Evening star., 1943-09-27

Nazis in Russia which is the direct
result of the Anglo-American sue
cess in North Africa and in the
Italian theater of operations means
that the German general staff at
last has prevailed upon Hitler that
1t would be wiser to attempt to hold
the Russians near the Polish border
while all available Nazi divisions are
rushed to Western and Southern
Europe to meet the crises develop
ing there as plans for a big invasion
by the Allies aiming simultaneous
blows from several places begin to
take shape.
Anglo-American air power, how
ever, is taking such a frightful toll
of German production and interfer-
ing so effectively with transport in
side the continent that the major
maneuver of the Nazis looking to-
ward defense of their inland
fortress may prove disappointing to
the German people and accelerate
the day of the internal collapse.
The German people may soon
have to decide whether they want to
surrender to the Red armies or to
an Anglo-American Army headed
by Gen. George C. Marshall, who
is destined to dictate on the field
of battle the armistice terms that
will end the war in Europe. The
belief grows that conservative Ger
man opinion will lean toward a
surrender to Britain and America,
believing that private property may
thereby be safeguarded from mob
rule and Communist revolution.
The end of the war in the Paci-
fic may also be envisaged as likely
TO occur about the same time or
shortly after the German collapse
If the plan limited at in dispatches
from Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
headquarters in the last few days
is adopted. The mystery of the
Macarthur statement of last week
would seem to have been cleared
up by the intimation in an As
sociated Press dispatch that what
the general really wants is for the
American Army and Navy to I'M
dertake a joint invasion of the
Southern Philippines and retake
that archipelago by frontal
assault fro mthe Hawiian and
New Guinea and other Pacific
bases that can be used to carry
out such operations, thus bypass
ing the vast Netherlands East
Indies and cutting the long Japa-
nese sea lanes of supply to the
area of her conquests of last year.
1t may be suspected that the
recent announcement of the amaz-
ing expansion of our Navy is one
way Of saying that the Navy is
about ready to go back to do the
Job which in December, 1941, we
were unable to do not only be-
cause of inadequate feet, but be-
cause global strategy, had deployed
substantial part OF our Navy in
the Atlantic to assist the British.
Biggest Navy Ever.
Today we have the biggest Navy
the world has ever seen and
Britain no longer has to worry
about either French or Italian
navy so that all available sea-:
power can be utilized to assist Lord
Mountbatten in his sea and air
attack on Burma from the Bay of
Bengal while the American Navy
starts across the Pacific to Wake,
Guam and the Southern Philippines
from which bombing bases can be
built to supply our long-range
bombers and fighter planes that are
expected to make japanese indus
trial production into a shambles.
The climax of the war is just
ahead of us in the winter and
spring months. Our efforts cannot
be relaxed, but must be intensified.
Tne hardest blows and the biggest
lossees are ahead, but neither Ger
many nor Japan can withstand the
terrific onslaughts of military power
by land, sea and air which are in
store for them. VIII they sur
render early and have some pro-
portion of their industrial plant
left for the reconstruction period
or will they accept the devastation
that means decade of industrial
stagnation? The facts would seem
to warrant an early surrender and
not a military knockout-if the
facts can somehow be gotten soon
into Japan and Germany.