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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTVS GOVERNMENT
Printed for the War Cabinet.
October 1942.
SECRET.
Copy No.
W.M. (42)
145th Conclusions.
TO BE K E P T UNDER LOCK AND KEY
It is requested that special care may be taken to
ensure the secrecy of this document
WAR CABINET 14S (42).
CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing
S. W. 1, on Monday, October 26, 1942, at 5.30 P.M.
Street,
Present:
The Right Hon. WINSTON S. CHURCHILL, M.P., Prime Minister (in the Chair).
The Right Hon. C R. ATTLEE, M.P., The Right Hon. Sir STAFFORD CRIPPS,
K . C . , M.P., Lord Privy Seal.
Secretary of State for Dominion
Affairs.
The Right Hon. Sir JOHN ANDERSON, The Right Hon. ANTHONY EDEN, M.P.,
Secretary of State for Foreign
M.P., Lord President of the Council.
Affairs.
The Right Hon. OLIVER LYTTELTON, The Right Hon. ERNEST BEVIN, M.P.,
M.P., Minister of Production.
Minister of Labour and National
Service.
The following were also present:
Field-Marshal The Right Hon. J . C. The Right Hon. S. M. BRUCE, Representative of the Government of the
SMUTS, Prime Minister of the Union
Commonwealth of Australia.
of South Africa.
Sir
RAMASWAMI MUDALIAR, RepreH.H. THE MAHARAJA JAM SAHEB OF
sentative of India.
NAWANAGAR, Representative of India.
The Right Hon. Sir KINGSLEY WOOD, The Right Hon. L. S. AMERY, M.P.,
Secretary of State for India and
M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Secretary of State for Burma.
The Right Hon. VISCOUNT CRANBORNE, The Right Hon. A. V . ALEXANDER,
M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty.
Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The Right Hon. Sir JAMES GRIGG, The Right Hon. Sir ARCHIBALD
M.P., Secretary of State for War.
SINCLAIR, Bt., M.P., Secretary of
State for Air.
The Right Hon. BRENDAN BRACKEN, The Hon. Sir ALEXANDER CADOGAN,
M.P., Minister of Information.
Permanent Under-Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir DUDLEY
Air
Chief Marshal Sir CHARLES F. A .
POUND. First Sea Lord and Chief of
PORTAL,
Chief of the Air Staff.
Naval Staff.
General Sir ALAN BROOKE, Chief of the
Imperial General Staff.
Secretariat:
Sir
EDWARD BRIDGES.
Mr.
Mr.
NORMAN BROOK.
L. F. BURGIS.
Major-General Sir HASTINGS ISMAY.
;24545]
46
WAR CABINET 145 (42).
Minute
No.
1
2
CONTENTS.
Subject.
Naval, Military and Air Operations ....
Page
Ill
Air Operations:
Home Theatre.
Malta.
Egypt.
Naval Operations:
Shipping Losses.
Military Operations:
Egypt.
Pacific.
Russia.
U.S.S.R
112
Hess.
3
U.S.S.R
112
Empress flail Celebration of the Soviet Annual Day.
4
5
Prisoners of War
Honours and Awards ....
....
Posthumous Honours and Awards.
....
....
....
....
112
113
1. The Chiefs of Staff reported the principal events of the
past week.
'
Bomber Command had carried out two night raids against
Genoa and one day and one night'raid against Milan. The weather
conditions for the first raid against Genoa had been good and satis­
factory results had been obtained. The second raid had been spoilt
by cloud and some of our bombers had bombed the alternative targets
at Turin and Savona. A number of German towns had also been
bombed by small numbers of aircraft. Two U-boats had been
claimed to have been sunk by mines and one damaged.
Coastal Command had made eleven attacks on U-boats, seven
of which had had possible results. One merchant ship off Norway
had been sunk.
