and since most of them are based in Lorient or Bordeaux, they will not need to travel further distances from their bases than they do now , will do this. 6. Therefore, the west of the 35th longitude and the south of Greenland are likely to become the next dangerous sea area, and it is a sea area that is difficult for us to deal with.Thus, aerial reconnaissance from Greenland, including this sea area, would be of great value.Because, if we find out the location of a submarine, we can use the signal to change the course of the convoy and get out of danger. 7. Another area of ​​sea that presents us with difficulty is the area from Freetown through the Cape Verde Islands to the Azores.Due to the (limited) endurance of ships traveling this route, we cannot have our convoys travel too far west.In fact, they can only travel on this route by reducing the amount of cargo and carrying more fuel.We are doing our best to provide suitable escorts for these convoys, but there are very few of them.It would therefore be of great help if aerial reconnaissance by an American aircraft carrier could include some distance ahead of the convoy. 8. We have no difficulty in informing the American naval authorities of the whereabouts of the convoys. 9. As for attacking ships, the sea near Newfoundland is the most dangerous, because we have a large number of unescorted ships navigating this sea area.This is the hunting bag of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.It would be of great help to add any long-range aerial reconnaissance from Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. 10. We wish to station a strong capital ship in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland, which can take advantage of any intelligence we have on the activities of raiding ships. 11. In our trade lanes, west of the twenty-sixth meridian, there are still areas of sea where the enemy may operate.Adjacent to our trade lanes in the South and North Atlantic there are also areas where enemy supply ships go to refuel.Hitherto we have not been able to search these seas, as we have no ships for this task.If we know that any particular area of ​​sea is about to be reconnaissance, we should try to place ships near it which will be able to deal with any enemy attacking craft which is detected. Mere aerial reconnaissance in these waters is enough to give the enemy a headache, not to mention your ships broadcasting intelligence. 12. It is understood that the method of exchanging secret information between British and American warships has been agreed upon. Thirteen‧One point is for your personal reference only.There was another question, closely related to the above, which made me and the Naval Staff all the more disturbed.Germany was exerting increasing pressure on Spain and Portugal, which could lose their resistance at any moment, making the anchorage of Gibraltar unusable.The Germans could do this without sending a large army through Spain, a few thousand artillerymen and technicians would suffice if they occupied batteries sufficient to hinder the anchorage.They had already made some of their usual preliminary penetrations of Tangier, so that both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar could quickly fall into the hands of the enemy's artillery specialists. 14. Of course, should Spain submit or be attacked, we shall send two expeditionary forces, which have long been in readiness, one from Britain, to one of the Azores, and then to the second; The other branch went to the Cape Verde Islands and did the same.But these operations would take eight days from the signal, and no one can assert that the Germans had no pre-emptive plans.Because of our other burdens with the Navy, we have no forces available for constant surveillance.It would be of great help if you could send an American squadron early on a friendly cruise in this area.This would have kept the Nazi raiding ships at bay, given us regular access to these waters, and also provided us with valuable intelligence. 