Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-12-16
THE ORLD
IN REVIEW
BY Maj. Gen.
D. P. Barrows

Rhineland is continuous, un-
tagging operation, but 1t is
slow.
has dampened American
expectations of speedy victory
over Germany.
Yet there is no reason to
doubt the solid character OF
Eisenhower's tactical plant. the
valor OF the fighting men, or
their early success in smashing
the enemy's resistance.
The reasons for this present
slow and bloody ordeal of battle
are understandable.
The Allied armies swept
across France in a bold and
magnificent offensive.
In advance of the military
schedule. they succeeded in lib
Grating most of France.
But the Germans, with mill
tary sagacity and by the sacri-
flee of various garrisons, held
on to French ports that were
indispensable TO army supply.
When these ports were given
up their harbor facilities had
been demolished.
The American operation of
truck route from CherbeuFgg,
and the laying of fuel pipe
line from Normandy to Paris
were extraordinary achieve
mcnts, but they were not ade-
quate to supply an offensive
operation of such magnitude as
this.
The opening Of the port Of
Antwerp by the British, re-
lieves this difficulty.
IN THE second place. the
L American armies are fight
ing to break through two most
elaborate systems of defense.
There is the French Maginot
Line, built solidly in many
underground levels, and con-
nected by tunnels through
which trains can operate.
Parallel 10 this is the Sieg-
fried Line. constructed by Hit
ler's order as the German an
swer TO French fertilization.
This consists of all manner OF
gun positions. machine gun
nests. and lines of obstruction
10 -depths-nf-many= miles
Everywhere routes of advance
are thickly soWn with land
mines.
The Maginot Line seems TO
have been overcome.
The Siegfried Line has been
penetrated in the Aachen sec
tor, and when Yulich and Duren
are taken, the way may be
opened 10 the Ninth and First
armies TO drive on Cologne,
Dusseldorf, and the Rhur.
Here Is where the greatest
battle on the front is raging
and where the Germans have
concentrated their strongest re-
Sistance.
Where the Siegfried Line
covers the Saar our Third Army
has broken into IL at Saar-
lantern and Saargemund. and
this effort is now joined by the
Seventh Army in Lorraine.
Such great Notifications must
be broken for the assault of in
fantry by the employment Of
heavy artillery on a vast scale.
A d equa { G ammunition for
these guns is worrying Gen.
Eisenhower. and has led TO
orders for increased production
in this country.
FINALLY, the number OF Ger
L man soldiers in this re-
sistance is increasing.
This is due only in part to
the employment of classes of
copscripted men, who because
of age. disabilities. and lack Of
training have been exempted
previously.
Such classes do not make
good offensive soldiers.
But placed in sheltered po-
sitions, they can make a bitter
defense. especially if they are
Immediately shot If they flee.
and when the whole national
resistance is fortified by the be-
lief that. if they fail, their
country will be dismembered
and utterly ruined.
This is not the force that is
making our task SO Unexpectedly
difficult.
In the battle for France
whole enemy divisions were de-
stroyed and great numbers were
captured.
But the German armies in the
west now contain more divisions
than they had in June.
At that time, British army
intelligence reported 50 German
divisions in the west and 202
divisions facing Russia.
This balance of forces has
altered.
The same official information
now reports German strength
facing Russia 10 be between 100
and 140 divisions, and the Ger
man armies west Of the Rhine
as 70 divisions. These newly
added and seasoned divisions