The Grand Alliance (171 page)

3. Prima facie I am not prepared to recognise the
need for any additions to Civil Defence. How was this
figure arrived at? Has it been subjected to any scrutiny?

Far from adding to Civil Defence personnel, I am
hoping that 1942 will see them increasingly combed.

Prime Minister to C.A.S.

24.X.41.

I am not content with the arrangements made for the
two squadrons in Murmansk. I thought they were to
take their aircraft and move to the south of the front,
where they might have come into action with the
Russian Air Force. Instead of this, the personnel only is
being sent. When is it expected that these two
squadrons will again come into action, and where? The
most serious mistake we have made about the Russians was in not sending eight air force fighter
squadrons, which would have gained great fame,
destroyed many German aircraft, and given immense
encouragement all along the front. This is the only
criticism, among the many that have been made, which
I feel strikes home.

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Prime Minister to Director of

24.X.41.

Military Intelligence

My general impression is that the scale of the
fighting [in Russia] has diminished on both sides, and
that many fewer divisions are engaged each day than a
month ago. What do you say to this?

What date is the winter expected to set in earnest in
the Moscow region?

Is there any sign of digging in on any part of the
front?

What, in your opinion, are the chances of Moscow
being taken before the winter? I should be inclined to
put it evens.

Prime Minister to Secretary of
29.X.41.

State for War

All this seems to make many difficulties out of fairly
simple things. Women should be enlisted in the A.T.S.

and should always wear that badge. This ensures that
their special needs in treatment, accommodation, etc.,
are kept up to a minimum standard wherever they may
be by the women influences organising the A.T.S.

When however they are posted to a combatant unit and
share in practice with the men the un-avoidable
dangers and hardships of that unit, they should become
in every respect members of it. They should wear, in
addition to the A.T.S. badge, all regimental insignia
appropriate to their rank. Although their well-being is
still supervised by the A.T.S. authorities, they should be
considered as detached from the A.T.S. and incorporated in the combatant unit. This does not imply any
alteration in their legal status, nor need it involve any
Parliamentary

discussion

(although

Parliamentary

authority could easily be obtained were it necessary).

2. Considering the immense importance of having a
large number of women in A.A. batteries and that the
efficiency of the batteries depends upon carefully
organised gun teams, it is imperative that these women
should not be moved without reference to the Battery
Command. The idea that there is an army of A.T.S.

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under its own Commander-in-Chief, part of which lives
alongside particular batteries and gives them a helping
hand from time to time, is contrary to our main interest,
namely, the maintenance of a larger number of A.A.

batteries with a smaller number of men.

3. You are good enough to say that I have been
misinformed on various points. I should like to go
further into this. I shall be glad to have a meeting at 5 P.

M. on Tuesday, November 4, at which General Pile and
other officers of the A.D.G.B., as well as representatives of the A.T.S., are present, and I trust you and the
Adjutant-General will also come.

(Action this day.) Prime

31.X.41.

Minister to C.I.G.S.

I am very glad to see the 50th Division moving out of
Cyprus, and am glad that it can be relieved by elements
of the 5th Indian Division. No decision has however yet
been taken about moving the 50th Division to the
Caucasus. Where will it wait in the interval?

2. Nothing in these moves is on any account to
interfere with “Crusader.” Pray reassure me on this.

NOVEMBER

Prime Minister to First Lord

5.XI.41.

and First Sea Lord

I much regret that the number of U-boat prisoners
taken by us should have been published. I commented
unfavourably upon this publication six months ago. The
figure is so small that it advertises to the world the
failure of all our efforts against them. There was absolutely no need to make such a disclosure gratuitously
encouraging the enemy and discouraging our friends.

Were you aware beforehand that this was going to
be done?

Prime Minister to Secretary of
5.XI.41.

State for Air

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Your reply to my minute.

I do not think you should dismiss a matter like this

[whereby mechanics and fitters worked for certificates
of competence in each different make of engine] so
lightly. I am told it is the explanation of the far higher
economy reached by the Germans in maintaining their
air force.

I must beg you to have the matter more searchingly
examined.

Prime Minister to First Lord

7.XI.41.

The twenty assault landing-craft, the twenty heavy
support craft, and one hundred and twenty-seven tank-landing-craft seem to me insufficient. This programme
must be carefully concerted with the Army. Very large
operations may be required in 1943….
31

3. If a small floating dock is constructed in India,
how long will it take and what alternative construction
will it displace?

