Evening star., 1943-10-24
German Morale


factors is the German "home front"
Even the most cursory analysis leads
to the conclusion that the German
people are under an unprecedentedly
heavy psychological strain For more
than year, Germans have been fed
an uninterrupted diet of reverSes.
The ebb-tide in Russia, punctuated
by a series of disasters from Stalin-
grad to the current Soviet break
through on the Dnieper, has COIN
cided with the loss of North Africa
and Sicily, the checkmate to the
U-boats, and the terrible ravages of
the Allied air force upon Germany
itself. The cup of German woe is
now filled to overf1owing by the ap-
proach of the fifth war-winter which
will undoubtedly be the hardest and
most grim.
There can be no reasonable doubt
that this combination of depressing
factors has reduced German morale
to a very low point. Every scrap of
news coming out of the Reich attests
to this truth. The German people
are obviously War-Weary and dis
cOuraeed. Yet it would be unWise to
draw the conclusion that the Ger
man will to resist is cracking and
that the collapse of 1918 is about to
be repeated. There are several i'm
portant differences between the sit
uation quarter-century ago and
that OF today, and most of these
indicate that the German people
have not vet reached the limit of
their endurance.
To begin with, Germany in 1918
was physically exhausted in every
way. The population had been near
starvation for almost two years.
while the collapse of Austria and
Bulgaria had reduced the Reich
practically to its own resources,
which had been intolerably depleted.
Today, on the contrary, Germany
controls the greater part of Con-
tinental Europe and has efficiently
modified it's manpower, raw mate
rlals and industrial capacity for
German ends. The gigantic comb
out OF German manpower last Janu-
ary, after the Stalingrad disaster,
has reflled the German ranks, the
resultant labor stringency having
been met by drafts Of foreign work
ers. There is no starvation in Ger
many. whatever may be the hunger
OF occupied lands. The battle fronts
are still so far from Germanv's
borders that the threat of actual in
vasion remains distant one. The
chief unfavorable difference is that
the development of aerial warfare
has exposed the Reich to q form of
direct attack unknown in the last
war. That is, of course, an impor-
tant distinction. but against the
background of favorable factors it
probably is not a decisive one.
Another noteworthy difference is
the fact that, under present condi-
tions, popular discomfort cannot
effectively express itself. The Nazi
regime has its finger on the pulse of
almost every individual German, and
can detect disaffection at the start
and ruthlessly snuff it out The
propaganda machine of DR.. Goebbels
is so efficient that the average Ger
man is kept in state of almost
hypnotic control wherein rebellious
reaction is virtually inhibited. There
is no evidence that an organized,
effective opposition to the war exists,
even in rudimentary form.
Still another factor making for
continued German resistance is fear
OF the consequences which defeat
would entail. The average German
realizes the monumental hatred
aroused against the Reich by
Nazi ruthlessness and exploitation
throughout Europe. This fear is
being Systematically exploited by
Nazi propaganda to convince the
German people that they must fight
on for a NEGOTIATED peace in order
to avoid national destruction at the
hands of vengeful enemies. Dr..
Goebbels sedulously exploits every
utterance like that in Lord Vansit-
tart's current book to warn the pub
lie what they may expect in case of
unconditional surrender. There is
today no ray of hope from abroad
for soft" peace like that of Presi-
dent Wilson'S Fourteen Points.
OF course, German morale is noto-
riously mass morale" which could
conceivably break overnight. But
this does not appear to be imminent