Evening star., 1942-12-12
The Nuzi-Junker Rift

he NoZl-Junker Rift
Berlin's official announcement Of
a drastic shakeup of the high COM
mand is big news. The announce
ment confirms rumors current for
two months that the Nazi party was
taking control of both the army and
the navy. Those rumors are now
verified. The appointment of Gen.
eral Kurt Zeitzler as chief of the
great general staff in place of the
ousted General Franz Halder is
accompanied by similar shifts in the
army, navy and air corps. These
changes are alike in character. In
every instance, veteran officers Of
the old Junker caste have been re-
placed by much younger men whose
chief qualification is jealous Nazi
party record that has been RESPONSE
BILE, first for their induction into the
officers corps of the armed forces,
and secondly for their rapid promo
ton to the top in disregard of ira
ditional seniority rules.
The case of General Zeiztler is as
outstanding as it is typical of what
Is now going on. Only At years old,
he was until a year ago virtually
unknown even In Germany except
to inside Nazi circles. His military
career had been undistinguished
and he had risen only to the rank Of
colonel. But he had long been a
close friend of Heinrich Himmler.
head of the dread Gestapo and the
s. S. or Elite Guard organizations.
zeltzler spent much of his time as
member of Hitler's Headquarters
staff, where he was known to be
Himmler's representative, though he
took part in the French, Balkan and
Caucasus campaigns. Reports from
neutral European sources describe
him as a ruthless "gangster" type.
Within the past year he has been
promoted with dizzying speed from a
colonelcy to his present eminence
as the kingpin of the German high
command
There can be no reasonable doubt
that these drastic shifts in the high
command bring into the open a rift
between the Nazi party and the
officers corps that has long existed
under cover. This really goes back
to Hitler's accession to power nearly
decade ago. After the downfall of
the Weimar Republic, the "Wehr-
macht," including both the army
and navy, was the only organized
power left In Germany outside the
Naz1 party. The Wehrmacht wanted
to continue its traditional mon
political" role and strongly resisted
attempts by the Nazi extremists to
coordinate" it with the party as
they were doing with everything else.
But the Junker officers were only
too glad to support Hitler's grandiose
schemes of German aggression and
persuaded him that a Modification of
the Wehrmacht would blunt the eff
cheney OF the weapon he vitality
needed.
However, Hitler had no intention
OF becoming subservient to the
Wehrmacht. AS counterbalance to
it's military strength, he built up,
through Himmler, party army of
his own-the black-uniformed Elite
Guards, composed of fanatical young
Nazis, splendidly equipped and today
probably numbering several hundred
thousand. Meanwhile, the high
command, even before the present
war, baked on several occasions
at Hitler's foreign policy, which
seemed to them recklessly prema-
ture. Down to the war against Rus
sia, Hitler's bold CANDLES succeeded,
and the high command was recon-
ciled by results. But the turn of the
tide and darkening prospects revived
military opposition and distrust.
Anticipating the possibility of posi-
tive action by the high command to
take matters into their own hands
in case Of impending disaster to
Germany, Hitler is now moving to
put the party in effective control OF
the Wehrmacht. A decisive test OF
strength is on. Whether the pre-
dominantly Junker officers corps
will tamely submit remains to be
seen.