The Wilmington morning star., 1944-07-14
Time Table OF Victory


Teheran is now proceeding with growing might
and speed. In the east the Russian armies
continue their spectacular advances at a pace
which suggests increasing German disorgani-
cation. Striking with unprecedented force and
daring, the Russians are cutting to pieces one
German defense line after another. They are
capturing or by-passing major German strong
holds, and are now within so miles of the bor-
der of East Prussia. In the west the Allies
are breaking out of their beachhead in an
offensive along their entire front. and have
already inflicted on the enemy severe re-
verse, If not yet a major defeat in the field
In tn south the Allied armies continue tol
surge forward and are already knifins into
the outposts of the main German defense line
in northern Italy. Above all these fronts thun.
ders fourth-the air front, which continues
to obiterate the German industrial machine
that feeds the German armies.
linus, from the military standpoint alone
The whole war in Europe is beginning to as
sumo more and more the outlines of the later
phases OF the war in 1915 with this differ
ence that the Germans face today not one
MAJOR front but four. So favorable does the
overall picture appear, in fact, that Allied
overoptmism These warnings have now been
backed by no less an authority than General
eisenhower, wlo declares that we still face
long and bitter fighting before final victory "
There is no longer any question of final vic.
tory as such, but the duration and the cost
OF the struggle necessary to attain it repre-
sent large question indeed. The only GER
talnty about it is that any relaxation of the
pressure at this decisive time is bound to post
pone the day of victory
FOR In some important respects the analogy
to 1913 breaks down-a fact which makes any
reliance on the 1918 timetable illusory and
even dangerous. For one thing, the battle
fronts themselves are only now beginning to
approach the great battlefields of the last1
war, where German resistance must be ex-
pected to develop to it's greatest strength
For another thing, both the diplomatic stu
alton and the political situation within Ger
many are quite different from those in 1913
When, after Aug. 8, 1918, the German High
Command found itself confronted with mill
tary situation similar in many respects to
the present one, General Dudendorff decided
that the war could no longer be won by mill |
tary means-that an offensive to force the
Allies to sue for peace was no longer posi-
BILE, and that defense alone would be merely
an irresponsible and fatal game of chance -
For this reason he notified the Kaiser and
his counselors that the must be ended
by diplomacy to save the German people The
German peace offer followed and in its wake
the German collapse But in 1918 wars were
still being fought for limited detectives, and
the Germans could fall back on President
Wilson's Fourteen Points. Today the Allied
war aims are much more far-reaching. and
while the German people can still count on
a better fate in Allied custody than under
their present leaders, these leaders themselves
can have no hope of escaping their doom
For that reason they must be counted upon
to continue their irresponsible and fatal game
of chance by staging a desperate defense
which might prolong their power irrespective
of what happens to the German people. AS
General Eisenhower himself points out. the
control of Hitlers Gestapo is such that a Ger.
man internal collapse is most unlikely. The
terror which the Germans have inflicted unon
the conquered nations is now coming home
to roost; and under its pressure the bulk of
the Germans, from worker to industrialist
and from private to general, continue to work
and fight for Hitler.
Under these circumstances victory in t,is
war is likely to be far more difficult and
costly than it was in 1918 But the victory
for which the Allies are now fighting also
goes beyond the limited aims of 1918. For
the peace which this victory is to establish
is not to be mere truce but peace which
will forever prevent Germany from maxine
third attempt at world conquest And that
aim is worth the sacrifices which its pursuit
entails-LNeW York Times