Chapter 100 Volume III, Chapter XXVII, The Growing Power of Great Britain

Review of Our Military Status My Memorandum of October 4th Necessity to Preserve Military Effectiveness of Home Forces Limitations on Great Britain's Air Defenses Our Great Increase in Fighter Strength Limitations on Our Bombing Offensive Army Strength: My Command Manpower Questions for October 9th: My Memorandum of November 6th Questions about the Threat of Invasion A Plan for the National Guard General Embik's Mission and Report My Comments on Our Atlantic Lifeline IX October 11 the President's order to shoot first gave General Smuts greater safety for his telegraph convoy October 31 the Ruben James was sunk our air offensive in the Bay of Biscay a submarine Surrender to an aircraft Sea route to Russia August 12th Our first convoy bound for Russia Fokker-Wulf bombers under control We develop escort aircraft carriers Our first class submarine Annihilator in the Mediterranean Battle of German submarines against German surface raiders British force ship loss table in autumn 1941.

As winter approaches, the numbers and establishment of the Army in 1942 must be checked against the new situation.We cannot be sure that Germany hadn't built a variety of invasion and tank landing craft at this time.We ourselves are doing this on an ever-increasing scale.Indeed, its needs are even greater.In October we could not be sure that Hitler, having defeated and driven back the Russian army in the first phase of his offensive, would not stop suddenly and take a winter position, as his large group of generals had initially advised him to do.Now that he was ready in time, would he not bring back twenty or thirty divisions by the trans-European roads under his control for the invasion of Great Britain in the spring?Whether he does not have enough good troops still in the western theater is not even known.It also seemed possible that the Luftwaffe could be redeployed from the East back to the West very quickly.In any case, we must be prepared for such a sudden change.Sir Alan Brooke, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces, has the duty to state this urgent need.He quite rightly stated the needs of Homeland Defense, and indeed it was he and his strong staff who presented them most emphatically.They demanded a large number of men, and told us that if they could not be sent, the fighting force would be direly reduced.The responsibility for the correct distribution of our already overstretched manpower falls upon me as Defense Secretary and the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces.

Prime Minister to Secretary of State for War and Chief of the Reich General Staff October 4, 1941 I was deeply troubled by the statement by the Commander-in-Chief of Home Forces that by the spring he would have to cut the standard size of his divisions to eleven fully mobile divisions, in addition to the three in Ireland.This elimination of more than half our army is intolerable.You should have warned the Cabinet before any such situation came close to discussion. 2. There is no justification or necessity for such reductions in the Army.Leaving aside actual operations, losses due to normal attrition during the winter would not exceed 60,000 men, and replenishment beyond that was already arranged.The twenty-six standard divisions, the nine local divisions and the seven armored divisions, including the National Guard (which is being formed), should in no case be reduced.If new troops are needed, they can be found in the four or five separate brigades and the twelve unorganized battalions.

3. Please immediately study the Commander-in-Chief's statement and report to me. During this period the following rule must be observed: no existing division formation shall be reduced in standard or changed into a different form without my express prior approval in due time.I must also be informed of any new units that you wish to form to replace existing units and of any significant changes in personnel or equipment.Look forward to submitting a list of any changes that are or will be made. At the same time, I did everything in my power to increase the effectiveness of the native forces and to prevent the many specious and superficial demands made on them by the civil authorities.

prime minister to secretary of state for war October 5, 1941 I disagree with the idea of ​​using the Army in winter to dig sewers or do other work of that nature.The Air Force has a similar program, which is not the case.They intended to send 8,000 skilled technicians from the Royal Air Force, in uniform, on loan from the factories for about six months.Their situation is completely different from that of the Army, and I think their plan is good. 2. Military considerations should be allowed to dominate your thoughts, so that you should not make concessions to the weak elements of our country, who do not understand quality, efficiency, quickness of action, and good discipline, an armed force that may have to fight the Germans main features of .

3. In any emergency, such as heavy air raids or harvest time, the army should provide immediate and generous assistance.But in the spring we will need all our troops, and every unit, at the highest level of readiness.There may be a need for combat even before spring.It is your duty to make them gamecock-ready in accordance with the instructions I have issued as Secretary of Defense.All officers and soldiers should engage in inspections, drills, exercises, the full development of the personal qualities of each squad, each platoon, and each company, the continuous promotion and elimination of mid-level officers, and various courses and competitions.There should be many marches with military bands through cities and industrial areas.The monotony of life should be adjusted by giving officers and soldiers more vacations.Vehicles should be provided for transporting soldiers to the cities for their amusement, as a little amusement to correspond with the rigors of training which must be received.We need regular troops of the highest type, not militias smeared with dirt that are supposed to come out and fight when an invasion does come.I pointed out to the House last week the dangers of seeking easy, vulgar expedients, and the dark realms into which we have been led.

