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Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume I

The Situation in Great Britain after Dunkirk

page 138

The Situation in Great Britain after Dunkirk

The situation after our arrival in the United Kingdom was most interesting. There was considerable military activity, accompanied by a certain amount of apprehension, but there was no panic and no despondency, and public opinion upon the whole was very sound. It was felt, however, both in military and civil quarters, that an attack against Great Britain was imminent.

As far as I can gather the reason for this belief came from the fact that on the one hand the Germans said they were determined to attack and occupy Great Britain, while upon the other hand the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force said they could not guarantee our shore against seaborne or airborne attack. Furthermore, at Dunkirk the Army had lost all the modern equipment that existed, with the exception of some rifles. Since then, however, great strides have been made and all the divisions have now been issued with a scale quite sufficient to be effective, although on a reduced basis.