The Grand Alliance (153 page)

and Commander-in-Chief’,

Home Forces

In the invasion exercise “Victor” two armoured, one
motorised, and two infantry divisions were assumed to
be landed by the enemy on the Norfolk coast in the
teeth of heavy opposition. They fought their way
ashore, and were all assumed to be in action at the end
of forty-eight hours.

2. I presume the details of this remarkable feat have
been worked out by the staff concerned. Let me see
them. For instance, how many ships and transports
carried these five divisions? How many armoured
vehicles did they comprise? How many motor lorries,
how many guns, how much ammunition, how many
men, how many tons of stores, how far did they advance in the first forty-eight hours, how many men and
vehicles were assumed to have landed in the first
twelve hours, what percentage of loss were they
debited with? What happened to the transports and
storeships while the first forty-eight hours of fighting
was going on? Had they completed emptying their
cargoes, or were they still lying inshore off the
beaches? What naval escort did they have? Was the
landing at this point protected by superior enemy
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daylight fighter formations? How many fighter aeroplanes did the enemy have to employ, if so, to cover
the landing-places?

All these data would be most valuable for our future
offensive operations. I should be very glad if the same
officers would work out a scheme for our landing an
exactly similar force on the French coast at the same
extreme range of our fighter protection, and assuming
that the Germans have naval superiority in the
Channel. Such an enterprise as this accomplished in
forty-eight hours would make history, and if the staffs
will commit themselves definitely to the adventure and
can show how it is worked out in detail, I should very
much like to bring it before the Defence Committee for
action at the earliest moment.

APRIL

Prime Minister to Sir Andrew

1.IV.411.

Duncan and Imports

Executive

At the last meeting of the “Battle of the Atlantic”

Committee the impression was conveyed that the great
improvement in the turn-round of tankers was mainly
due to improved methods of pumping. This is not so.

The time has been reduced from 11.3 days to 3.3 days.

The main proportion of this time saved was due to good
and improved organisation. This is shown in the subjoined table. Improved discharge accounts for less than
a third of the total saving. Two-thirds of it is in more
able organisation.

You and your committee should look into this and
see how far the Ministry of Shipping can adopt the
methods of the Petroleum Department.

Prime Minister to Home

2.IV.41.

Secretary

I see a note in the Daily Telegraph that you are
shortly going to make a statement to Parliament on the
future of horse-racing. Will you kindly let me know
beforehand what you think of saying? If anything were
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done which threatened to terminate horse-racing in
time of war or ruin the bloodstock, it would be
necessary that the whole matter should be thrashed out
in Cabinet first.

Prime Minister to First Lord

4.IV.41.

and First Sea Lord

Fuelling at sea. Considering that the Malaya was
escorting an eight-knot convoy, or perhaps even a six-knot convoy, I do not see why the danger of her oiling a
destroyer at twelve knots should be stressed. It is quite
true that during the period of oiling the destroyer, the
battleship could not manoeuvre to avoid a torpedo. On
the other hand, the advantages of having destroyers
along with the convoy far more than repay this temporary disability. If four destroyers were taken along with
the convoys, one would be oiling while the other three
would be protecting. Anyhow, nothing could be worse
than to have a battleship tethered to a six- or eight-knot
convoy without any anti-U-boat craft to protect her. This
is what was done on the convoy in question.

Prime Minister to C.A.S.

5.IV.41.

Two things [about the air force in the Middle East]

are to me in credible:

(1) hat with a total personnel strength of 26,600 and
a pilot strength of 1175 and 1044 aircraft on charge we
can only fight 292 aircraft against the enemy.

(2) hat with this immense personnel and mass of
obsolete machines the C.-in-C. Air cannot find the
necessary servicing staff for the new aeroplanes as
they arrive, but that large numbers have to be sent
round the Cape, with resultant destructive delays.

Prime Minister to First Lord

5.VI.41.

and First Sea Lord

See attached eminently satisfactory answer to our
requests. If seven cutters are available at New York
within a week, why not make an evolution of getting
them manned and into action from Iceland a fort-night
later? Anyhow, let me be assured that all is in train for
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manning and bringing into action these vessels at the
earliest moment.

Prime Minister to Sir Edward

8.IV.41.

Bridges

It is very important not to have a serious break in the
work at Easter. The normal Monday meeting should be
at 5 P.M. Ministers are responsible for being available
on the telephone at the shortest notice. It is much
better for Ministers to take their holidays in rotation.

Let me have a list of who will go and who will stay. I
am told that Easter is a very good time for invasion.