The main source of manpower for our Mobile Combat Forces is, of course, the anti-aircraft artillery and other anti-aircraft units under the command of General Pyle.Fears of even larger air raids to come called for a real expansion in air defense.I resisted these tendencies, and again began to speak against the background of the danger of invasion, which was still always hidden in my mind. Prime Minister to Colonel Hollis to Chiefs of Staff Committee Great Britain's Air Defense Problem Prime Minister's order October 8, 1941 It is difficult to predict how violent the air raids will be this winter and what the danger of an invasion next spring will be.These two vultures will hover above our heads until the end of the war.We must be careful not to allow our vigilance against them to unduly impair our mobile field forces and our other situational efforts in preparing for the offensive.

2. It seems reasonable to fix the total number of British air defense personnel at the present figure of 280,000, plus the number of additional women they could attract.That would be at least 30,000 more than we had to defend against airstrikes last year.The proposed addition of 50,000 persons, for a total of 330,000 persons, cannot be supplied.Now there are more high-altitude and low-altitude flak guns on the way.Some of these guns could be mounted in additional batteries, but unless the British air defenses can manage to man them with commendable thought and tact within the above numbers, the Government will have to keep them in custody.

3. Taking into account the existing balance between the British and German air forces, as well as the Russian factor, the enemy will not be able to carry out continuous heavy air raids on Great Britain in conjunction with or as a prelude to the invasion.He needs to save for the invasion. 4. The British Air Defense Council must therefore become as resilient as possible while keeping static defenses to a minimum.For this purpose, the largest possible part of the air defense should be in mobile form.General Pyle should draw up a plan to reinforce General Brooke's army with the maximum number of mobile anti-aircraft guns.Those armies sometimes had to take their guns out of their emplacements, or else they could have a second set of mobile guns.This way, we are able to transfer weight from one leg to the other when necessary.

6. Above all, we cannot keep adding guns and artillery batteries just because the factories have produced guns, so that more and more of our trained finite manpower becomes fixed in static and passive defences. 7. It should be for General Pyle to be assisted by all parties in formulating plans to increase the Army's mobile anti-aircraft guns and to reinforce the Coastal Artillery.At the same time, the essential minimum which served us so well last year must be maintained without increasing (except women) his number of troops (280,000). 8. The Chiefs of Staff Committee is invited to give its opinion and consider what recommendations should be made to implement the above principles.

Our fighter capabilities had by this time grown enormously, and not only afforded greater security against invasion, but also opened up all sorts of other prospects for strategic planning. Prime Minister to Chief of Air Staff September 1, 1941 I had the pleasure to see in my last report that we actually had one hundred fighter squadrons (ninety-nine and a half) on the national air force side.The dramatic change in the war situation caused by Russia's entry as a belligerent and our improved position in the Middle East (including Persia) makes me want to send massive reinforcements to the Middle East again in hopes of influencing Turkey and/or supporting Russia on the southern flank .My thoughts turn to sending up to twenty full fighter squadrons to the Iraq|Persia and Syria theaters.In defending territory under our control or the territory of our allies, these squadrons may engage German bombers and dive bombers, and we shall then again cause us to Give them such favorable fighting conditions as to inflict heavy losses on them. This may be a more favorable thing than the very hard fighting in France, which we shall continue if necessary.This air force will have to go through a long sea route around the Cape of Good Hope, so it will not be dispatched until the end of the year.It should carry one or two control centers as effective organization (as Group Eleven) to bring out the full power of fighter defense.This air force will not leave the