Evening star., 1942-11-08
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

After every major defeat, there
are rumors, sometimes justified and
sometimes based on wishful think
ing, that the enemy's morale Is
| broken.
| According to highl, reliable
sources, such rumors are correct
in regard to Italy. There is definite
information that no fewer than five
German divisions have been with
drawn from Stalingrad and Cauca-
sian fronts and rushed to Italy to
reinforce the seven divisions the
Nazis are reported to have had in
the peninsula for the last II months.
Rumanian, Hungarian and italian
troops, which were in reserve, have
replaced the German forces in the
two sections of the Russian front.
Italian morale, which never was
good, now has reached q dan
gerously low level. Hitler, who
has a splendid intelligence service
throughout Italy, where Gestapo
agents are in almost every town, is
afraid II Duces unpopularity-
which has been growing by leaps
and bounds-is now at so low an
ebb that an open rebellion, in which
the army may join, is to be expected.
Moreover, the opening up of the
American front in North Africa has
upset the calculations of the Ger
man general staff. With Italian
morale as low as it is today, only
the Nazi forces can be expected to
fight the Anglo American armies.
Italy itself is like a ripe plum ready
to fall into the lap of the Allies as
soon as they can manage to ap-
proach its shores.
Reinforcements Sent to Sicily.
The Nazis also have been rushing
large air reinforcements to Sicily
and Sardenia in the last three
weeks. Since the Italian Navy can
not be counted on to offer any kind
OF resistance even to Allied tug
boats and the Germans have only
negligible number of submarines
in the Mediterranean, the Nazi high
command is compelled to rely on air
power to ward off any danger to
Italy, which is Cermany's Achilles
heel as the Austrian Empire was in
the World War.
There seems to be no doubt what
soever that the Italian people from
King Victor Emmanuel down have
been staggered by the blow dealt
by the Allies to the Axis forces in
Egypt. In order to bolster up the
questionable morale of the Italians,
II Duce has been holding a carrot"
before their eyes. The carrot" was
Alexandria and Cairo. war prize
for which the Italian People have
longed for many years, but never
dared hope for realization.
Until the day 1t. Gen. B. L.
Montgomery smashed through their
lines IS miles from Alexandria, the
Italians believed that they, to-
gether with the supposedly invinci-
BILE forces commanded by Field
Marshal Erwin Rommel, would
reach the ancient Egyptian port
this year.
Planned to Abandon Line.
From information reaching Wash
ington it appears that the abandon
ment Of the line from Ell Alamein
to the Qattara depression had been,
decided on at the last meeting be-
tween Hitler and Rommel. Whether
! they thought it worth while to tell
Mussolini about 1t is dificult to as
certain.
According to these reports, Rem
mel decided to submit to Hitler and
the Nazi high command a plan
whereby German troops would be
withdrawn to the far west. &C.
cording to some informants the
contemplated withdrawal was to
bring the Nazi forces into Tunisia,
behind the little Maginot line"
which is an ideal strategic position,
chiefly because of the facilities Of
fered by the ports of Sfax and
Bizerts. There also was the ad-
vantage of bringing important Nazi
/ ,,nr,, a1AeA %N A1~n~3a a~l