Evening star., 1944-04-23
War Review
Nervous Germans See
D.Day Approaching
BY HOWARD p. BAILEY.

aimed especially at the tranSpOrta-
ton systems upon which Hitler
must rely for the quick shifting of
his reserves when the invasion
comes from the West
Hitler on Thursday marked his
55th birthday. The British marked
1t, too, with the heaviest air raid
of the war, dropping more than
5000 tons of bombs on four main
railroad centers, while the British
radio called on everyone to run out
the flags to mark Der Feuhrer's S
birthday as it might we'll be his
last.
In Germany, there were many
indications that the people are
growing tense in expectation of the
news that the actual invasion has
occurred. Goering, seeking to rally
the people to renewed effort behind
Hitler, declared that "a thousand
dangers may lie ahead" which
probably understated the prospects,
Not only was the increased power
of the air raids and the nature Of
their objectives indicative to the
Germans of the rapid approach of
D-Day, but also number OF de-
velopments on the diplomatic front
pointed toward that trend. On
Tuesday the British banned travel
from Britain to all diplomats of
neutral and Allied countries, save
those of the United States, Russia
and the British Commonwealth
All diplomatic mail was subjected
to British censorship. These two un-
precedented actions sealed Britain
off tightly so that no leak might
occur which could reveal the inten-
tions Of the Allies as to time and
place of the invasion.
Fire Shipping Halted.
All shipping to Fire also was
ordered halted temporarily, while
as an added jab at the German
nerves, the British radio told the
people Of France that "the time is
getting short"
The German radio, perhaps in
search of information, declared
that there is the greatest concen-
tration of shipping and combined
American and British naval power
In British waters since the retreat
from Dunkerque. The Nazi high
command declared the invasion is
close at hand and that in all prob
ability the Allies will be able to
establish beachheads and perhaps
maintain them, but that secret
weapons, reference to which might
be part of the German psychology
ical warfare, were ready to hold the
Allies at bay.
Friday it was reported that 1t.
Gen. Patton, who commanded the
American 7th Army in the brilliant
campaign in Sicily and who earlier
had led the landing at Casablanca
and commanded the American I'd
Army in the victorious drive in
Southern Tunisia, had reached
London to take up new duties under
Gen. Eisenhower.
The renewal of the heavy air
campaign against Germany came
on Tuesday when about 1000 Amer
ican big bombers and accompany
ing fighters attacked Berlin and
other objectives. This attack from
the west followed 70 hours of inces-
SAINT hammering at the Balkans by
Italian-based planes which smashed
rail yards In Romania and sowed
mines in the Danube, vital artery
in the supply system to the entire
Balkan area. Plovdiv, Bulgaria's
second largest city, which is on the
direct rail line to the Dardanelles,
was especially hard hit.
Bucharest, it was reported, Is
without water and electric power
and at least 40 per cent of the popu-
lation was reported evacuated.
Workers Try to Flee.
The Nazis were said to have been
especially hard put to keep railroad
and oil field workers on their jobs,
finding it necessary to ring the
Ploesti oil fields to bar the employees
from leaving whether on duty or
of. German troops have been
forced to carry on repairs to the
badly smashed rail lines.
Tuesday night and Wednesday
more than $500 tons of bombs were
dropped by more than 5000 planes
IN a record-breaking assault on
Germany and German occupied
territory in the west. Airplane fac
tories and rail centers in Germany
and France were the principal tar
gets.
For 70 hours the assault kept up
and by the time the last plane had
made its attack prior to the advent
of bad weather which called halt
to the activities, more than $1,000
tons of bombs had been dropped.
Among the places hit were Rouen,
Cologne Cuxhaven, Pas-de- Calais
and other objectives which would
perhaps play part in German de-
fense against invasion across the
Channel.
During the week Sofia, Belgrade
and Bucharest were all hammered
as panic spread among the Balkan
satellites caught between the air
invasion from the south and the
Russian juggernaut in the north
east.
Desperate German forces still re-
naming in the chaos which was
Seyastopol clung to their last foot
hold in the Crimea while the Rus
slams slowly cleaned up the last of
the preliminaries before the final
annihilation.
In Suburbs Monday.
AS early as Monday, Russian
troops were in the suburbs of Sc
vastopol, and heavy artillery and
big bombers poured destruction into
the dock area where frenzied Ger
man troops sought to board what
shipping remained seaworthy for
escape across the Black Sea.
The Russian observers declared
that large numbers of troops were
being moved from the west to meet
the situation on the eastern front
which daily grows more menacing.
The nervous Romanians are watch
ing the growing concentration of
Red forces in Bessarabia at a point
on the shortest route tn puchorect