country until the period of invasion is over.It is, of course, an additional force to the whole air force you have at your disposal for the supply of the East. I should be very obliged if you would study the situation in all its relations, and tell me the number of men required, the requirements for ships, and your opinion on this important transfer of war power.Having such a fighter fleet operating north and south of the Caspian Sea would be a great contribution to the Russian war effort and, combined with a bomber fleet, might deter the German advance eastward for a long time.The Indian Air Force will operate in the same area. I have been constantly trying to increase and promote the production of bombers, which has lagged far behind even the minimum requirements of those who advocate their increased production. Prime Minister to Privy Councilor September 7, 1941 I have always been deeply concerned about the slow expansion of heavy and medium bomber production.In order to bring the number of front-line medium and heavy bombers to 4,000, the RAF needed to produce 22,000 between July 1941 and July 1943, of which 5,000 Five hundred are expected to come from the United States.Recent forecasts indicate that of the remaining 16,500, only 11,000 will be available from our own factories.We cannot rest in this position if we are to win this war; therefore, after discussions with the Secretary of State for Aircraft Production and Sir Charles Craven, I have issued instructions to proceed with the drawing up of a plan for the extension of our efforts, A total of 14,500 were produced during this period, not 11,000.This can only be achieved by a great concentration of effort and appropriation of our other needs.There should be no insurmountable difficulties with regard to raw materials and machine tools, and there will be sufficient pilots to fly these planes.The difficulty will be to find enough skilled workmen to run the machines, and to train large numbers of novice men and women.Skilled labor of this kind can only be found at the expense of other items of production. I have asked the Minister of Aircraft Production to draw up a plan for this new programme, and to state what he must demand in order to carry it out.I also asked for his advice on how these requirements could be met.I have asked the Secretary of State for the Air Force to adjust his plans for the expansion of the RAF to accommodate this new production programme.This will considerably ease the construction of airfields, the manufacture and charging of bombs, etc., as the full number of front-line aircraft will be reached at a later time than currently planned. I would like you to take the plans to be proposed by the Minister of Aircraft Production, call a conference of ministers who may be concerned, and present for my consideration some proposals to supplement this plan.It is necessary to indicate the impact on our other activities.It may be necessary to delay the construction of the Admiralty or to reduce the production of Army equipment.Above all, it is indeed necessary to cut down the building of the multitude of new factories, which are just being started, or are about to be built, which require a very great labor-intensive not only in their construction, but also in the manufacture of the materials they require.You should ask for a report of all such factories stating the purpose of construction, the date of commencement and the state of construction, and the year and month in which they are likely to commence production.Other long-term plans had to give way to an overriding need to build more bombers. I regard this matter as an important factor in the present war, and hope to receive your preliminary proposals within a fortnight.In the future, you will have to monitor the progress of this plan, and I will hold regular meetings to encourage it. At the same time, I was obliged to suppress the claims made with the inherent zeal of some of our most reliable officers.The Air Force Coastal Defense Corps was hit particularly hard by the reductions we had to make to its anticipated expansion.My task at this time was to fight simultaneously on all administrative fronts and to advise the Cabinet on the right solution amidst the many conflicting needs. Prime Minister to Chief of Air Staff October 7, 1941 We all hoped that the air offensive against Germany would fulfill the expectations of the Air Staff.We are trying to build as large a bomber force as we want, and we have no intention of changing this policy.But I am not in favor of having unlimited confidence in this method of attack, let alone expressing that confidence in arithmetic.This method is currently the most effective method we can use to destroy the morale of the enemy.Should the United States enter the war, this method would be supplemented within 1943 by simultaneous attacks by armored forces in occupied countries ripe for insurrection.Only by using this method can we really win decisive victory.Even if all German cities were bombed to make them largely uninhabitable, military control would not necessarily be weakened, or even military industries would not be unable to produce. 