15. I had a long talk with Mr. Forrestal, and I will be with him and Harriman tomorrow night to study the situation in the Mersey area, which is of great importance to the North West Seaport area. During this period, as a result of the talks between the Admiralty and Admiral Gormley, we agreed with the United States on detailed plans for American assistance in the Atlantic. former navy personnel to president roosevelt April 24, 1941 I was delighted to hear the news of Naval Plan II for the Defense of the Western Hemisphere.This plan covers almost exactly the points mentioned in my outgoing telegram, which was sent simultaneously with the official U.S. telegram.It is impressive how quickly you have acted.We have just received reports that a surface assault ship is operating about 300 miles southeast of Bermuda.We will use all means to inform the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet of our convoy and other matters.Admiral Gormley is now in close communication with our Admiralty, and the necessary arrangements concerning the staff are about to be made. 2. The route taken by the British ships traveling to and from the Cape of Good Hope depends on whether there may be German submarine activities in certain sea areas. However, at present, a route west of the 26th longitude is used, and as long as possible, in the future Will continue to use this route. 3. We welcome the vigorous steps taken by the U.S. Navy to prepare bases in the Haikou region of our northwest.The actions you take go a long way toward deciding the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic. Of course we have to keep it strictly confidential.However, I am sure you will appreciate that if you can reveal this information or make a statement in any way, you can powerfully influence the attitude of Turkey and Spain at a critical time. The president's policies have had far-reaching consequences.Now that our burden has been carried by the Royal Canadian Navy and the United States Navy, we continue to fight.The United States is increasingly heading for war, and the entry of the Bismarck into the Atlantic at the end of May has accelerated the development of this world trend.This episode will be dealt with in due course.On May 27, the same day the Bismarck was sunk, the President announced on the radio that war was approaching the edge of the Western Hemisphere.The Battle of the Atlantic has now stretched from the frigid ice of the Arctic to the frozen continent of the Antarctic.He continued: It would be suicide to sit and wait for them (the enemy) to come into our front yard. We have therefore expanded our patrols to the South and North Atlantic.The President concluded the speech by declaring a state of emergency for an indefinite period. It is well documented that the Germans were extremely disturbed by the expansion of American operations, and that Admirals Raeder and Doenitz implored Hitler to allow greater freedom for German submarines to operate off American shores. And attack American ships incorporated into convoys or sailing at night without lights.However, Hitler sternly refused.He has always dreaded the consequences of a war with the United States and insisted that Germany's armed forces refrain from provocative actions. Due to the expansion of the enemy's combat scope, some adjustments have also been made in terms of strength.As of June, there were thirty-five submarines operating at sea, excluding those used for training purposes. However, these newly launched submarines were manned by more beginners than trained ones, especially Lack of experienced captains.The weak crews on the new submarines, mostly young and inexperienced, were deteriorating in stamina and skill.And the fighting has spread farther out into the open ocean, interrupting the dreaded combined submarine and aircraft operations.A large number of German aircraft were not equipped or trained to fight at sea.Even so, in the three-month period of March, April, and May mentioned above, there were still 179 ships sunk by planes, with a total of 540,000 tons, mainly in the coastal areas.Of this total, 40,000 tons were destroyed in two violent enemy air raids on the Liverpool docks in early May, the circumstances of which have been dealt with in a previous chapter.I want to thank the Germans for not continuing to attack this battered target.At this time, the overwhelming threat of magnetic mines persisted along our coast, with more or less success, but our defenses still overwhelmed it.By 1941, the number of ships sunk by mines had been greatly reduced. By June, with the aid of Canada and the United States, we were making steady progress in defending our territorial waters and in the Atlantic Ocean, which again began to take precedence in our operations.We are doing our best to improve the organization of our escort ships and to develop new weapons and devices to help them carry out their missions.The biggest need right now is more, faster escort ships with better fuel durability, more long-range aircraft, and especially good radar.Coast based aircraft alone are not enough, every convoy needs aircraft from the ships to detect during the day any sub within striking distance, force it to submerge, and thus prevent it from attacking or signaling To summon other submarines to come to the scene.Even so, the function of naval air forces at this stage is mainly reconnaissance.Aircraft can spot subs and force them to the bottom, but they don't yet have the power to destroy them, and their usefulness is greatly limited at night.In submarine warfare, the lethal power of the air force has not yet been brought into play. However, against the Fokker-Wulff enemy aircraft, air weapons can be effective very quickly.We soon subdued this attack by fighter jets fired from aircraft catapults installed on ordinary merchant ships and also on converted ships manned by naval personnel.The fighter pilot was thrown like a hawk to its prey, and they were initially saved from the sea by an escort ship. Now that the Focke-Wulf bomber had encountered a formidable enemy in the air, it could no longer assist the submarines as before, and gradually became the prey rather than the hunter. Our losses due to the actions of the enemy during these unfortunate months illustrate the tension of this life-and-death struggle: gross tonnage January three hundred and twenty, February four hundred and two, March five hundred thirty-seven, April six hundred fifty-four, May five hundred, June four hundred and thirty-one, The figures for April include, of course, exceptional losses from operations near Greece. I keep a close eye on the loss of ships. Prime Minister to Information Secretary April 14, 1941 With immediate effect the publication of weekly shipwreck figures should cease, that is to say, no more, not next Tuesday.If the press asks why the figures for this week have not been released, they can reply that they will be released on a monthly basis instead of a weekly basis.If it is remarked that we are afraid of the weekly publication because, as you exemplify, we are concealing the recent loss of ships, on such occasions it may be replied: Yes, we are concealing.Both friend and foe will no doubt make their own interpretations, but in the end the facts will decide.In recent times, we have to be prepared to endure much more embarrassing things than these kinds of comments. I shall answer any question in this connection in the House of Commons myself. Prime Minister to Sir Edward Bridges, General Ismay and other interested members of the Atlantic Commission April 28, 1941 We do not intend to use the aircraft catapult-equipped ships as general cargo ships; nor can it be expected at any time that the number of such ships will reach the previously mentioned two hundred. 2. There are now five patrol ships equipped with aircraft catapults operating like the Pegasus.The first ten merchant ships equipped with aircraft catapults should take part in their activities as soon as possible, and on the basis of these fifteen ships a regular patrol system should be established in order to control the sea area where the Fokker-Wulf bomber is active, Or escort my convoy in such seas. 3. Among these ships, some ships may be larger, faster, and of higher value than merchant ships required for this patrol work, so they should be replaced by other smaller ships allocated by the Ministry of Shipping as soon as possible.The large ships equipped with aircraft catapults have been replaced by other ships and can sail back and forth on the route from Freetown to Britain.Because they have the opportunity to sail through two dangerous seas on each voyage, those Tornado fighters launched by catapults have ample opportunity to fight. 