Evening star., 1943-11-17
Germons May Try
To Hit Bock at Britain
By Moi. George Fielding Eliot.

In his recent speech at Munich, Adolf
Hitler offered thanks to whatever GOD
1t IL which he worships. that though he
could not get ut America. one enamy
at least remains within his reach. While
he was not more specific than that,
careful reading Of the speech suggests
very strongly that he referred to Great
Britain. for he was talking specifically
about revenge for the devastating air
attacks which are wrscking the German
war machine.
At this same Munich conference,
Reichsmarshal Goering is said to have
talked to party members tor two hours
on the details of the new German
planes, including Z rocket-propelled
four-ensined bomber Of startling char
acteristics, and also 4 new long
hghter-the latter presumably being in
tended to protect the bombers from
the British Spitnres.
All Of which may be blu1, or may
contain at least some kernels OF truth.
Most informed opinion agrees that 1t
would be difsscult for the Germans to
launch an effective air blitz against the
British Isles. They are having trouble
enough to defend ths vital centers of
Germany against the terrific hammering
OF the British and American bombers.
The hthter defense OF the British Isles
Ia very strong, and so is the antiaircraft
defense. Large numbers of fighter
planes and Of guns are now present in
those islands, both for local defense
purposes and as an accumulation for
the coming invasion of Europe. Never
theless, We must not discount altogether
the possibility that the Germans, by
seeking new methods, new technioues,
new tactics, may have worked out 4 plan
for some sort of attack against the
British Isles which may be, II not sue
cessful, at least productive of severe
damage to British cities and q high
casualty list.
The reports are becoming persistent
from neutral sources of such a prepara-
ton, and we must remember that neutral
countries such as Sweden and Switzer-
land do have both diplomatic missions
and unoflicial representatives in the
form Of newspaper correspondents and
commercial agencies inside Germany.
There Is censorship there, too, of
course, but the persons concerned do
travel back and forth, and when they
are at home they are able to speak more
freely than they do when they are in
Germany. Another hint that some-
thing may be in the wind IL the fact
that. although the Germans were re-
ported as switching their bomber pro-
duction facilities almost entirely over
to fighter production, they have not in
the long run produced as high 4 scale
OF fighter protection as would have been
thought probable II the switch had been
complete. Their fighter protection did
increase. but 1t does not seem to have
gone on increasing. This may be due to
tho successful attacks on such fighter
plants rs that at Wiener Neustadt. or
1t may be due to the fact that some
plants are not turning out fighters,
but new type bombers for forlorn hope
attack on Britain.
There are also one or two other posi-
bilities to be considered. One is the
possible use Of rocket guns from the
German battery positions along the
French side Of the straits of Dover.
So far As We know anything about them
rocket pro1ecttles are not very accurate
ut long range: but they probably could
b made accurate enough to drop their
projscttles somewhere inside the limits
OF the London metropolitan area, and
II the intensity Of fre could be suficient,
great damage might be done and 4 great
many people killed or injured.
Gas is another possibility which al
ways must be anticipated. The Ger.
mans have not used gas in this war SO
far because OF their fear of reprisals
and because their civil population was
not As well protected against gas as the
civil population Of Great Britain. This
condition may have changed, though
there are no reports from neutral
sources which suggest that the Ger
man people have bsen generally issued
with gas masks or other protective de-
vices. Rumoxs do come In occasionally
about German experiments with new
sases, and despsrats German leader
ship might resort to the use of gas on
large scale as q fnal attempt to abate
the gathering danger in the British
1slss
When all u said and done, 1t is in
q
islands Of Great Britain, that the final
and decisive strokes against Germany
are being prepared. Here are gather
Ing DAY BY day the air forces which are
delivering blows Of increasing strength
against the heart of Germany. Here
also are gathering the armies of the
United States and of the British Com
monwealth, for the invasion Of Western
Europe, which will be the Anal act in
the terrible tragedy which the present
leaders Of Germany have forced upon
the world, and which is recoiling SO
furiously upon their guilty heads.
There Is nothing which men in their
position will not do to save themselves,
or even TO stave OF for . little while the
day Of fnal reckoning. The only ques-
ton at issue Is their power of counter
action. II they have the means, they
certainly will hit back. Probably they
don't have the means to do 70 effec-
lively, In the sense Of stopping the
coming blows. They can do more kill
ing, no doubt: they can increase the
blood debt which an aroused world is
about to collect from them; but in so
doing they only make certain that the
payment will be more terrible