Evening star., 1942-08-02
Admirals, Generals Worried
By Second Front Demands
Leahy, King and Marshall Doubt Invasion Could
Aid Russia Now, but Would Cause
Attacks on Other Fronts
BY Constantine Brovn

age of tankers and the viciousness Of
the Nazi submarine warfare
Strong Nazi Forces Along Coast.
1t is argued in military quarters that
at it's best an offensive on the western.
coast of Europe will mean establishing
a toehold in France or in the Low Coun-
tries without much hope of breaking
down the three consecutive lines of
Notifications which extend from the
channel ports to the Rhine.
Behind the lines of Notifications, which
consist of ragged chains of pill boxes
and tank traps in the Siegfried Line pat
tern, there are at least 100000 NaN
troops. In other parts Of Western Europe,
including Norway, there are at least an
other 100000 trained German soldiers
1t is true that Nazi aviation in Western
Europe does not exceed 800 fighters, but
many airdromes have been constructed
during the last two years and are pre-
pared to receive five or six times that
number OF fighters. And the Nazi fac
tories can produce such planes in large
numbers.
quire large number of transport ves-
sels Here again we are up against the
problem of shortage of shipping. While
small vessels can be used to carry Ameri-
can and British forces to the Western
European ports, large ships are needed
to bring reinforcements, food and war
material from the United States.
tion, the Nazis have hurled some 21a to
million men against the Russians. There
are some 100000 men as a defensive
army in France. Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel has between IS 900 and 10000
men in Africa and about zoo, 900 men are
stationed as an army OF occupation in
Italy. Besides these forces there are be-
tween 10000 and 200, 900 men in Greece,
Bulgaria and the invasion islands" in
the Aegean Sea.
According to available calculations
there are between 1,500 900 and 1000
600 men in the Reichs reserve pool.
These are not yet fully-trained troops.
Some are recruits, others are men who
have been wounded on the Eastern frcnt
and have recovered sufficiently to per-
form light duties. From this pool REIN
torcements could be rushed wherever
needed.
That is the picture of Germany's man.
power. As for her production, the fac
tories in the Reich, Poland, Czecho-
slovakia and occupied Western Europe
are working a hours . day producing
important quantities OF tanks, armored
cars and planes Of all types.
Help Rushed to Egypt.
The Western European front Is not
the only one the United Nations high
command has to think about. There
are others with greater offensive poten-
tialities. There is Egypt, which must
be held now at any price. Important
reinforcements are being rushed there
$4,000 miles or more from the United
States or Britain-in order to prevent
a further advance by Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel Egypt, in the opinion
of our strategists, may become an i'm
portant springboard across the Medi-
terranean for an invasion Of the Reich
through its less fortified back door
Italy or the Balkans.
While bombers can be flown across to
England or Egypt. fighter planes have to
be transported to both fronts by boat
Under the streamlined production sys-
tenn Of the United Nations Britain is
building the majority of the light planes
England's protection is thus assured by
her own factories, but the planes needed
for Egypt's defense must be shipped by
way of the Cape of Good Hope.
We cannot start an attack on Europe
without following it up, unless we are
defeated in our first attempt, it is main
tanned in military quarters. 1t is taken
for granted that we would not be de-
feated and that we would be able to
establish ourselves on the coast OF
France or the Low Countries.
In order to continue the campaign
we would be compelled to use the bulk
of our merchant marine and our fleet
to supply the landed forces. This effort
under present shipping conditions, would
require abandonment, or drastic curtail.
ment of the shipment Of war materials tc
our forces in Australia and New Zealand