4. If the 15 ships put on patrol in the Northwest Haikou area are proved to be effective and it is considered necessary to increase them, suggestions should be made immediately.At the same time, the Warriors now on patrol should be returned to Fighter Command, which desperately needs them for night combat. We had developed and expanded our bases in Canada and Iceland as quickly as possible, and planned our convoys in light of this new situation.We've increased the fuel load of older destroyers, and thus their movement radius.The new combined command at Liverpool was wholeheartedly committed to the fight.As more frigates entered active service and their personnel gained experience, Admiral Noble established them as permanent detachments under the command of the detachment commander.In this way the necessary spirit of cooperation is developed, and the soldiers become accustomed to working together and have a clear understanding of the commander's working methods.The efficiency of these frigate detachments is increasing.Their power grew, while that of the submarine gradually declined. In June, the President made an important proposal.He decided to set up a base in Iceland.By mutual agreement, the British defenders were to be replaced by American troops.American troops arrived in Iceland on July 7, and the island was included in the defense system of the Western Hemisphere.Thereafter, American convoys escorted by American warships often sailed to Reykjavik, so the United States, while not yet at war, allowed foreign ships to be protected by their convoys. During these critical months, the two German battlecruisers remained at anchor in Brest.It seemed that at any moment they might break into the Atlantic Ocean again and cause our ships another major damage.It is to the Royal Air Force that they have not been sailed.The air force bombed the two enemy ships anchored in the port many times, and the effect was so good that they did not dare to leave the port all year round.It was not long before the enemy turned to allowing them to return home, but even this was not possible until 1942.Hitler's plan to invade Russia soon gave our air mission a much-needed respite.In preparation for this new adventure, the Luftwaffe had to redeploy its forces, and their attacks on our ships after May were reduced in scale. In the Battle of the Atlantic we have achieved some results from the intensive study of the known factors at play, of which it is worth mentioning at this point a few.One great advantage is that we have been of one mind throughout the passage of many resolutions, and that, as Prime Minister, I have the full authority entrusted to me by my colleagues, which is the reason why I am in such a wide range of administration. Indispensable for unified command within theIn my capacity as Secretary of Defence, I preside over the operational machinery to carry out all resolutions with precision. At the end of June I reported to the House of Commons on the basis of the Admiralty that in the North Atlantic the number of losses to British ships due to bombing by enemy aircraft had clearly declined: February eighty-six, t March sixty-nine, t april fifty-nine, t May 21, t June (as of today) 18, t In the instruction I issued on March 6, I originally planned to restore 1.7 million tons of ships that were unable to sail due to repairs, and repair 400,000 tons by July 1.Afterwards, our ambition became even bigger, and we set a target of repairing 750,000 tons by the same deadline.In fact, we repaired 700,000 tons.This achievement was achieved in early May when the Mersey and Clyde Rivers were under constant enemy air attack.A welcome addition to the list of sunken ships that have been abandoned as unteachable and are now on the repair list after being raised by our excellent salvage is another bonus.The turnaround time of ships has also been greatly reduced by the use of various methods, and in this respect the time saved each day is equivalent to the actual import of 250,000 tons of material in a year. In all of this work, there are many complications.We are often unable to arrange for a ship to be unloaded