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This newspaper page contains 21 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Canberra Times
Location
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Date
Apr 07, 1941
Page
2
A Royal air force action damaged two enemy merchantmen near Britain as a U boat threat loomed. The report notes a British transport Britannia of 8790 tons involved in the operations amid heavy German naval activity.
The War Office plans to issue exemption war badges to civilians, including mothers and widows, who are in reserved classifications or awaiting enlistment. The move aims to speed up service qualification and will soon see badges distributed from District Records Offices.
In Dublin, Prime Minister Menzies says he is forming his mind on questions after talks with Beah O Kelly and de Valera. He notes Ireland is more plentiful than Britain on food and stresses Atlantic security links joining Ireland and Australia in the war effort.
A damaged freighter, after a mid Atlantic collision with a U boat, plugged its hull with timber and debris and headed to a Canadian port for repairs. Crew members believed the U boat had been sunk as both vessels surfaced briefly and water flooded the engine room. The ships exchanged gunfire before the encounter faded.
Weather data for Canberra over a weekend includes temperatures ranging from 11 to 64 degrees, with a maximum 68.4 degrees and minimum around 46 degrees. Winds shift from calm to northeast at up to 28 mph, with peak wind speeds near 28 mph and readings in inches for pressure around 30.15 inches.
The article argues Germany launches new invasions of Greece and Yugoslavia, asserting Britain and Britain’s allies confront German expansion. It portrays Greece and Yugoslavia as resisting unjust German demands and notes Italy’s failed Balkan ambitions.
In New York on Sunday an agreement was reached to reopen most coal mines next week. Ford Company officials accuse strikers at the River Rouge plant of sabotage in aero plane tools and dies, saying tools and equipment were seized and smashed. Damages are alleged at 200,000 dollars.
A car veered off the road near Blackheath in heavy rain, overturning and killing Mrs Isabella Johnson 25 of Ledd Street Lithgow. Six others were injured, two critically. Driver Joseph Hallam sustained fractured ribs severe shock and is in critical condition. William Johnson of Lithgow is seriously injured with a fractured skull and severe shock.
Rome reports the Foreign Office weekly says Japan will act with great precision to restore poise with the Heavier, while Matsuoka holds long talks in Berlin and Rome. He plans three days in Moscow before returning to Tokyo, with London noting no dramatic shift in policy.
In Chungking the Chinese War Minister Ho Ying Shin announced that the Kiangsi victory last week was the greatest of the war. Chinese military spokesmen said about one third of 66 000 Japanese engaged were wiped out.
A semi official Japanese report claims Deputy Secretary-General Nai Tawee Hunyaketu said Thailand has never discussed joining. The statement attributed to the Countil Citizens contradicts rumours of an imminent move.
A large force of British bombers attacked Brest harbour striking Scharnhorst and Gneisenau with heavy bombs while other planes targeted Rotterdam oil stores and Ruhr industry. One bomber failed to return. Daylight raids hit two naval auxiliaries off France and mine sweepers. A pilot's account describes low level drops near the ships as anti air defenses fired.
An aircraft released a stick of bombs from 1000 feet as a battle cruiser moored to the pier. A pilot described seeing the ship distinctly, noting a gun opening fire and a return burst of flame as bombs fell in a tight arc, leaving the scene in blaze.
Report notes the British withdrawal from Benghazi amid contested desert routes to Tripoli. It analyzes motives behind the retreat and assesses Allied and Axis movements, including German armored forces and the impact on Marshal Gragiant's advance into Egypt.
Night air raids by German bombers hit Bristot with high explosives and incendiaries, killing one and wounding another seriously. A Heinkel aircraft was shot down, while Bristol harbour fires burned for miles and Yar mouth also faced bombing. An air ministry note cited a town in northern Scotland with casualties.
An aeronautical writer for The Times argues Caps Matapan proves air power decisively alters naval strategy. He says ships alone no longer decide sea dominance and that England and America are the only nations with the combined force to counter air and sea power. The Japanese fleet is seen as unable to pose a serious threat.
Vatican radio reports German actions in occupied France suppress Catholic churches in Alsace Lorraine and elsewhere. Strasbourg Cathedral closed to worship and open only to sightseers. Bishop Metz expelled. Catholic schools dissolved and religious orders shut. Only institutions for disabled children allowed. Catholic organizations banned without government approval. Most Catholic newspapers suppressed.
The Air Ministry said British aircraft used dummy bombing runs over Italian warships, forcing them to dodge and react while true attacks waited. The tactic aimed to mislead Italian defenses before Cape Matapan.
In Manila, British American and Dutch representatives prepare for defence talks. Dutch East Indies officials warn of an imminent crisis with Japan. Key figures including Bir Brooke-Popham and Vice Admiral Helfrich head to Manila, with van Kleffens and van Wetter arriving from Honolulu to meet Roosevelt after talks in Washington.
Commentators argue British troops in Cyrenaica are being de deployed to favor larger operations elsewhere. The retreat is seen as necessary due to limited trained forces, with Benghazi deemed of little strategic value and a shift toward preserving stronger positions for future campaigns.
A final count in Flinders boosted the government as Pearson lost his seat while Norwood and Onkaparinga gave narrow government wins. The government now holds 21 of 39 seats with a wide majority against the opposition in the House.
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