Evening star., 1944-02-03
Spirit Of Nazi Troops
High Despite Defeats,
British Expert Says
By WALTER McCALLUM,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT,

Star Staff Correspondent.
LONDON.-People in the United
States who envision the NaM as a
man on the brink Of collapse and
with dwindling morale, are 100 per
cent wrong, and had better change
their views, in the opinion of an
authoritative British source,
In fact, says this spokesman, the
German never has shown higher
morale and evidence Of unshakable
determination to fight on, In the
face Of heavy reverses in Russia,
continuous bombing of his key cities,
and widening crack in German
home front conviction that Ger
many can win the war.
German prisoners captured by
American and British soldiers show
no sign of weakening morale and
persist in statements that Germany
is uncomfortable. This is far from
the feeling said to be evident in
many United States quarters, which
take the line that the end Of the
war Is just around the corner, and
that Germany will crack with an
other military reverse or two.
There is a definite conviction in
well ir1forced circles here that q
series Of hammer blows, on the con-
tinent Of Europe in places other than
Italy will be needed to bring the
Nazi to his knees, and that final
determination that Germany is
fighting losing war will come only
when the German general staff real
ICES or admits the hopelessness Of
the military situation.
There Is no secret about the
planned invasion. The commander
Gen. Omar Nelson Bradley, well
known in Washington, has been
named. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower,
Supreme Allied Commander, has
been in conference with other mill
tary leaders in London, and has
conferred with the King; and in
busy London all preparations plain
ly are going forward for military
operation of tremendous magnitude.
The signs are apparent on every
hand and the forces are gathering.
But the time and place or places
are not being discussed and definite
ly there is tendency here to shut
down on talk of possibilities as to
these two unknown factors. The
German is ferocious fighter, well
trained and with good equipment.
His morale remains high. That is
the official view here. 1t portends
no pushover of the German defenses
of the continent wherever the blow
or blows may be struck.
So Mr.. and Mrs. America, who
may be thinking in terms of hav-
ing the war end next Tuesday, had
better hitch in their belts and get
ready for a slugging match, with
tremendous casualties expected. 1t
won't be any pink tea party when
the invasion starts, nor will punches
be pulled on either side. The i'm
ponderableS are many.
A., large scale German defeat,
added to the other factors and the
probable fact that the German peo-
pie are tired of war after four and
a half years, may add up to a COL
lapse of the German home front. But
the feeling of people in authority
here is that there is no reason, even
the slightest, to feel that the Nazi
warrior feels he is fighting losing
battle, and any thoughts to the con-
trary, in the United States or Lon
don, are so much wishful thinking
with no foundation in fact.
In a few words the war, even with
the impetus and initiative on the
Allied side, barely has gotten well
under way.