vcs TheWar Mlusteated w Vit rounrence Eajted by Sir Jonn HammertonThe way of the Ware WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF GORT’S DISPATCHES ? Dee fort's cagerty-awaited "Dispatches overing the history of the” British Expeditionary ‘Force from its landing at ‘Cherbourg tn September 1939 to ia, re. fembarkation from Dunkirk at the cad ‘ot ay 1940, have Sst een, ube’ No aso ae given forthe delay in publication, fori it clear why the present Moment has been ‘chosen-—unless it be,_as some, have Suggested thatthe contents of the Dapatches Are calculnted to answer those crs of our Imiitary effort who have been urging that'3 Second front should be opened nthe west 50-48 to relieve the pressure on our Ristan Sieg the east “Certainly in his Dis pasion the Ese Commanderia Chet a st with a-candour that is Telreshing. ROM the fest Dispatch we learn that the Frrec ting a entablchne of oa nat battalion was not designed for continental warfare, and. had called for’ modification, ma are uch more detailed and ‘comprehensive in the. second Dispatch. "Ia the opening paragraphs there is a reference to serlous deficiencies in stocks. which could ‘ot be made good since it bad been decided that the programme of shipments to France had to be severely curtailed in February and March, “On’the next page Lord. Gort tells 1s ofthe situation as regards equipment. “1 had on several ocations called the atten tion ‘of the War'Otee tothe shortage of aime Erpaste of mani of whic tbe os {n'Ffance mere ot nearly sg nou to pert tthe 'rates of expentitre ahd dwar ined opens eee Wa. The wan 8 ine ot he horse Rallay? Tale aaa ie oe vise ieee Sh aetclenes ssa ronaaeny sch oe keracn dicts sgnal ign techtes pectalecd veces St aly types id ‘Punter of smaller tens? 72 From later pages we Fearn that work onthe lings of commenication ‘was hampered ‘by the shortage of Iabour, "As the” battle developed there. was a terrible deficiency” of Rhter aircraft. "On May 23 the BLE-F, was placed on half rations and. the ammonition immediatly available was only about 300 rounds Der-gun, the prospect of receiving ‘any further" supply” being "remote, Since communications with the coast had been cut Noruen grave deficiency —per- AU Sips ol gave of alas that wie the Germans, were em loving at least tre armoured Ei agi the ‘etsh ur stmourea fret in thee of recanted ony seven ivistonals cavalry” regimens Sauipped wih light taka "one ‘egiment of armoured car of ta Siholte pater and two tushons of inf tar the Tater, except foc 33 Mark Il Links, bong arte tach with one mache gua ost We ad, "ue, "am armoured The a aoe eee ea eae Scoreeeeaerne ocaber agit: Ha Suatinery Oca will be read with avid interest ty all who ‘went through "Dunkirk and lived to tll the Tale, Some incident stand out from the terse, Imatier-of-fact narrative, We can share Gort’ Surprise when ‘General Ironside, then Chie (of the Imperial General Stuf, descended on hhim at G:H.O. in the mide of the battle, With instructions from the Cabinet that the BEF. was to move southwards upon ‘Amiens, attacking all enemy forces encoun- {ered fortunately, Ironside was swift 10 Appreciate that the atte as_ seen’ from Wahagnies looked very different from what it did’ when glimpsed from: Whitehall. "We fan ride beside the C.in-. Yn his car a it threads its slow and painful way through the crowds of refugees who blocked every oad and. path ("Scenes of misery were Spergwiere, and the dies Of omen, children and aged people was pitable™). We fee him opening hs copy of Me. Churchill's {elegram to M. Reynaud, the French Prime Minister, demanding that "* French Com- ‘mander, in north and south, and. Belgian G’QG. be piven most srngent orders 10 ‘carey out the Weygand plan and “turn defeat into wctory "and a day ltr rccvng the Surprising iteligence that the French had recaptured Péronne, Albert and Amiens. can share hs fing wea, flowing ‘W Se eolapee ofthe Dlg Army’ of his ele as en faced tha pe fap 020 mies between Ypres aod the Se, ‘Bfoagh wich enemy stmotred foes might fo each the Geach rom sic fhe Bri Army was big evacuated and we fan beat hm ping Cancel Blaha tat foe the'sake of Pance the French Ary te the Ali cause Oct Pour shuld ordered tack Tom Le Srey, Tad, Mis toops were otal 20 ted as se in ings a “Fl Bits Ope: Cwm Cop capable of moving . «°° Blanchard. was ‘tulurate, bur thelr pariag, we are told, Was fot ‘unfiendly ; nor, let"it be noted, is {bere the alee iniation nthe Dipetnes ‘ny reerimination agnnst King Leopo ‘The evacuation from Bunkirk was in pro- {Hes before the Belgium capitulation Then ther isthe lait scene when ** Major. GeneralAlexander, with the Senior Naval Giteer (Capiain W:G. Tennant, RUN), made $ Tour ofthe beaches tnd harbour ia 2 nator fat, and on ‘being satished that no Beish {toops were left gn shore, they themselves Jett for England.*” That'was at midnight Oe, 2 the pst ve avs Pet of Shins, "ereat "and. Small, hed’ succesfully fakes Sack, across the Channel 211332 ht ten and 13,053 casuatis of the BEF {dition t0"112,$46 Allied troops. GomeBEF. gotback England. For sieht Tmowihs icy had teed fie navies ia the mad: holding a tiny front beyond Lie Then ati pan-on May TO had begun the eush inte Belgium: "The next Gay they marched inte Lowvain. They exchanged 2 few shots with the enemy, bu since the German breaks Trough st Sedan had let thelr on in the they marched back again. Alter but 22 fate basing the campus was st ‘Once again the Germans had proved theie supetionty., Lord Gort speaks admiingly oftheir willingness to. accep risky thee fiplttation of ery sucess tothe utero | cemphasios the advantage which acres {o the commandsr who Lnows how tt 10 fine to make Ume his terant and not BS mater" Pym out ghd ade perience: he deduces the ‘moral that an SXpediionary force i ith to be used in a is lt cat, mane canes 2 scale commensurate with the take iSite be caled upon to ull Swange, trey, that 50 bvious icwot should Riveto be kara rom {eters wet blood, ‘The gloomy oppressveness of the sory if lightened time and again by an instance of British pluck and cece ain vel ‘Sind statver tte eneory. flayed Thee vitae of aloes, Fete Soorge and endaranc ox ‘which their corps and, regiments hhave tong been famous,” ‘ene isan old saying that the Mi ae the eat muitry SPR nell be toe whens ‘our arms have been deiven, Rerway, rane bd Belton, reece and Crete, uney il stand’ proudly to arms ready and carer fon ate There another fold saying that Britain loses every Satle'save the last. Oflen History has proved this true; we hope and expert that it Will be proved. true ‘he same, wouldn't . not only the Tast battle but the bale Before the lst? E. Royston PixeThese Men Brought the B Out of the Inferess