The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-10-15
Luftwaf4e, Red Plants, Outcome
in Near East of Importance

strategists now are occupied by
three vital and immediate prob.
lens which promise to deter.
mine the course of the war.
If favorable answers can be
found, the German army will be
split, the Nazi Luftwaffe will
not dominate the air, and Rus
sia's resistance will continue
with little abatement. In such
cases, the projected invasion of
Europe would not be q second
ront," but actually q third. And
surest of all, the war in 1943
would be Americas war, in q
mounting and encircling tide Of
men and metal.
Developments which may not
be divulged at this time are
said to be pointing up the three
current mysteries which are
burdensome to United Nations
leaders and especially to Amer
leans who must strain across
heart-breaking distances to help
solve them. And whatever is said
today, officially or unofficially,
nobody knows the real answers.
FIRST MYSTERY is the Nazi
air strength. Nobody really
knows whether the Luftwaffe
can simultaneously fight, a little
or lot, in Russia and the Near
East, and blitz Britain by bomb
ing or cover an invasion. Goer-
ing has just said it could not -
but did Goering tell the truth,
and if so, for how long?
American efforts are intensi-
fled to build up air strength, not
only in Britain and the Near
East, but in Russia. Japanese
occupation Of some of the Aleu-
tian Islands failed t, stop this.
SECOND MYSTERY is Rus
sia's industrial strength. In
spite of much high talk, nobody
knows positively whether Ger
man conquests and bombing
have left the u. S. S. r. enough
raw materials, factories and tools
to turn out equipment for a
powerful offensive, or even for q
protracted defensive. The Rus
slams just aren't answering that
one.
They say that September pro-
duction beat August" and
broke the record" but don't
specify What record, or how
much was done in August. This
doesn't help their allies estimate
when or whether Hitler may turn
on Britain and its budding A. E.
F. We are running conveys
through the Murmansk Arch
angel gantlet at cost far heavier
than on the Persian Gulf route
where ports, railways and oper-
alton need improvement and ship
turnaround needs speeding up.
Such Improvements are vitality
important to solve the imminent
third mystery.
THIRD MYSTERY is who will |
attack first in the Near East, and
who will win? Hitler's speech
and Rommel's interview indi-
cate it may be the Axis. The
more optimistic view here is
that once again Russia has SPELL
ed doom to an invader. October
November rains and December
frosts fix Nazi limits this year at
a virtual stalemate at Stain
grad and the possible German
capture Of Astrakhan. The OPP
timists think that Germany's
failure to win the Russian cam
paign means eventual failure to
win the war. However, more
minds are inclined to
await the outcome of develop
nents in the Near East.
EXPECT ROMMEL'
70 ATTEMPT BLOW
The Nazis may swing their
mass Of maneuver south at Egypt,
rag, Iran, even Turkey, hoping
o realize the old Berlin Bag
lad dream. The blow would fall
perhaps from Greece, surely
rom Rommel, looming over
3uez. If he succeeds, then Ger
many has a real success this
'ear; II he fails, then next year
he strategic initiative passes to
Is.
Already Rommel has met u.
J. tanks which he admits are
,ood. Some had American
'rews. So. have the American
'lanes which, always improving
n quality and numbers. fly
cross the South Atlantic and
Africa.
And tanks and planes are not
III. Few Americans understand
low nearly the Near East Is q
major second front" where an
Allied offensive would directly
Import Russia and might recon-
|uer the Balkans and eventually
rec Italy. In that Allied often
I've, more than tanks, planes
nd their crews would be
american.
Suppose a favorable solution
IN be found for the three mys-
cries - then what? BY some
me next year we may have
broad 1000, 900 men - almost