Evening star., 1939-10-01


Ing how long all will be quiet on the
western front. Will Hitler unleash
blitzkrieg lightning war; against the
French positions either by hammering at
the Maginot line or by infringing the
neutrality of Belgium and Holland, or
will he be satisfied to strafe Britain and
France with his airplanes and stand pat
behind the impregnable Siegfried lines,
fully confident that his adversaries could
not make much headway against the
Reich even If they sacrificed hundreds OF
thousands of men?
1t would be risky to give positive an
swer to these questions and 1t may be
that even Hitler himself has not yet de-
cided finally what his course Of action
will be.
The situation of the Allies is far from
rosy; they are in far worse predica-
ment than they were at the same period
rs years ago. Poland has collapsed. The
entire powerful German military ma
chinery is free to fight on one front only.
The blockade of Germany is not so
serious as the inspired statements from
London and Paris seem to indicate.
Britain and France lack war materials
and unless the embargo on the sale of
wsr paraphernalia is re-
pealed by Congress, this lack might prove
fatal.
Industries Not Sufficient.
In the event of some real action taking
place on the western front, the expendi-
ture in ammunitions, the loss of tanks
and airplanes will be so colossal that the
French and the British factories, which
are working now at top speed. will not be
able to replace them with the necessary
In this connection the advan-
tage of the Reich over the Allies Is that
it has been slowing away all kinds Of
war implements for several years while
the British and the French started on
their program of accelerated production
only a few weeks before the war broke
out
The German air raids over Allied ter
ritory can be extremely harmful to the
production of the British and the French.
Neither of these two countries has such
extensive underground plants as exist in
the Reich. The retaliation of the British
and French air fleets can damage and
even destroy important cities, kill many
thousands of people, but the German war
machine will not be much impaired be-
cause German technicians, who have
been preparing for this war for many
years, have devised plans for under
ground ammunition and airplane plants
which will make them immune from air
attacks.
The principal concern of the Reich at
present is to assure to the civilian popu-
lation in the rear and the soldiers at
the front sufficient supplies to keep their
morale going for many years to come.
The main effort of Germany is to con-
solidate Eastern Europe behind the
Reich. That means that the countries
of the Danubian basin-Hungary, Ru-
mania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia-should be
kept at peace under the strong hand OF
Berlin. These countries, with Turkey
and Russia, can provide the Reich with
most of the raw materials and foodstuf1s
to enable Hitler to reply to Mr.. Cham
berlain: If you want seven-year war,
can give it to you"
Germany Tightens Belt.
Germany is being more regimented
and restricted today, not becau5e it be-
gins to feel the pinch Of the blockade
but because it is preparing for very
long war. The population is being edu-
Gated to hardships. In fact, this educa-
ton started several years before the war
broke out and its continuance is con-
sidered only a natural thing at the pres
ent time. The Danubian states have no
love for the Germans but they are cowed.
Those who had shown a certain desire
for independence of action have forgot
ten all about it since Poland has been
so thoroughly crushed by the German
military machine. The cooperation OF
the Reich with the U. S. S. r. is an
other inducement for these countries to
play along with Germany if they don't
want to share the fate of Poland or the
impending fate of Rumania.
Outside rubber and cotton, Germany
can obtain from the countries of Eastern
Europe everything it needs for q long
war. The nerves of the German nation
are steeled for war. The victories OBJ
tanned on the eastern front have brought
q wave of confidence in the German
Army which has not been paralleled
since the days of Frederick the Great.
The Germans believe themselves in
vincible and nothing but crushing de-
feat on the western front would change
this frame of mind.
Nobody here knows, Of course, what
the future war plans of the Reich are.
Two Theories Advanced.
But here are two theories expounded
by military observers who have been
fairly close to the German general staff
during the last few years.
l. Germany will not sacrifice use
lessly the lives of hundreds of thousands
of men to break through the Maginot
line. The situation in this respect is the
same as the situation of the allies in
regard to the Siegfried line. In fact, the
Maginot line is more dificult to pene-
trate than the Siegfried chain of fortid-
cations.
It is recalled that Germany lost close
to half q million men trying to break
through Verdun, and failed. Verdun Is
like a sand castle compared to the Mag
mot fortifications. A German defeat in
an endeavor to penetrate the French
forts might have tremendous repercus-
si0ns not onlv in the Reich hllt among