Prime Minister to General

8.IV.41.

Ismay

We must have the fullest information about Tobruk.

Let a large-scale plan be prepared, and as soon as
possible a model, comprising not only Tobruk but the El
Adem area. Let me have meanwhile the best photographs available, both from the air and from the
ground.

Prime Minister to Minister of

8.IV.41.

Supply

I observe with some concern from the census of
machine tools that there was a reduction in the average
hours worked by production machine tools from sixty-six to fifty-eight hours per week between June and
November, 1940. It is of course not possible to reach
such perfect balance between different machines that
all machines are fully exploited. But the hours actually
worked seemed lower than might have been hoped. A
small loss (one and a half hours per week) is attributed
directly to air raids. Some further loss is presumably
due to the tendency to close factories during hours of
darkness. Perhaps you would let me know the number
of shifts that are being worked in factories.

It will be extremely difficult to make a case for the
urgent delivery of machine tools from America if we
cannot employ those we have to better advantage.

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I am addressing similar minutes to the Minister of
Aircraft Production and the First Lord.

(Action this day.) Prime

10.IV.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for India

Thank you very much for prompt and efficient action
which you took yesterday. I shall be greatly interested
to see the plan you will make in the next few days for
making Basra a great American assembly point. Naturally you will plan your scheme in stages so that we can
have the use of it as it develops progressively. A
widespread defence scheme against air attack must
also be prepared. The necessary radar stations to
enable our fighters to get into the air in good time must
be provided. Ask the military for plenty of photographs
of the place, and send them forward with your report.

Try to keep the report very short.

Prime Minister to C.I.G.S.

15.IV.41.

By this return, which I study every week, you will see
that you have 1169 heavy tanks in this country in the
hands of troops. The monthly production of over two
hundred is going to increase in the near future. If the
training of the men has not kept pace with the already
much-retarded deliveries of the tanks, that is the
responsibility of the War Office. I do not wonder that
difficulties are encountered in training when two hundred and thirty-eight cruiser tanks are given to one
armoured division and only thirty-eight to another.

Perhaps if the 11th Armoured Division had a few more

“I” tanks it would come along quicker.

Personally, I am not convinced that it is right to
make each division entirely homogeneous. A judicious
mixture of weapons, albeit of varied speeds, should be
possible in the division. Moreover, some of these
armoured vehicles ought to carry field artillery, and
even one or two large guns or mortars. Let me have a
report on what the Germans do.

Prime Minister to First Lord

15.IV.41.

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I have heard that the use of long Actaeon nets or
similar devices for towing behind escort vessels on
either side of convoys is being investigated by the
Admiralty. I should be glad to have a report on progress
made.

If something of this sort could be developed, it might
go a long way to solving our problems.
9

Prime Minister to Secretary

15.IV.41.

of State for Air

I remain far from satisfied with the state of our
preparations for offensive chemical warfare, should this
be forced upon us by the actions of the enemy.

I have before me a report on this matter by the Inter-Service Committee on Chemical Warfare, together with
a commentary thereon by the Ministry of Supply. From
these two documents the following special points
emerge:

(1) The deficiency of gas shell is still serious. Although the production of 6-inch and 5.5-inch gas shell
was due to start in February, none has yet been produced. I understand that the shortage of 25-pounder
gas-filled shell is due to the lack of empty shell cases.

(2) The production of 30-pound L.C. bomb, Mark I,
will not keep pace with the production of the 5-inch U.P.

weapon, the new mobile projector for use with the
Army. Indeed, supplies will be insufficient even for
training purposes.

(3) The production of phosgene gas is inadequate.

The output from the plant is now about 65 per cent of
capacity, having previously been only 50 per cent over
a period of some months.

I propose to examine the whole position at an early
meeting of the Defence Committee (Supply).

In order that this examination may be as complete
as possible, I shall be glad to receive from the Minister
of Aircraft Production and the Minister of Supply, for
circulation in advance of the meeting, brief comprehensive statements of the position so far as each is concerned, showing in respect of each of the main gas
weapons and components (including gases): (1) Total
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requirements notified to them, with dates; (2) stocks of
components in the custody of each on April 1; (3)
supplies delivered by April 1 to R.A.F. or Army authorities; (4) estimated output during each of the next six
months.

I shall be glad if these statements can be submitted
within a week. They should be addressed to Sir Edward
Bridges.

I am addressing similar minutes to the Secretary of State for War, the Minister of Supply, and the Minister of Aircraft Production.