German Bombers Scorch Plymouth; Colleges See Peace Rallies

[Globalization41]

London, Special Cable to The New York
Times, By David Anderson, Thursday, April
24, 1941: [Late Wednesday, U.S. time]
Plymouth, subjected over Tuesday to another
scorching attack by more than a hundred big
German bombers, took tally Wednesday of a
loss of life that was feared to be heavy and
struggled to keep working. ... Food convoys
and emergency organizations of all kinds
rushed aid to the southwest port, which was
pounded mercilessly for two successive nights
and seems to have been put by the Nazi Air
Fleet ahead of any target in Britain. ... Nazi
squadrons swept over the Channel
[Wednesday evening] to launch an intensive
preliminary attack. There followed a few hours
of quiet. Then the Germans returned to
administer a harder punishment in a steady
rain of high explosives and fire bombs. ...
Occasional raiders [also] bombed and
machine-gunned towns on the East Coast
during daylight [Wednesday]. ... British R.A.F.
bombers again [Wednesday night] attacked
Brest, Air Ministry officials said early
[Thursday].

The New York Times, Wednesday, April 23,
1941: Peace rallies and "strikes" sponsored
by various groups were held in many colleges
throughout the country Wednesday, often
more than one to a college, with the convoy
issue paramount at most. [A few rallies
favored assistance to Britain, though most
were against American involvement.] The
"tremendous response to the strike proves
that the American student body will not be
stampeded into war," declared the A.Y.C.
[American Youth Congress]. Fay Bennett
[executive secretary of the Youth Committee
Against War] sent the following wire to
President Roosevelt: "Thousands of
Americans participated today in the annual
youth strike against war, reiterating their
demand that we keep out of the war. Mr.
President, we hold you to your pledge against
involvement. Convoys mean shooting war.
We oppose convoys." ... The American
Student Union called the demonstrations "a
warning to the Administration that American
students will not tolerate any further steps to
drag America into the war." [Armed convoys
shipping supplies to Britain technically
violated U.S. neutrality. ... Aid to belligerents
is a classic technique in subverting neutrality
since it invites reprisals.]

London, Special Cable to The New York
Times, By Robert P. Post, Wednesday, April
23, 1941: With the announcement of the
collapse of the Greek Army in Epirus and the
flight of the King and Cabinet to Crete, the
people here began to realize that the British
Army [and also Empire forces consisting of
Australians and New Zealanders] must
retreat [against the overwhelming German
blitzkrieg] and probably evacuate Greece. The
retreat is certainly going on and it is probable
the evacuation has begun. ... There is no
question that this is one of the blackest weeks
the British have ever had to face. There is no
doubt that there will be criticism -- already
boiling over in Australia -- of the entire
campaign and the decision to embark on it.

Vichy, France, Wireless to The New York
Times, Wednesday, April 23, 1941: Gypsies
in the free zone of France are being sent to
the camp of Angeles-sur-Mer, according to
word from Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva.
There are also gypsies interned in other
camps, since a law effective at the outbreak
of war prohibited gypsies from roaming the
country.

Rome, United Press, The New York Times,
Wednesday, April 23, 1941: Wild street
demonstrations and shouts of "Viva
Mussolini!" greeted news today of the Greek
capitulation. Thousands paraded, waving
Italian and German flags and shouting
jubilantly. War songs rang out in the Piazza
Venezia from the throngs gathered in the hope
that Premier Mussolini would appear on the
balcony of his palace. Men toasted strangers
alike in the cafes. [Italy and Greece had
been at war for about six months.]

[Stay tuned for late breaking war bulletins.
... Globalization41.]