2. The Air Staff will make a mistake by taking their claims too far.We had been misled before the war by their pictures of the devastation wrought by air raids.This is illustrated by the fact that 250,000 hospital beds were actually prepared for the air raids, while the need never exceeded 6,000.This scenario of air raid devastation had been exaggerated to such an extent that the dismay of the politicians responsible for prewar policy played a part in the abandonment of Czechoslovakia in August 1938.After the war had begun, the Air Staff worked tirelessly to convince us that if the enemy took possession of the Low Countries, let alone France, we would be in a very precarious position by air attack.But since we don't pay too much attention to such claims, we've found a pretty good way to keep it going. 3. Perhaps German morale will be demoralized, and our bombing will play an important part in bringing about this.But everything is moving simultaneously, and it is quite possible that in 1943 Nazi combat capabilities will be so widespread throughout Europe that they will be largely independent of their own actual construction. 4. The situation would be different if the enemy's air force had been so reduced that it could carry out heavy and accurate bombing of factories during the day.But as far as I know so far, such bombing cannot be done outside the radius of fighter cover.Men must do their best, but anyone who thinks there is any definite way of winning in this war, or any other way of fighting between equals, is not a wise man.The only way is to stick with it. I will be happy to discuss these general issues with you whenever you wish. I have so far reached general conclusions concerning the strength and character of the Army which we expect to attain in 1942, and the measures concerning the deployment of manpower necessary to maintain it.I have obtained the consent of the relevant authorities for the following proposals and the measures to be implemented accordingly. strength of the army Minister of Defense Directive October 9, 1941 We now have twenty-six standard motorized infantry divisions and Polish divisions in the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), a total of twenty-seven divisions, well equipped, with artillery and transport, an average of about fifteen thousand per division There are 1,500 people, and there are ten army organizations and troops directly under the army (61,000 people).There were eight local divisions operating on the seashore, with an average of about 10,000 men each, no artillery other than coastal artillery, and almost no means of transport.We have five armored divisions and four tank brigades belonging to the Army Group; all of which consist of fourteen armored brigades (with five division squads), four brigades with artillery and transport, seven infantry brigades, and twelve unmanned brigade battalions; in addition there were eight airfield defense battalions and home defense battalions and 100,000 men in the youth battalions. 2. It is proposed to change this organization to twenty-seven standardized divisions (hereinafter referred to as field divisions), plus the Polish division (this division will have an armored detachment), making a total of twenty-eight divisions; Increased to seven armored divisions, together with eight army tank brigades, totaling twenty-two armored brigades (with seven division squads).Those four brigades will remain.In place of the eight local divisions and the others mentioned above, there will be thirteen brigades, plus an army equivalent to two Confederate brigades, and eight detachment battalions; It is equivalent to the strength of forty-five divisions.In addition, there will still be eight airfield defense battalions and homeland defense and youth battalions. 