Evening star., 1944-07-30
Axis Shows Crackup Signs
As Allies Drive Steadily On
American Men and Industry Turn Tide Which
SHOW Running Strongly Against Nazis
and Japs on All Fronts
BY Constantine Brown

Both poles of the Axis, Germany and
Japan, are beginning to crack up, long
before the most optimistic observers
believed possible. The nemesis of these
strong and determined militaristic pow
ers was created by the United States,
which, in much shorter time than any
one expected, developed the greatest war
industry and military power in the
world.
The Germans are reeling under the
combined blows from the west and the
east On the surface it appears that the
Russian armies are dealing the death
blow to Hitler's legions. The truth is
that the appearance on the western
front of a strong Americana British
force, which has broken through the
''impregnable" Atlantic wall, is respon-
sible to great extent for the ease with
which the Red armies are smashing
ahead
After the forces of Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower established their beachheads
in Normandy and conquered Cherbourg
the German plan for defense in the east
had to be modified.
According to available information,
the Nazi plan originally called for
token resistance on the Russian terri
tory proper, causing the Red armies as
heavy losses as possible.
The approaches to East Prussia and
the main defense centers at Brest-
Litovsk, the key to Warsaw, and Lwow
were to be defended to the bitter end.
Weaken Eastern Front.
After the Allies broke through the
Atlantic wall and appeared to have
enough strength to smash through the
defenses protecting the main plains to
Paris and the east, German war
council, attended by the elite of Hitlers
military advisers, decided on a mass
transfer of forces from the eastern to
western fronts. This was an 11th-hour
decision. According to our information,
before the main Americana British at
tack began, the Germans had made
their dispositions in such way that on
paper it looked as if they would not have
to touch on any of the forces on either
front.
Thus they left about 1877 divisions in
the east and concentrated about 60
divisions in the west, while the balance
OF approximately so divisions charged
with the task of fighting a delaying
action in Italy, mounting guard against
any possible surprise in the Balkans and
to
from any of these fronts. Had this plan
been maintained, it is possible that the
Russian advance might have been less
rapid But the unexpected force with
which the Eisenhower armies struck at
the Germans in Normandy caused more
alarm in the German high command
than had been anticipated, and a shuttle
strategy-the moving of troops from the
east to the west-threw the previous
well established plans into confusion.
The withdrawal of about 80 divisions
from the eastern front was disastrous
decision, which, according to reports,
was taken by Hitler himself. The
Fuerhrer greatly desired victory over
the Anglo-Saxons. He thought he could
get it by throwing his SIS and Hitler
Youth fanatical divisions against the
invasion forces and he deprived the
eastern army of some of its most eff
Cient and Well-trained divisions.
Satellites Are Weaker.
The satellites have never distinguished
themselves for their valance, even in
he Inv low Of
they are much worse now. The second
line troops which have replaced the
divisions rushed to the west have little
enthusiasm after so many years of war.
They have been far more responsive to
the appeals of the Free German Com
mittee in Moscow, under the leadership
of 1t Gen. Walter Won Seydlitz. than
the fanatical SIS and first-line troops.
The result is that the German divi-
sions which in the battles of the last
year have been retiring. with losses, in
good order, are now melting away and
surrendering in far greater numbers
The Russians have a superiority in force
of about to at any point which they
choose to attack. The tools of war, with
out which numbers mean nothing. have
all arrived from the United States in
more than ample quantities. The Amer
ican and British navies and merchant
marines have performed miracles in
taking supplies of all kinds, ranging
from antiaircraft guns, heavy artillery,
tanks, planes and commissariat supplies,
over enormous distances to Russia.
The supply corps of the United States
and Great Britain in the Middle East
has rushed these supplies to Russia in
record time with minimum of loss
The Russian supply corps has done an
equally remarkable job in removing the
supplies to their front over difficult
country. The LuftWaffe, or whatever is
left of it. is too busy in the west to paw
more than scant attention to the long
supply columns reaching the eastern
front.
Far Ahead of Schedule.
Thus the invasion of France by the
Anglo-American forces. the pounding of
the Reich by the Allied Air Force, the
threat to the southern belly of the
European fortress and the highly eff
cient supply job done by Russia's west
ern Allies have all contributed more
than so per cent to facilitating the Job
of the Red armies which are now ad-
vancing against the Fatherland itself
with much greater speed than had
been anticipated at the historic Teheran
conference.