Fighter Command had carried out a number of sorties against
ground targets. In the Home Theatre the enemy had lost 3 aircraft
destroyed, 4 probably destroyed and 11 damaged. Our losses had
been 2 fighters, 17 bombers and 5 Coastal Command aircraft.
United States Fortresses had carried out a most successful raid
on the submarine base at Lorient. They had lost 3 aircraft, bin
claimed to have shot down 9 enemy machines for certain and
6 probable.
The scale of enemy attacks had been reduced. The enemy losses
Malta.
for the previous 7 days had been 16 destroyed, 4 probably destroyed
and 17 damaged. Our losses had been 4 aircraft destroyed (1 on
the ground). Fleet Air Arm and R.A.F. machines had also destroyed
3 enenry tankers and 1 6,000-ton vessel off Malta.
On the 24th October, the first day of the battle, our aircraft
Egypt.
had flown over 1,000 sorties. During the previous seven days the
enemy had lost 36 aircraft destroyed, 18 probably destroyed and
23 damaged. Our losses had been 33 aircraft (mostly fighters) and
5 damaged.
Our merchant shipping losses for the previous week, including
Naval
belated
reports, amounted to 44,000 tons.
Operations.
A
Fighting
French submarine on patrol off Narvik had sunk
Shipping Losses.
two enemy merchant ships.
The First Lord of the Admiralty was invited to convey the
congratulations of the War Cabinet to the Fighting French
on this achievement.
Details were given of the progress of the present battle in
Military
Egypt. The situation could be considered satisfactory.
Operations.
General Alexander had said that he would not be able to give
Egypt.
a reliable appreciation of the way operations would develop for
another week. 1,000 Italian and 500 German prisoners had been
taken.
'
Pacific.
In New Guinea our forces were now within 7 or 8 miles of
Kakoda.
Russia.
After a pause in the German offensive, the Germans had
resumed attacks in Stalingrad, but had only succeeded in capturing
a few streets and buildings. In the south the Germans had made
very little progress. The higher passes of the Caucasus were now
clear of Germans.
The War Cabinet took note of the above statements.
Naval, Military
and Air
Operations.
(Previous
Reference:
W.M. (42)142nd
Conclusions,
Minute 1.)
Air Operations.
Home Theatre.
"*
S , S
' '
- .
; Cabinet had a discussion on our relations w
Russia. A record is contained in the Secretary's Standard File of
War Cabinet Conclusions.
RJ
R
(PREVIOUS
Reference:
W.M. (42) 136th
Conclusions,
Minute 1.)
[24545]
2
T
h e
W a i
In the course of discussion it was stated that the Russians were
still very suspicious over the Hess affair, and thought that they had
not been given the full facts. It was urged that we might make an
W.M. (42) 143rd effort to dispel their suspicions.
H e s s
-
(Previous
Reference:
Conclusions,
Minute 2.)
U.S.S.R.
Empress Hall
Celebration of
the Soviet
Annual Day.
(Previous
Reference:
W.M. (42) 131st
Conclusions,
Minute 12.)
The War C a b i n e t Invited the Lord Privy Seal to arrange for a full dossier
of the Papers in regard to the Hess affair to be prepared
and circulated to the War Cabinet, and asked that he
should prefix thereto a report bringing out the salient
points. In the light of these papers, the War Cabinet
would consider what communication on the matter could
usefully be made to the Soviet Government.
3. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs informed the
War Cabinet that requests had been made that contingents of His
Majesty's Forces should attend the celebration of the Soviet Annual
Day to be held in the Empress Hall on the 7th November. This
invitation had been accepted by the War Office and the Air
Ministry. Later, after consultation between Ministers, it had been
decided that the contingents of His Majesty's Forces should not
attend the demonstration, and those responsible for organising the
demonstration had been so informed. In the meantime, however,
contingents of troops from some of the Allies had been invited and
had agreed to attend. It had also been publicly announced that
British troops would be present at the demonstration. A difficult
situation had therefore arisen.
