Evening star., 1943-08-10
What's Up in Germany?

A major political crisis is obviously
occurring inside Germany. but Just
what is going on cannot clearly be
diScerned from abroad. The most
detailed account is that contained in
press dispatches reaching Spain from
Berlin, which assert that Hitler has
been relegated to the background as
a figurehead the real rulers of Ger
many now being triumvirate COM
posed of the army and navy COM
manders with Air Marshal Hermann
GOerlng, acting as liaiSon between
the armed forces and the Nazi party.
This account should be treated
with great circumspection. The part
which sounds most plausible is the
eclipse of the Fuehrer. For months
past, Hitler has been seldom seen or
heard from, and Well-authenticated
rumors have indicated that he was
in a condition of emotional collapse.
Germany's rapidly worsening situa-
tion has probably impressed both the
generals and the party leaders with
the necessity of drastic measures to
stave off a collapse which would be
fatal to them both. And the grim
logic of events favors the army as
the ultimate authority in supreme
crisis such as Germany seems to be
facing.
The army traditionally occupies a
status of peculiar trust and conf
dence in German eyes. 1t has al
ways prided itself on being "unpoliti-
CAL" standing above and aloof from
governments and parties, concerned
primarily with the defense and ad-
vancement of Germany as whole.
Efforts of Hitler to Nazify the army
have met with stubborn opposition
from the close knit professional off,
GERS corps and have never really
succeeded. So, in this crucial hour,
the army remains a tower of moral
strength around which the German
people may rally. 1t is that which
chiefly differentiates the present
situation in Germany from that in
Italy on the eve of Mussolini's over
throw. The Italian Army commands
no such popular confidence and au-
thority. So long as the German
Army remains unbeaten in the field,
there is no likelihood of either cha
otic collapse or revolutionary up
heaval within the Reich itself
Furthermore, just because the
army possesses this power and pres
tige, it is not compelled to liquidate
the Nazi government, with attendant
political and administrative dis
organization, but can retain it, tenn
porarily at least, as its instrument
and collaboration. This, of course,
implies that the German high COM
mand does not yet consider the
situation hopeless, in the sense that
it believes something better than
immediate unconditional surrender
is possible, even though ultimate VIC
tory has become unattainable. If
this Interpretation of the current
situation be correct, Germany Is not
now preparing to throw up the
sponge and sue for peace. Rather is
it striving to put itself on an eff
cheney basis and mobilize its last
psychological as we'll as material re-
serves, while playing for time and
laying the groundwork for possible
diplomatic bargaining with its ad-
verSarieS.
There is scant doubt that the army,
once firmly in the saddle, would not
hesitate to sacrifice Hitler and the
whole Nazi hierarchy II uncondi-
tional surrender could be thereby
avoided. Yet, even though fully
aware of this, it is doubtful whether
the Nazi chieftains would dare to
overthrow the high command and
thus fatally weaken Germany in face
of the enemy. The NaZis know they
are doomed If Germany collapses.
The best they can hope for is lesser
fate from an army dictatorship which
may salvage something from i'm
pending defeat This was Hitler's
war He brought it to pass. And,
by failing to succeed, he and his
miniOnS are bound to lose.