3. The purpose of these changes is to increase the combat capability of the Army, especially in armored units, and to prepare for the addition of field artillery, anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns, including the addition of five Indian divisions to be formed in 1942 The required guns are included.For this latter purpose it will be necessary to supply the needs of up to seventeen British battalions in the Indian Army. 4. The reduction of forces mentioned in the second section is not suitable for our war needs.In order to maintain this force for the next nine months, that is, until July 1, 1942, and also for the troops in the Middle East, for the troops in India and for our troops in Iceland, Gibraltar, Since the recruits for the garrisons in Malta, Hong Kong and other places have a normal loss of 50,000 people per quarter, 278,000 people must be provided to supplement the army's troops.For this supply, we are taking steps.The Army needs to recruit at least 142,000 women in addition to the 63,000 already recruited. So I stated in detail the situation of our troops at home and abroad.The conclusions demonstrate the strength of our military resources and deployments prior to the extraordinary events that forced the United States to enter the war.The command goes on to say: 10. If our army is calculated in terms of divisions or units equivalent to divisions, the plan for 1942 is roughly as follows: united kingdom forty five Air Defense Division Twelve Nile Army Sixteen Indian Army Group Nine in Iraq and Persia Indian Army Eight in the native Garrison VII African Native Division II A total of ninety-nine Eleven. It is our duty to develop, equip and maintain all these forces in 1942. In addition to manning the army, the expanding munitions factories and workshops put forward greater demands on manpower.If the morale of the nation is to be maintained, the populace must also be adequately nourished.Mr. Bevin used all his knowledge and influence as an experienced union leader in the Department of Labor and Veterans to find the required men.It is already evident that manpower is also an aspect of the measure of our military and economic resources.Mr. Bevin, the labor supplier, and Sir John Anderson, the Privy Councilor, conspired together to devise a system which would serve us greatly till the end of the war, enabling us to mobilize for war work, either at home or in the field, than in this war or any previous war in any country in the world to have a greater proportion of men and women in the population.Initially, the work consisted of transferring people from less important functions.When manpower reserves are low, all manpower requirements have to be cut.The Privy Councilor and his Manning Committee often need to overcome some resistance to adjudicate competing claims.The results obtained were presented to me and to the War Cabinet. The first report of this kind on a manpower inquiry was presented to the War Cabinet in November.I put forward to my colleagues my own thoughts on the principal questions which the Privy Council presented to us in his report.Obviously, we must place a heavy burden on women at this time. manpower deployment prime minister's memorandum November 6, 1941 It may be convenient for my colleagues if I express my tentative views on some of the important questions we have to settle. The age of compulsory military service for men should be raised by ten years to include all men under the age of fifty-one.While this may not make many men available for active combat duty, it will help the Labor Secretary to find non-combat duty in the army. The possibility of raising this age standard again in the future need not be ruled out, but it appears that a ten-year increase in the upper limit is sufficient for the present. 2. The recruitment of young men aged 18 and a half to replace the former 19-year-old young men seems to have been completely settled.Indeed, I'd like to go a step further and call them up at eighteen, if that would do any real service. 3. In general, I am not satisfied that the recruitment of women into the Auxiliary Service is now established, given the apparent dislike of this method by men in the army, but voluntary recruitment should be strongly encouraged. 4. If the Cabinet decides in favor of forcing women into the Auxiliary Service, it may be considered whether the method used should be individual selection rather than mass recruitment according to age.The latter system would inevitably prevent women from joining until they had been drafted en masse according to their age. 5. Movements to lead women into the arms industry should be promoted. We should intensify the use of all kinds of existing manpower. 