Page:Can Germany Invade England?.djvu/150

138 German Invasion of England, demonstrate our weakness for attack, and the futility of cherishing the ambition of playing an active part on land In any future European war. People may talk glibly of creating a Striking Force, Ministers may adopt the term, but the thing itself can never come into existence, for the simple reason that long before such a force could be thrown into the scales of war, the decisive battle would have been fought, unless, indeed. It were so small as to be a negligible quantity.

It is well that France, too, should recognise this fact and cease to hope for effective British military aid in any future struggle with Germany; and It is well for her, well for Germany, and well for England, to understand that In sealing Germany's ports—the only helpful step we could take as France's ally—we should be drying up a large part of our own trade, and creating a fierce reaction against engagements by which we stand to