4. In view of the sad tale of the King George V class,
it would be wrong to proceed with the construction of
the Lion, let alone the later ones, without the whole
design being examined by a conference of sea officers
who have either commanded or used these ships. I
favour the principle of three triple sixteen-inch-gun
turrets. What are your armour demands for 1942? If the
question of design were satisfactorily settled I would
support making a beginning upon the turrets and
mountings, provided of course that the tank programme
is not interfered with.

5. Let me have the legend of the one hundred
convoy escort vessels to be built in the United States.

6. Let me have the list of the eleven new or modernised capital ships attributed to Germany, Italy, and
Japan at the end of 1943, and the list of our eleven. It
seems probable that the war will be finished before any
new capital ships can be built – i.e., 1947. If we win the
war, we shall disarm the enemy. If we lose it, he will
disarm us.

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7. The new aircraft-carrier must be weighed against
other demands for armour and shipbuilding labour. How
long will she take to make?

8. I agree to the three six-inch cruisers and to the
triple eight-inch turrets of one eight-inch-gun cruiser.

9. Let me have the brief legend for the “heavy
support craft.”

10. You do not mention destroyers in your programme. I suppose this is because all the yards are
fully booked up with them. Let me have a return showing what you have got building, dividing them into three
classes and showing the rates at which each class can
be built.

(Action this day.) Prime

9.XI.41.

Minister to General Ismay, for
C.O.S. Committee,and C.A.S.

Let us hurry up the arrangements for sending
volunteer pilots and aeroplanes to join Chennault’s
party [International Air Force in China]. Let me know
what is proposed.

(Action this day.) Prime

11.XI.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for Air and C.A.S.

The losses sustained both by the night bombers and
day fighters have lately been very heavy. There is no
need to press unduly the offensive by the figures over
France; about two sweeps a month instead of four
should be sufficient, combined with a continuance of
the attacks on shipping. While the degree of attack may
be lightened, the impression of its continuance should
be sustained.

2. I have several times in Cabinet deprecated forcing
the night bombing of Germany without due regard to
weather conditions. There is no particular point at this
time in bombing Berlin. The losses sustained last week
were most grievous. We cannot afford losses on that
scale in view of the short fall of the American bomber
programme. Losses which are acceptable in a battle or
for some decisive military objective ought not to be
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incurred merely as a matter of routine. There is no need
to fight the weather and the enemy at the same time.

3. It is now the duty of both Fighter and Bomber
Command to re-gather their strength for the spring.

4. Let me have a full report about the heavy losses
of bombers on the night of the last heavy raid on Berlin.

(Action this day.) Prime

11.XI.41.

Minister to C.A.S.

The continued wastage of aircraft in relation to
production is very serious. Let me have each week a
precise return by types of all aircraft stationed in the
United Kingdom written off either by enemy action or
other causes. Let me also have, though this is not so
urgent, a list of aircraft damaged each week, repairs of
which cannot be executed by the squadrons.

Prime Minister to C.A.S.

11.XI.41.

Is it true that for the first fortnight in October Bomber
Command were withdrawn from attacks on shipping to
take part in Army manoeuvres, and that consequently
there were no losses to the enemy in that period?

When was this decision to abandon operations for
manoeuvres taken, and by whom?

Prime Minister to Viceroy of

12.XI.41.

India

I was startled to learn how far you had gone about
the release of the remaining Satyagrahi prisoners. As
you know, I have always felt that a man like Nehru
should be treated as a political détenu and not as a
criminal, and have welcomed every mitigation of his lot.

But my general impression of this wholesale release is
one of a surrender at the moment of success. Undoubtedly the release of these prisoners as an act of clemency will be proclaimed as a victory for Gandhi’s party.

Nehru and others will commit fresh offences, requiring
the whole process of trial and conviction to be gone
through again. You will get no thanks from any quarter.

The objections of Hope and Hallett should not be lightly
turned aside.

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2. The Cabinet, to whom I mentioned it this evening,
felt they must have more time to consider the matter
after they have received your official advice. It will not
be possible for us to send an answer before Monday at
earliest, so I asked the Secretary of State to desire you
to postpone the motion on the 17th for a few days. We
often do this in the House of Commons when replies
from other Governments have to be awaited.

3. Kindest regards.

(Action this day.) Prime

13.XI.41.

Minister to Secretary of State
for War