Evening star., 1943-06-26
Pressure on Germans
Constantly Increasing
Major Eliot Illustrates
Nozi Problem Of Defense
Against Allied Attack

Nuzi Problem OF Defense
Against Allied Attack
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.
In recent articles have frequently
spoken of the difficult and even desperate
character of the decisions which this
year confront the German high COM
mand.
The basic fact underlying these condi-
tions is that German fighting power is
no longer increasing. The accumulated
reserves of 1899 have been used up. The
loot of conquered countries has been
used up, and further conquest is i'm
possible to Germany. The steady and
inexorable pressure of blockade in all It's
forms is having It's effect. When Ger
man division is destroyed, it cannot be
replaced. When supply dump of a
German Army corps is captured, it is a
net loss. When a German factory is
wiped out by bombing, 1t is permanent
satisfaction from Germanys productive
resources.
The United Nations, on the other
hand, still have available very great re-
serves OF manpower and raw materials,
and are overcoming the difficulties of
transporting those reserves to the Eu-
ropean-African theater of war Under
these conditions, the pressure around
the perimeter of Germany's vast Euro
pean fortress" is bound to increase. 1t
is bound to grow greater than the de-
fensive pressure from within.
To illustrate the German position,
take sheet of paper and draw circle
l11s inches In diameter. The circumfer-
ence of that circle will be approximately
35 inches. If you consider each inches
OF circumference as representing 1000
miles, you can then imagine the circle
to represent Germany's 1000 miles of
defensive perimeter around the continent
of Europe
Inside this big circle, draw smaller
concentric circle inches in diameter,
and color 1t black with your pencil. Let
the black circle represent Germany it.
self, the source of the manpower and
the industrial output which defends the
outer circle. Draw number of radii
from the center to the outer perimeter-
these will represent lines by which the
power OF the black circle flows outward
to defend the outer circle. They are
the German lines of communication to
positions all along the Russian front,
the Mediterranean coast and the At
lantic coast.
Now imagine two mobile forces in the
void beyond the outer circle. One of
these forces, to the right of the circle, is
slow-moving but of very great power.
The other, to the left, moves much more
rapidly but possesses somewhat less force.
Both OF these forces have complete free
dom Of action and can strike the outer
circle at any point in their respective
segments. The slow-moving force rep
resents the reserves of the Russian Army.
The more rapidly moving force repre-
sents the amphibious power of the
United States and Great Britain.
Now try to imagine what you would
do If you were in control of the German
power inside the black circle and had the
job OF defending the outer circle against
~~~~~S WV 4ASS-AAOFA4lk FGGIlGns
Der, the amount of strength you have in
side the black circle is limited. If you lose
any OF 1t. you cannot replace it. OBJ
viously, you must hold great part of 1t
in reserve until you know where the two
free-moving forces are going to strike.
II you made bad guess, and put too
much Of 1t at one point on the outer
circle will he Ia
another and perhaps far distant point
which may be the enemy's actual point
OF attack. If you distribute much of
your power evenly along the outer per-
imeter, you risk having piece bitten out
oy a sudden enemy attack and If this
process continues, your power will be
frittered away In distant battles, thus
gradually stripping the center of its
defenses. That is what has already hap
pened to two German armies-at Stalin-
grad and in Tunisia. They were too far
away from the center to be adequately
supported, or to be withdrawn in time to
save them.
1 think that most of us, after con-
sidering this problem, would come to the
conclusion that the outer circle should
De reduced in size. To illustrate this.
draw another circle about half way be.
tween your first big circle and the black
inner circle. Compare the problem of
defending this one with the problem of
defending the original. Your defensive
front Is much shorter, which reduces the
enemys opportunities and your respon-
sibilities. The lines of communication
from the center to any part of the front
are much shorter, which enables you to
reinforce a threatened point more quick
ly, and reduces the amount of YOUR re-
sources which has to be expended in
transportation. 1t is true that you have
allowed the enemy to come closer to the
vital center of your defensive area. but
the very fact that you are on the
defensive implies the necessity for strict
economy of force, and it is better to make
stout defense of what is essential than
1t Is to fritter away your strength in weak
and distant attempts to defend the un-
essential.
All this works out beautifully on pa
per. The great difficulty is that with
drawal which may be a military neces-
sity is, in the psychological field, an
acknowledgment of defeat. That is whv
German generals and German political
Leaders do not agree very well these
days.
Copyright 1s43. N Y. Tribune. Inc1