6. Where appropriate, employers may be encouraged to further exploit married women's labor in industry.This will often have to be done on the principle of part-time service, so ways must be found to ease the burden on women who are ready to perform double duty. Inevitably, the whole question of German invasion had to be brought up for debate again.I set out to do this, and became more and more confident that no intrusion would occur.At the same time, this is a sound method, which enables us to make an important and proper disposition of the forces that can be called upon.At this time, the home command put forward a huge request for increased armor equipment, and the legend about the large number of tank landing craft built by Germany was also considered quite credible.Without reading the documents as they were written, one cannot appreciate how tense the situation was and how easy it was to make decisions that would sadly turn out to be wrong.I was like a keeper at a zoo distributing half the rations to some huge animals, fortunately they thought I was a friendly old keeper. Prime Minister to Chief of the Reich General Staff November 3, 1941 All experience shows that all commander-in-chiefs must demand everything they can think of, and always describe their own strength by the lowest figures. It was only a few months ago that I had the pleasure of seeing that we could have a thousand tanks for an autumn invasion.We have now acquired 2,000 or more, and by spring at least another 1,500 will be available, bringing the total number of tanks to 3,500. General Brooke should form these tanks in the best possible manner, bearing in mind that for the defense of the homeland against invasion the greatest number possible should be placed in the formations at the front, and that the reserves need not have the required capacity in the Middle East. that scale. 2. Although I am calling for the most vigorous measures against the spring invasion, I am, of course, very skeptical of the legends concerning the scale of the invasion.Legend has it that there were 800 flat-bottomed boats, each of which carried ten tanks, and sailed at a speed of eight knots per hour.The evidence in support of this legend rests on the most flimsy foundations. One scout, who had seen several of these ships being built in one place, assumed that they were being built elsewhere, too, in total. Up to 800 ships.If there is any other evidence to support this legend, please let me know. 3. With the improvement of photography and the increase of air power, the concentration of large numbers of ships in the mouths of the Low Countries should be vigorously discouraged.Now that we have command of the air over the Pas de Calais, we cannot see how Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne can be used for invasion.The ships congregating in these and those smaller ports could be bombed during the day under cover of fighter jets.That was not the case last year. 4. It is out of the question to break our promise to Russia.Of course, if the port of Arkhangelsk were to freeze, we would have to try to use other routes.But it would be too early for us to ask such a question now, when the ink is dry on the document in which our promises are written, and when we have been unable to do anything else to help the Russians. I think it necessary to draw up a plan for using a selected part of the National Guard as an army in the event of an invasion. prime minister to secretary of state for war November 23, 1941 It was thought that, with the concentration of ships in the ports and estuaries, and the great movement of troops, the danger of invasion would gradually become apparent.At some stage in these processes (which can conceivably take months, and which may turn out to be nothing more than a ruse), we shall have to declare the alarm.If this time is to be chosen correctly, it should be about two weeks before the day when the invasion began.We do not mean that the whole National Guard should cease to work with its civilians from then on, but only that a special part should be called up and incorporated into the army, as the militias usually do. 2. The rest of the National Guard will not be called up until a few days before the moment of the invasion (as far as we can predict), or only when the invading troops have begun to board ships.But they should be vigilant during the period from alert to alert. 