The view was expressed that, since the invitations had been
accepted in the first instance, withdrawal at this stage would be
very difficult. There was much, therefore, to be said for allowing
contingents of troops to attend on this occasion.
On the other hand, it was suggested that the situation might
be dealt with in other ways, e.g., we might take the line that it would
be more suitable that our contingents and those of the Allies should
all attend a military parade.
The importance of an early settlement of this matter was
stressed.
The War Cabinet deferred a decision, on the under­
standing that this matter would be considered at a Meeting
to be held in the course of the next two days.
4. The War Cabinet considered a telegram from the Canadian
Government (No. 231, dated the 24th October) making suggestions
(Previous
for dealing with the situation which had arisen. In particular, the
Reference:
Canadian Government proposed that the Governments of the British
W.M. (42) 144th Commonwealth should jointly communicate to the Protecting Power
Conclusions.)
and the International Red Cross Committee, and should simul­
taneously make public, a statement condemning the policy of
treating prisoners of war as hostages and declaring against the
policy of reprisals.
The general feeling of the War Cabinet was against making
any further approach at this stage on the lines suggested by the
Canadian Government. I t would be better to see how the position
developed and whether any reply would be forthcoming to the repre­
sentations we had made through the Protecting Power.
Prisoners of
W a r
-
The Foreign Secretary said that a further offer of mediation
had been received from the International Red Cross Committee.
. ,, I He suggested that a reply should be sent referring to the protest
which we had already lodged through the Swiss Government and
indicating that we were proposing to use the Protecting Power as
an intermediary in this matter.
It was pointed out that the telegram froim the Canadian
Government had been despatched before receipt of a telegram from
the Dominions Office (No. 433 of the 24th October) which indicated
that, before considering what further action might be taken, we
were proposing to allow a reasonable time in which to obtain a reply
to the protest we had lodged through the Swiss Government.
Nevertheless, it might be desirable to restate our position, so as to
make it quite clear to Dominion Governments that we thought it
wise not to take any further step while there was still some prospect
of obtaining a reply from the Swiss Government.
The War Cabinet's conclusions were as follows :—
(1) In present circumstances the best course, for some days at
any rate, was to await the result of the protest lodged
through the Protecting Power. *
(2) The Dominions Office should telegraph to the Canadian
Government, referring to telegram No. 433 of the
24th October from the Dominions Office, and explaining
that we thought it wiser not to take any further decision
while there was still some prospect of a reply from the
Swiss Government. Copies of this telegram should be
sent to other Dominion Governments.
(3) The Foreign Secretary should reply to the International
Red Cross Committee on the lines indicated at " A "
above.
Honours and
Awards.
Posthumous
. Honours and
Awards.
(Previous
Reference:
W.M. (40) 256th
Conclusions,
Minute 7.)
5. The War Cabinet had before them a Note by the Prime
Minister (W.P. (42) 475) covering a Memorandum prepared in the
Treasury on the question of posthumous awards for acts of
gallantry.
In discussion, it was'pointed out that posthumous awards were
made in the case of the Victoria Cross and certain other awards for
gallantry, and it would be in accord with public sentiment if the
same principles could be applied in the case of other gallantry
awards. I t might be desirable to impose some limit on the number
of posthumous awards; and there were some difficulties which
would have to be considered. For example, a decision taken now to
extend the classes of decoration which may be awarded posthumously
could not be made retrospective to the beginning of the war.
The War C a b i n e t ­
(1) Agreed that it was desirable in principle that the present
rules restricting posthumous awards for gallantry
should be relaxed, if means could be found of overcoming
the administrative difficulties involved.
(2) Invited the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decora­
tions and Medals in Time of War to report whether a
scheme could be devised for permitting and regulating
the posthumous award of decorations for gallantry
other than those already awarded posthumously.
Great George Street, S.W. 1,
October 26, 1942.