Evening star., 1943-11-12
/! Danger Seen in Ideo
Thot War Neurs End
By Mai. George FIELDING Eliot.

There Is rule OF combat which every
boxer and every football coach knows
and applies-against a weakening foe:
Never relax your efforts; rather redouble
them, pour on everything you have and
so gain velocity quick before your oppo-
nent has chance to recover
1t is rule which is just as applicable
to war as to other forms of human con-
test. It is applicable, in particular, to
the state Of affairs now confronting this
country and its Allies. Germany is
weakening under the blows which have
been rained upon her from every hand.
She Is not yet SO weak, however, that
she could not to some extent recover II
granted any sort of breathing space.
This is the time for more effort, not for
less; for new blows, and harder blows.
not for complacent acceptance Of VIC
tory as already won.
No doubt that is the way our strategy
has been planned. and Is proceeding;
those who direct 1t require no instruc-
ton in the making of war, as they have
already amply proven. But their efforts
can be hampered and lessened unless
the spirit in which they proceed is REIN
forced by an equal resolution and vigor
on the home front, the foundation and
fountain head of all our distant martial
efforts.
Writing these lines in Chicago, after
being in Detroit yesterday and in
Cleveland the, day before, this writer
must confess to some anxiety at the
degree to which people in these parts
seem to accept the fact that Germany
is already beaten, and that the return
Of our victorious armies and the relaxa-
ton Of wartime restrictions and controls
is just around the corner. The most
usual question which I have encoun-
tered is whether do not think the war
with Germany will end this year-maybe
by Christmas.
Underlying all this optimism is ten
dency to relax and take it easy; that,
granted the belief in early and certain
victory, Is understandable enough but it
is not the real road to victory and cer-
tainly it is not the road to a victory
at the minimum possible price in blood.
I think we would do we'll to remember
that the enemys best weapons today,
those in which his only real hope lies,
are the psychological weapons which he
has studied so thoroughly and knows
how to use so WELL If he can make us
all believe that he Is about to collapse,
only to disappoint us again and again
with bloody and determined resistance,
dragging out the war because we have
not hit him as hard and as continuously
as otherwise we might, he will be max
ing progress toward his objective: A
peace somewhere short of unconditional
surrender. He hopes to make us so sick
of this war, so untrustful Of our leaders,
and so revolted by long casualty lists,
that we will give him negotiated peace
that will leave the present leaders OF
Germany at least some remnants of
power: If not the Nazis, then at least
the Prussian militarists.
That is why it is just cause for anx-
iety to find people apparently convinced
be over by Christmas. OF course, any,
thing IS possible. N1e whole German
structure Of power and resistance may
suddenly disintegrate, but there Is no
sign of such thing taking place. The
Russians are advancing slowly, against
stiffening resistance, but they are very
far, indeed, from setting foot on Ger
man soil; they are long way from
fighting on any soil but their own, so
far. The air attacks on German CEN
ters are having a great effect, of course;
but reports from reliable neutral sources
suggest that the German capacity fo-
replacing and repairing damage from
bombs Is still very great and most eff
cient. 1t can hardly be believed that
German collapse is going to be brought
about by the limited offensive we are
pursuing in Italy. All these things tend
to weaken the Germans, they are a
drain on German resources. They are
absorbing German reserves of fighting
power. But that is not German COL
lapse: not yet. at any rate. 1t Is as
certain as uncertain war can be that
the final and decisive blow to Germany
iiiuot Uc ue'lNeItU Uy all AIlBlO-AIHeTlCdn
invasion of Western Europe, and that
such an operation, even when 1t has
commenced Gas it has not yet done,
will have hard and bloody fighting be-
fore it, and will have to overcome
desperate opposition.
This is time for greater effort, not
less. We have a chance to shorten the
war to save untold numbers of price,
less lives both American and Allied, by
redoubling our efforts to smash the
weakening Germans. But we will never
do it, we will waste lives and time. we
may give the enemy chance to recover.
If We start even thinking in terms of
war already finished, victory just
around the corner. and bringing the
boys home for Christmas dinner.
Copyright. 1943, N Y. Tribune Inc.)
TerritorinI Prohlemc