Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-11-09
WORLD IN
REVIEW
BY Maj. Gen.
D. P. Barrows

I'HE most important battle IN
u the course of this war, and
perhaps in the history of our
times, is close at hand.
1t is the pending assault by
the Allied armies under Gen.
Eisenhower upon the German
armies in Holland and west OF
the Rhine.
There is a current tendency
10 feel that the final defeat of
Germany cannot be realized
Sintil after another winter or
another year of fighting.
Mr.. Churchill. with the proper
caution of parliamentary
leader, recently declined TO COM
NIT himself on victory within
the present wear.
Our public has been quick TO
appreciate the difficulties OF a
winter campaign; the misery
that afflicts our troops in the
field as the weather grows
colder and the rain turns 10
sleet and the solid ground TO
slime.
Letters from our young men,
who are enduring these hard.
ships, reflect the severity OF
days and nights open-fox-
holes and advances across soft
ground in which they mire.
But the fighting spirit behind
such letters as I see IL. is very
high.
The men are eager for the
great battle to begin; eager 10
attack now. defeat the enemy.
get the war over and come
home.
CEVERE though winter con-
W ditionS are. modern war adj
mits as little cessation as pos
sible at an season, and the
morale of our men seems ade-
quate to withstand the suffering
which falls upon the enemy as
much as upon ourselves.
So. in spite of prevailing
pessimism about the. possibility
of an early victory. l express
my own confidence that the
great assault will come, ire
spective OF the season, and that
in this assault the German ar
mics will be damned back
against the Rhine and destroyed.
7 EFT us look at the order of
~ battle again.
Between the North Sea and
the neutral frontier Of Swltzer-
land Eisenhower his six armies,
in addition TO the airborne
army, which gained Eindhoven
and Nijmegen, but failed to hold
Anthem.
On the left or north, the Ca
madam FIRST army is in the low
lands of Holland, much of il
dyked meadow or "polders, re-
deemed by human industry from
the sea.
II is close 10 accomplishing its
indispensable mission of captur-
ing the Island of WslCheren,
with its port Of Flushing, well
known 10 American travellers.
This will clear the estuary of
the Schelde River through which
Allied transport fleets can reach
the docks of the port of Ant
werp.
NEXT in line, the Second Brit
~ iSh army has occupied
nearly the whole of the Neither
lands Province of North Bra
bant and is poised for the opera
ton of crossing the Meuse or
Mas River and turning the Ger
mans out of Holland.
Next in line is the powerful
American First army. the only
army yet on PrusSian soil, which
has taken Aachen, with its in
diSpenSable rail connections and
is set for the attacks upon CO.
logne and the Ruhr.
To the south. the Third Amer
lean army under Patton has
taken Luneville, east OF Nancy
and Epinal. and is within 40
miles of the famous military
city OF StraSburg.
Adjacent, to the south, and in
the Vosges Mountains north of
Belfort. the French and Ameri-
can Seventh army is already
looking down upon the Rhine
Valley of upper Alsace.
Gen. Simpsons Ninth army
also is close behind the front,
and some of its elements have
joined the sector that centers at
Aachen.
HERE is a enormous host of
IL perhaps two and a half
million trained and valiant men.
equipped for war as no troops
have ever previously been
equipped, and with mass OF
artillery and tank support that
in quantity and weight of guns
has never appeared before in
field operations.
1t is for the accumulation OF
munitions for these guns that
Gen. Eisenhower waits.
In the push to the Rhine,
ammunition for these guns
must not fail at any time.
Such quantities as are essen
L.. a. IL A