Evening star., 1943-06-20
Quick End to European War
Possible in Nazi>Red Decision
Titanic Clash of 500 Divisions, if Favorable to
Russia, Could Bring Speedy Decision, With
Generals Quitting Hitler Banner
Rv Constantine Brown.

The dramatic actions in the Mediter-
ranean, the prospective local offensive IN
the Pacific and the round-the-clock
bombing of Germany and Nazi- occupied
territories in Europe, will all be over
shadowed by what happens in the course
of the next few weeks on the eastern
front. Two gigantic armies with an
estimated strength Of at least 500 divi-
sions-about 100000 men-and thou
sands Of airplanes may or may not be
locked in the most formidable and deci-
sive battle of all time.
The NaZis and their satellites on the
one hand and the Russians alone on the
other are ready for action. According
to available reports, the most minute
details have been taken care Of The
Nazis are ready to move as soon as the
signal Is given and the Russians are
equally ready to stand the onslaught.
There are some rumorS, based on Jap
anese Intervention at Moscow. that the
Nazis have offered the Russians peace
terms through the intermediary of their
Oriental associates. This seems prob
able. Before playing his last card and
undertaking tremendous gamble
which will decide his fate, Hitler must
have endeavored to take Russia out of
the war His last efforts on June when
the japanese Ambassador to the USSR
had long conference with Russian For
eign Commissar Molotoff are said to have
been based on the Nazi's high commands
assumption that there will be no inva-
sion of Western Europe by the Allies in
the next few months. Hitler is said to
have attempted to play this card to con-
vince Premier Joseph Stain that Russia
must fight alone with no other assist
ance from the United States and Great
Britain than heavy bombings of the
Nazi industrial and military centers
which are within range Of Allied planes.
Threat to Russia.
The fact that the German high COM
nand has not shrouded in deep secrecy
the strength of it's armies in the
east is considered in competent quarters
to be due to the fact that it wants Rus
sia to know what she can expect in this
new campaign.
Diplomats in Washington and London
are convinced that the Na1 proposals
will fall on deaf ears in Moscow and that
Stain cannot consider any of the pro-
posals of the enemy.
We know here that the USSR armies
are large and provided with fair equip
ment. Lease-lend materials have been
reaching Russia by other routes than the
old Murmansk waterway in sufficient
quantities to more than replace the ma
terials lost last fall and winter We
gather that the Russian high command
Is so confident Of its ability to stem the
Nazi onslaught that it has concen-
trated for the first time since 1941 prac-
tically its entire force on the Leningrad-
Moscow-Orel front where the Germans
intend to deliver their sharpest blows.
All these elements are encouraging the
Allied high command to believe that the
German spear will break against the
Russian wall and that Hitler will be left
with only a stump to fight a combina-
tion Of American, British and Russian
armies next year. But the Allied, and
particularly the American, strategists are
not so foolish as to underrate the Naz
striking power and to recognize some
advantages the Germans have over the
Russians.
Tunisia Held No Precedent.
From reliable reports it has been as
certained that the Nazis have force Of
800 fully mobilized divisions. They are
lacking neither the necessary modern
armament nor the will to win. The fact
that the Germans have given up in Tu-
nisia and in the Mediterranean Is not
considered by our military leaders as an
indication that the Germans are through.
Having set their strategy on defeating
Russia this year the Nazi high command
has decided to overlook altogether any
other front They have withdrawn all but
the strictly necessary divisions from the
Lowlands and from France. They re-
fused to pour more men in Tunisia