at the most convenient port.A ship carrying several kinds of goods may have to visit several ports during the unloading process, so that it will increase the risk of being bombed or destroyed by mines while sailing along the coast; The ports on the coast are always under attack that may temporarily paralyze them.London, our largest and principal port, is largely out of service due to the danger of sending large ships to the east coast only to be attacked by aircraft, fast torpedo boats, and mines.The ports on the east coast were thus unable to take up all their tasks, and the greater part of the burden fell on the western ports of Liverpool, the Clyde, and the Bristol Channel.Nevertheless, as a result of various efforts, the Port of London, the Humber, and the further norther ports of the east coast, were kept open during these troubled times to coastal and some ocean-going vessels. At the height of this struggle, I issued one of the most important and fortunate appointments of my wartime tenure.In 1930, when I was out of public office, I accepted a directorship for the first and only time in my life.The post was in the branches of a company run by Lord Inchcarp, which reached as far as the Iberian peninsula and the Eastern sea lines.For eight years, I regularly attended monthly board meetings and did my part conscientiously. During these meetings, I gradually became aware that there was a remarkable figure.He presided over more than thirty or forty companies, and the company I was associated with was only a small unit among them.It didn't take long for me to see that Frederick Lessers was the brain center and controlling force of the conglomerate.He knows every situation and is absolutely trusted.Year after year I watched him closely from my humble vantage point.I said to myself that in the event of another war there will be a man here who will function as well as the brilliant business leaders who served the Ordnance Department under my leadership in 1917 and 1918. When war broke out in 1939, Leathers volunteered to serve in the Shipping Department.I was in the Admiralty at the time, and we didn't see each other very often, because his position was special and belonged to another.But now, in 1941, in the midst of the height of the Atlantic campaign, and the great need to integrate the management of our shipping with all matters of moving supplies by rail and road from our attacked ports, we I thought of him more and more.On May 8, I went to visit him.After some detailed consultations with him, the Ministry of Shipping and Transport was reorganized into a single agency.I ask Leathers to chair this body.In order to give him the necessary authority, I set up the post of Minister of Military Transport.當我向下院提請授予某人以大臣級的高位時，如果此人是多年未在下院中被人提出過的人，我總是感到躊躇。未得入閣的老練議員可能使新進的人受窘，而新進者又總是為了他必須準備和發表的演說而過分擔心。因此，我向國王申請，對這位新任大臣賜以爵位。 從這時起，到戰爭結束時為止，萊瑟斯勳爵一直主管軍事運輸部的整個部務，而且他的聲譽在以後的四年中與年俱增。在國內，他獲得三軍參謀長和各部的信任，並在這一關係重大的領域內同美國的重要人物建立了親密而融洽的關係。同他處得最融洽的是在美國海運部任職而後來出任駐倫敦大使的劉易士‧道格拉斯先生。在處理作戰事務中，萊瑟斯給我極大幫助。凡是我交給他的艱鉅任務，不能完成的極少。有好幾次，在調運額外的一個師或把它從英國艦隻移往美國艦隻上或者在應付其他急要的問題上，所有有關人員和有關部門都束手無策，我就親自求助於他，而困難就像魔術一般頓時消失了。 到六月二十五日，我已能在下院秘密會議中報告清理港口堆積物資的一些令人欣慰的情況了。 我從來不容許以任何借口為我們港口的擁塞情形作辯護，因為儘管我們有一切困難，但是我們實際上不過是處理並預計處理戰前運輸量的一半左右。但是，我們正在作很大的努力。國會特別委員會曾建議在內地建築分類倉庫，以便迅速起運堆積於易遭受空襲的碼頭旁的貨物。六座這樣的倉庫正在興建中，以供西海岸各處港口使用。到九月間，第一座倉庫便可部分使用。為了要盡量利用南威爾士的各處港口，我們正為新港到塞文河隧道的鐵路線敷設雙軌；這條雙軌線的一部分已經使用。某些交通運輸的擁塞地點是我國西部的內地鐵路交叉點，因為加給它們的負擔已超過了興建時所預計的限度。即將疏通這些擁塞地點。關於在適當的碇泊所採取船邊卸貨的辦法，已經取得了相當大的進展，這不但是一種減輕的辦法，而且在遇到非常劇烈的襲擊時，也可以用作一種替代辦法。 我們正在大加擴充起重設備，一方面是為了裝備新的緊急港口，另一方面是使現有的港口設施在遇到空襲時有更大的伸縮餘地。僅在五月分，從英國工廠和美國運來的活動式起重機就有一百三十架，而在過去四個月中每月平均供應量則是五十架。 根據這種種情況，我覺得可以請求下院批准（事前已經發出命令）停止每週公佈我船舶噸位損失的數字了，因為這對敵人有很大幫助，而報界與國會只是把它設想得如何重要而已。正如上文所述，我已於四月間發出包含有這種意思的指示。這時我說：我相信一定有人叫嚷，不但是德國人，其中也有我國某些善意的愛國人士。讓他們叫嚷吧。我們必須想到我們的水兵和商船水手們，想到我們同胞的生命和我們國家的生存，他們正面臨著致命的危險。 看來，下院聽到這種種說明以後大大地放了心，因此給我充分的支持。I said: 如果我們能夠在今年秋季抵禦或阻止住敵人的真正入侵，那麼我們就能夠借助於美國現在所承擔的義務度過一九四一年。我們希望在一九四二年獲得肯定的空中優勢，不但可以對德國進行非常激烈的攻勢轟炸，而且在一定程度上可以扭轉我們因德國人控制歐洲的大西洋沿岸各港口而面臨的在戰略上的極其不利的局面。如果我們能夠使敵人無法利用他們所佔有的大西洋沿岸港口和飛機場，或者至少大大地減低它們的效用，那麼到了有大量武器到手的一九四二年，就沒有理由不能說這樣的話，我們在這一年中遇到的苦難，將會輕於現在必須忍受和已經熬過來的磨難。 因此，我在結束時說： 我只補充一句話。我們不要忘記，敵人有他們自己的困難；其中，有些是顯而易見的困難；另外可能還有一些他們自己知道得比我們要清楚的困難；而且，所有歷史上轟轟烈烈的鬥爭，都是在不顧力不相稱或勢均力敵的情況下，用堅強的毅力經過奮戰才奪得勝利的。