3. The particular part of the National Guard which I have in mind does not include, of course, persons under the age of eighteen and over sixty, but those who are now engaged in a reserve occupation, not permitted to join the army, but enlisted automatically A large number of strong men who joined the National Guard.Such a person will participate in additional exercises and will be paid money for participating in such exercises.They will not come out at full time until the vigilant hour comes.There was no need to organize brigades according to War Department equipment standards, making this proposal difficult.They will be armed with rifles, machine guns and Czech light machine gun tanks.They can be organized into battalions.They will not change their characteristic civilian and volunteer status until the hour of vigilance. I look forward to making clear suggestions to me based on the establishment of four battalions in each military region. I welcome the concern that America's military leaders have for the defense of our island, which they have seen as a bastion of American security.We have seen how they fear that our efforts to hold the Middle East will endanger the security of the homeland.During September and October an American officer, General Embike, was sent to England by General Marshall, and I cordially invite him to visit all our home and coastal defenses, and to fully report to me the conclusions he has drawn. and his own government report.General Embike was a most able critic and a great friend of Great Britain.But I felt from the very beginning that he was too alarmist.Towards the end of November he presented his report, and I published my comments on it as they were then written. PM sends General Ismay to Chiefs of Staff Committee November 23, 1941 General Embeek's report on the British defense system is based on the assumptions about the strength of the invasion which are hereby used as the basis for the preparations. No doubt such preparations were known to General Embike, but I must state that, while we may accept such information in order to bring our defense up to standard, they are not based on any real basis but are merely prudent considerations That's all. The major error of this report, like that of many studies of the invasion, is that it obliterates the chronology of events.An invasion of this magnitude cannot be prepared without being detected.The ships that must muster in the mouths and harbors will not only be the eight hundred landing craft that are said, but many other ships and large vessels.Aerial photography will uncover the process, and the Air Force will bomb the most heavily for probably two weeks or more.From Dunkirk to Dieppe, our air power is now sufficient to allow daylight raids under fighter cover.After the enemy has overcome the difficulty of boarding, it will still be necessary to marshal these ships and guide them across the sea.At that time, there is reason to expect vigorous naval resistance.Admiral Embike assumes that there will be no future alarms and that all our small ships will be used in the Battle of the Atlantic.But that's not true once the scale of the invasion is raised above the barrage of onslaught.Please send me a timetable (written on a piece of paper) showing what the Navy will be doing each day from the first day of the alert to the twentieth day, and which fleets will be available for deployment. This preliminary and indispensable whole stage played no part in General Embico's thinking, but included in it the main and tried-and-tested defense of the island nation against invasion.We are conscious of training our Army and keeping it sharp, so naturally the emphasis is on what happens after the enemy lands, but it is the responsibility of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force to smash the congregation of the invading fleet and deal a decisive blow as it passes through the Channel .The Navy and Air Force are by no means exempt from this obligation. As 1941 draws to a close and the apogee of unpredictability draws to a close, we can indeed look back on the deadly war against the U-boats.The favorable trends I revealed in the secret session of Congress at the end of June are becoming more pronounced each week.Our resources are increasing.By July we were able to establish a continuous, though weak, convoy of convoys across the North Atlantic and on the Freetown route.While Germany is doing all it can to increase its submarine fleet, America's active cooperation with our country is becoming a reality.Our new weapons, though still in their earliest stages of development, are being improved, as are our naval and air forces' effective tactical cooperation in destroying submarines.Our ocean-going radar equipment, which is very useful to the military, is already in production, not without the danger of failure, which has been there from the drawing board.