The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-19

Hoover still seemed irked over the election and made no secret of his displeasure over the way Republican leaders had handled the campaign. He appeared to have as little love for Tom Dewey as he had for Wendell Willkie after 1940.
 Ali Landon ignored his advice in 1886, Hoover complained, and so did Willkie in 1940. And so did Dewey in 1944. They all acted as if they secretly admired Roose- welt = that was what defeated them.
 Hover said he felt the last election returns vindicated thhe ideas and leadership of the party's old leaders, and that the party should get back to it's original basic philosophy.
 Commander Smith asked Hoov- CT who he thought the Republi- can nominee should be in 1949 and, while not committing him. self, Hoover made some favorable comments about Governor Stassen of Minnesota. He said he under stood Stassen had his foolish ideas about international cooper ation knocked out of his head during the war.
 Hoover was emphatic that Gov. Dewey wouldn't have a chance in 1948.
 CEpAEANJv,c EpEcTE rpnnpC
 Some startling facts have been gathered by Allied war StrategistS regarding Hitler's ability to throw reserves into the western front. They give one explanation as to why the war against Germany has lasted so much longer than the war planners expected.
 It has been estimated that since D-day when Allied troops landed on Normandy, the Germans have lost 100000 men killed, wound ed or taken prisoners. This is a terrific loss in a period of six months.
 However, despite that heavy loss, war Strategists estimate that a greater number of Nazi troops now face the Allies on D-D1y.
 The total of D-Day (June 6l was sixty-fi divisions. But today Germany has 75 divisions on the western front.
 It is also estimated that Ger many's total strength on all fronts is just under 6,000,000 men.
 This increased strength on the western front has not come from the Russian front. It is known that a few thousand divisions have been transferred from the Russian front, but they have been replaced by other troops and the eastern front has bene kept at full strength. It is too risky to take chances there.
 Therefore, war strategiSts eSti- mate that the chief increase of strength on the western front has come from the Volksgranadier Di- visions. They include boys of around 16 and old men of 46 which Hitler started forming into groups around September l. There are 10,050 men in a division; they have little training, poor liaison, and are short of arms, especially machine guns. But they fight with considerable ferocity when mixed in with units from the regular army.
 German youth has had military training for years, which has been a big help. Reports are that these new troops fight in bursts furiouSly for a while and then are exhausted. They have no stam- ina.
 Another factor which has helped the German high cOm- mand is the withdrawal of about twenty divisions from the Bal
 kans, thus the shortening of the front line in Holland. Several Finnish divisions also have bene thrown into the western front.
 However, it remains an encour- aginmg fact that as of today dwindling percentage of the Ger man army is made up of men of the proper fighting age-from IS to 38.
 HAPPY O'DANIEL'S
 GHOST WRITER
 A unique and interesting tie-up between Texas gift to the U. s. Senate, pass-the biscuits Happy" O,Daniel, and George E. Sokolsky of the New York Sun has just leaked out.
 Sokolsky, one-time apologist for the Japs and paid publicity agent for the National Association of minds and hands of men who ap- near hv nature tn be demons the