"Mass Uprising"

Part of Germany's preparation for the invasion of Great Britain was to threaten repeatedly that all British civilians who might attempt to injure German soldiers would be regarded as francs-tireurs (guerrilla fighters) and treated accordingly (put to death). Last week the British Government broadcast, in German, its considered reply to Germany's threat. It said:

"The Home Guard is a military force, orderly established, and as such, according to international war regulations, fully justified to resist an enemy with arms. This can be seen by the wording of The Hague Convention of 1907, applying to the usages and laws of ground warfare. . . .

"Another article . . . says that if residents of an unoccupied area take up arms voluntarily and resist invading troops and if they have had the time to organize themselves, they are to be regarded as military forces and can claim the recognized rights of armed forces for themselves [i.e., if captured, to be held prisoner, not put to death], provided they carry their arms openly and follow the rights and usages of war.

"If the population of a country takes up arms spontaneously against the invader, it is to be called a mass uprising. . . ."

All of this was solemn embroidery around grimly settled fact. Germany wages war not by The Hague rules but by Hitler's rules: no holds barred. And Britons, not being fools, will retort in kind.

A member of the Home Guard is Alan Patrick Herbert, 49, Member of Parliament and of the editorial board of Punch (funny weekly). Commanding his yacht Water Gipsy he helps patrol the Thames, boasts that all members of his crew are ready for instant action at all times. To prove this, during dinner on board one night, he barked: "Lady Astor overboard!" The steward put down a dish he was passing, plunged over the rail.

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