The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-10-28


| (Chief Of staff of the High Com
mandy
"And of Field Marshal Will
helm List, too" (He vainly tried
to take Stalingrad after Won
Book failed.)
"Place un der surveillance
Field Marshal wilhelm Keitelw
(Chief of the German Supreme
COmmand.)
1.-THE same for Marshal Erwin
ROmmel"
All of which, fact or fancy,
has made spicy reading to vic
tory hungry Americans a n d
Britons lately. With Hitler HIM
self bouncing five topnotch gen.
erals out of the High Command,
the Nazi crackup and our day of
retribution would seem nearer.
But war-wise American read
ers should not gulp too hastily
to swallow stories like these. In
the first place, any news ema-
mating from Germany must be
suspect 1t couldn't very we'll get
out unless Joseph G o e b b e S
wanted it out.
Remember, Goebbels invent
ed and perfected the war OF
nerves" technique, one phase OF
which is to issue false stories OF
Nazi German dissension in order
to promote enemy overconfi-
dence and carelessness.
In such cases, a Propaganda
Ministry contact man is dele
gated to whisper" the informa-
ton "confidentially" to the Ber-
lin correspondent of newspa-
per located in neutral country.
The story then is credited to a
usually reliable source
Another point to be remem-
bered is that despite earlier re-
ported "purges" by Hitler OF his
general staff, the "outcast' mil
itary leaders always have pop
ped up in later campaigns with
major assignments.
NOT EVEN HITLER
CAN PLAY WITH ARMY
Still more important is the
fact that Hitler, regardless OF his
moral vacuum, does have a dis
tinct genius for picking the right
man for the right spot. 1t is OBJ
vious from Nazi history that Der
Fuchrer does not make a habit
of cashiering the men of ability
whom he knows he must have
to win.
Hitler can, however, and Of
ten does, shift his key men
around in an effort to obtain
better results when failure
looms. While it is extremely
doubtful that he would fire his
generals outright, it is quite
probable that he would try
switching them, seeking a work
ing combination.
Most important Of all, in as
sessing a purge story OF this
character, is the consideration
which must be given the Ger
man High Command itself.
That group of military gent
uses is nobody's plaything, not
even Hitler's. 1t is a proud group
of which the common people are
proud, and if Hitler went too
far with an army purge, he
would count on sympathy from
no one but his own SIS divisions.
II may be seriously questioned
whether the SIS could take care
of its end in a quarrel OF this
kind.
On the same grounds, reports
that Gen. Alfred Jodl was NAM
ed to replace Halder may be
questioned. Jodl is regarded by
regular army men as climber
who got where he Is by hanging
onto Hitler's coat tail.
He may be a good military
theoretician but he has never
been able to break into the high
army clique. It's hard to believe
the army would tolerate him
now. Oppositely, Jodl is the best
candidate of all for real purg-
ing. since his position depends
wholly on Hitler's whim.
Without overlooking the strain
that is surely growing within
Germany's military and eco
nomic system, this is what may
have happened in fact at that
lonely eyrie OF Hitler's: