Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-01-02
By John L. Springer.

The new year has probably an even
chance of seeing Hitler go down to un-
conditional surrender But the Allies
must solve at least a score of problems
first. Here are some:
Second front-Invasion of the CONT
nent will be bloody, costly and will need
perhaps half million men to begin it.
For more than two years the Nazis have
been building powerful defenses all
along the western coast, from the Meth
erlands to the Bay of Biscay, and they
can fight from firmly entrenched ground
positions while the Allies try to make
dangerous landings from the sea- Yet
unless the invaders can break the ring
of Hitlers fortress-and smash ahead to
the borders of the Reich itself-it is
unlikely that they can win the war in
the new year.
Russian offensive-In 1943 the Reds
advanced more than 100 miles along
the road to Germany, from Stalngrad
to the western bank of the Dnieper.
There are about $50 miles remaining to
the German homeland, however, and
Soviet problems will increase the farther
they advance. Nazi defense lines will
be shorter, probably better fortified and
can be more easily supplied; the Rus
slams will have longer lines of communi-
cations and will be fighting on un-
familiar ground
Effect of bombings-How far have air
raids brought the Nazis to defeat? Lon
don accounts say II cities in North
western Germany are now more trouble
than help to Hitler, and Switzerland
sends word that so per cent of Berlin
has been RACED Millions of homeless
are scattered throughout the Reich.
Much German industry has been moved
eastward or dispersed, however, and
there is no sound reason to believe
enemy home front morale is cracking
under the weight of block busters. The
Nazi armies are still first rate fighting
machines and probably will continue to
be as long as industrial production and
home morale back them up. Whether
increasingly more furious air raids can
destroy that backing is one of the big
questions of 1914.
Nazis' secret weapon'-Probably for
propaganda, Joseph Goebbels permitted
word to leak that the Nazis have de-
veloped rocket gun capable OF bomb
ing London from the French coast. If
true, this no longer secret weapon"
might hold back the invasion, and pro-
long the war. But recent air raids on
the rocket coast may have smashed
these guns. And the Nazis now are
using rockets against bombers and con-
voys without much success.
Italian theater-After more than four
months of fighting on the Italian main
land, the Allies are making only slow
progress toward Rome. Complete occu-
patton of Italy probably is not a main
objective, but Rome would provide ex-
cellent bases for bombers to pound east
ern Germany and heavily industrialized
Czechoslovak.a. If the Allies can get to
Rome before spring they will be able to
rip German lines in France and aid the
invaders from the west.
NuCA AAoS ahu VIC uuuCA SEOuuu-4l nc
250,000-man Yugoslav Partisan army
under Gen. Josip (Tito) Broz has set up
new front in the Balkans to pin down
about Is Nazi divisions. Probably more
than.a million additional men are wait
ing in the underground of Europe for
the word to rise and strike. In France,
an estimated 100000 will probably come
out of hiding to badger the Nazi rear
when the Allies land. In Czechoslovakia,
Poland, Denmark, Norway and Greece
there are also potentially powerful un-
foreground forces, and bands of guer-
rillas already are making Northern Italy
acknowledgement.
The Balkans-Bulgaria's collapse in
1918 was psychological defeat for Ger
many that helped bring about the
Kaisers downfall less than two months
later. Sofia repeatedly has grown more
and more restless under continued
bombings, and rumors have placed Bull
garian officials in Turkey, seeking peace.
Hitler has sent reinforcements to the
Bulgarian Turkish border. But it is
possible that Bulgarian collapse would
open the way for Anglo-American troops
now in the Middle East to move in and
strike at the other Axis satelntes-Hun-
gary and Rumania-and provide an
added military drain on the already
burdened NaZis.