我們仍然不得不依賴在海上的閃避作為我們的主要防禦方法。我們能夠招惹敵人來進攻的那一天還是遙遠的。 九月四日，美國驅逐艦格里爾號在單獨駛往冰島的時候被一艘德國潛艇襲擊未中。一星期後，九月十一日總統發佈了首先射擊的命令。他在一次廣播中說：從現在起，如果德國或意大利的軍艦駛入美國的防務所必須保護的海域，它們就是甘願冒險。我以美國陸海軍總司令的身份所發佈的命令就是要立刻實行那個政策。九月十六日，美國護航艦首次給哈利法克斯航線上我們的航運隊以直接保護。這立刻就使我們的緊張萬分的小艦隊獲得解脫。但只是在兩個月以後，總統才成功地擺脫了中立法的拘束；按照這些法律，美國船隻不得裝運貨物往英國，甚至也不能武裝起來自衛。 我把這事通知了史末資將軍。 prime minister to general smuts 一九四一年九月十四日 我對於總統所採取的行動感到滿意，對於他的這個行動只有與我們在會晤時所商定的實際海軍行動聯繫起來才能作出判斷。他的防線從北極起沿著西經十度直達法羅群島附近，然後折向西南到西經二十六度而達赤道。他將襲擊在這個廣大區域內發現到的任何軸心國船隻。在前幾天，有十六艘德國潛艇在這個禁區以內大約一千哩的、靠近格陵蘭島尖端的海面上擊沉了我們的一個運輸船隊。在我請求派遣美國驅逐艦從冰島出發以援助我們的護航艦之後，它們隨即於昨日駛往，所以如果德國潛艇沒有在那時逃逸，英美艦隊本來會已經對它們採取聯合行動了。美國承擔了保護航行於美洲與冰島間的除運兵船隊以外的所有英國的快速運輸船隊的責任，這將使海軍部能夠從我們以哈利法克斯為基地的五十二艘驅逐艦和驅潛快艇中調回或許四十艘，並把它們集中在本土周圍的海域中。這種不可估價的增援可以使得出動護航艦以外的成群的追獵艦隻去殲滅德國潛艇第一次成為可能。希特勒將不得不在大西洋戰役中敗北和經常與美國商船和軍艦衝突這二者之間作出選擇。我們知道他重視以饑饉來扼殺我們甚於入侵。美國公眾接受了首先射擊的宣言，而對於它所適用的廣大區域則並不知悉，我認為他們將支持總統把這項原則作更充分和更進一步的應用，由於這個原則的應用，戰爭就可能隨時發生。以上各節專供你本人最機密地閱悉。 雖然這時德國出動的潛艇數目五倍於一九四○年，但是我們的船舶損失卻大見減少。自七月到十一月，在哈利法克斯航線上的那些快速運輸船隊中沒有一艘商船被擊沉。從佈雷頓角島的錫德尼啟航，全程只由英國和加拿大的護航艦負責保護的那些航行緩慢的運輸船隊在七月和八月間也沒有遭到襲擊，但是在九月間就發生了我給史末資將軍的電報中所述及的同十二艘以上的一群德國潛艇在從格陵蘭到冰島的海面上歷時七天的戰鬥。運輸船隊裡的六十四艘船隻中有十六艘被擊沉，德國潛艇有兩艘被殲滅。十月三十一日，在哈利法克斯航線上的運輸船隊能免遭襲擊的狀況終於被打破，美國驅逐艦魯本‧詹姆斯號被魚雷擊中而沉沒，死亡慘重。這是美國海軍在仍然未曾宣佈的戰爭中所遭受的第一次損失。八月間，取消了對於在任何一個運輸船隊中航行的船隻數目所加的限制。快速和緩慢的運輸船隊往往在部分航程中結合同行，於是在八月九日就有由一百艘船隻組成的一個聯合運輸船隊安全抵達英國。在到九月底為止的這三個月中，每星期平均輸入額將近一百萬噸，這表明每星期增加約八萬噸。 監視著在佈雷斯特港的德國巡洋艦的我們的空中巡邏隊，覺察到以比斯開灣各港口為基地的德國潛艇經常在海面上進出這些基地，並沿著劃定得相當清楚的路線駛過比斯開灣。這就給我們的空軍海防總隊提供了一個機會；但是要充分利用這個機會，就必須滿足兩個要求。第一是識別問題。雖然我們的航空用的雷達現正產生出相當的結果，我們卻沒有方法在夜間識別目標，這要等到稍遲以後，發展了飛機上用的探照燈，才解決了這個問題。第二個要求是可以擊沉潛艇的一種空中武器。我們的飛機上裝備的炸彈和深水炸彈對於提供襲擊的那些轉瞬即逝的機會來說，是不夠準確或沒有足夠的摧毀力量的。儘管如此，在到十一月為止的那三個月中，我們還是進行了二十八次襲擊。到了十二月，敵人被迫在夜間或在水下駛過比斯開灣中的危險區域。因此，一艘德國潛艇能夠進行追擊的時間縮減了約五天。 八月間，空軍海防總隊的一架亨德森式轟炸機在西部入口地區用深水炸彈襲擊一艘德國潛艇。德國潛艇受傷而無法潛入水中，因而艇上的水兵企圖使用他們的炮，但是這架亨德森式轟炸機卻用它自己的機槍把艇上的水兵驅到潛艇的下層去，於是在戰爭史中第一次有一艘潛艇升起白旗向一架飛機投降。海上波濤洶湧，附近沒有海面船隻，然而這架亨德森式轟炸機卻無情地監視著它的獵獲物。飛機發出了求助的信號，於是在第二天，那艘潛艇被一艘漁船拖曳到冰島。以後，它被編入皇家海軍服役。這是一件獨一無二的事情。 英國海軍這時增添了一種新的負擔。援助俄國的需要使注意力集中在往阿爾漢格爾斯克和摩爾曼斯克的海路上。在快到七月底的時候，維安現在已經是一位海軍上將奉命偵察斯皮茨伯根群島。他派一支軍隊登陸去破壞敵方的堆煤站，並救出幾個被德國人強迫服役的挪威人。有三艘載著煤的德國煤船也在這次敏捷的行動中被擄獲。大約與此同時，從航空母艦憤怒號與勝利號上起飛的五十六架飛機對在位於北角頂端的比特薩摩和基爾克內斯港內的德國船舶進行英勇的襲擊。這次襲擊使敵人受到一些損傷，但是我們的飛機損失了十六架，後來沒有再次進行襲擊。 八月十二日，駛往俄國的由六艘船艦組成的第一次P‧Q‧運輸船隊從利物浦啟航，取道冰島往阿爾漢格爾斯克。自此以後，駛往俄國北部的運輸船隊定期按月開行一次或二次。 它們有強大的護衛，還沒有受到過敵人的干涉。在阿爾漢格爾斯克冰封的時候，就使用摩爾曼斯克的港口。關於成功地把軍需物資運送給俄國軍隊作了過多的慶祝與宣傳，而接著在下一年就遭到重大的損失。 隨著俄國參戰，德國飛機對於我國海岸附近的船舶的襲擊減少了一些。福克烏爾夫式轟炸機飛行的區域很廣，但就是為應付這種危險而設計的我們的裝有戰鬥機彈射機的船隻現正製造出來，並且很快就得到許多成功。從直布羅陀和塞拉利昂到本國的航線成為德國飛機和潛艇攻擊的目標，這就使我們在八月和九月間損失了三十一艘商船和三艘護航艦。在這些船艦當中就有因擄獲德國軍艦阿爾特馬克號和圍攻德國戰列艦俾斯麥號而著名的驅逐艦科薩克號。 可以從一個飛行甲板上出動六架飛機的第一艘真正的護航航空母艦英艦大膽號於九月間進入現役，並立即證明了這一類型的軍艦的價值。它不僅可以殲滅或驅逐福克烏爾夫式轟炸機，而且也可以在晝間進行空中偵察，使德國潛艇潛在水面之下，並且及時提供有關這些潛艇的警報。 在以後許多年中，在美國建造了大批在對潛艇的戰爭中和以後的兩棲作戰中起著重大作用的船隻；這些船隻都是以大膽號作為模型建造的。 大膽號本身的生涯短暫。它在十二月二十一日，在護衛從直布羅陀駛往本國的一個運輸船隊時，經過一次最英勇的戰鬥，被一艘德國潛艇擊沉。率領運輸船隊護航艦的沃克中校這次在歷時幾晝夜的戰鬥中大大地顯出了他的才能，在約有九艘的德國潛艇中就有四艘被摧毀，此外還擊落兩架福克烏爾夫式轟炸機。某夜，他的坐艦鸛鳥號在黑夜中追逐一艘德國潛艇而和它相撞。兩艘船邊靠邊地那麼相近，以致鸛鳥號艦上的四吋口徑的炮無法充分降低，因而炮手們只好揮舞拳頭而大聲咒罵，直到深水炸彈發揮了作用。 沃克中校獲得擢升而成為我們的第一流的德國潛艇殲滅者。 在他於一九四四年因病早喪以前，他和他所指揮的幾隊護航艦曾經擊沉了二十艘德國潛艇，其中一次就擊沉了六艘。 德國派潛艇到地中海去的決定，使我們在大西洋上獲得進一步的緩和。有五艘德國潛艇在直布羅陀海峽被擊毀，有六艘被擊傷，因而被迫退回，但是有二十四艘得以成功地通過，並且如在以後一章中讀者將看到的，成為地中海上的一大禍害。 偽裝的德國商船也在繼續對我們的海洋貿易進行著戰爭。澳大利亞巡洋艦悉尼號在澳大利亞西海岸外遭遇到德國的襲擊艦G。由於偽裝，德艦竟成功地在開火以前誘使它的對手駛入平射程以內。兩艘船都被擊沉了。有二十五名德國人以後被救起，其餘的終於在澳大利亞西部登了岸。 悉尼號的七百多名官兵卻無一生還。這是在幽僻的海域內的一次淒慘的犧牲。 幾天以後，曾經擊毀了我方二十艘總計約十四萬噸的船舶的襲擊艦C在南大西洋被我巡洋艦多塞特郡號追獲並擊沉了。前後共計有九艘偽裝的德國海面襲擊艦所造成的損失如下： 一九四○年沉船數五十四總噸數三百六十六，六百四十四 一九四一年沉船數四十四總噸數二百二十六，五百二十七 一九四二年沉船數三十總噸數一百九十四，六百二十五 一九四三年沉船數六總噸數四十九，四百八十二 因此，我們甚至在一九四一年就有確實的理由對於海洋戰爭給予我們商務上的影響的整個趨勢感到滿意。在一九四一年十一月，我們因德國潛艇的襲擊而受到的損失降到一九四○年五月以來的最低數字。儘管希特勒誇耀，儘管德國的潛艇與空軍力量增加了，以及我們在海洋上的運輸船隊不斷增多了，英國和同盟國在一九四一年的船舶損失數字並不大於一九四○年。當然，雙方都有更多的攻擊目標，但是我們擊沉的德國潛艇數目（包括意大利的潛艇在內）卻從一九四○年的四十二艘上升到一九四一年的五十三艘。本章末所載的表值得加以仔細研究。 這樣，我們在臨到戰爭中一次最大變化的前夕的時候，就已經在軍事力量方面有了巨大的增加，並且仍然在實際力量和對許多問題的控制方面穩定地進展。我們感到我們自己有力量保衛我們這個島國，並且能夠就我們的船舶所能裝運的最大限量來派遣軍隊到國外去。我們不知道將來怎樣，但是經過克服了一切困難以後，對將來也不會感到恐懼。入侵是沒有什麼可怕的，並且同時我們通過大洋的生命線卻變得更加安全、更加廣闊、更加眾多和更加富有成果。我們對於這個島國的入口地區的控制逐月都見增強。德國空軍和潛艇威脅著要實行的那種束縛，已經被打破，並且敵人已經被驅逐到遠離我們的海岸的地方去了。糧食、軍火和供應品越來越多川流不息地運到我國。我們自己的工廠的產品正在逐月增加。地中海區域、北非的西部沙漠和中東雖然仍處於危險中，但是在十一月快要結束的那幾天，就陸地、海上和空中三方面來說，我們對於戰爭到目前為止的進程是感到慶幸的。