Evening star., 1944-09-03

on Pearl Harbor this writer predicted
that the war in which we had Just be-
come engaged would be like . long race.
The Japanese and the Germans had q
lightning start; we were far back in tho
rear. But the Axis eventually would lose
breath and we would reach the winning
post many lengths ahead Of our en-
eniies.
The full extent OF that prediction Is
about to materialize. The German
armies are being pulverized by the re-
lentless attacks Of Gen. Eisenhower's
divisions. They are being given no
respite. Since the second week in June
when Marshal Erwin Rommel made q
feeble attempt to hit back, but was un-
successful, the Germans at no time have
stemmed the onward march of the
Allies; on their own admission, they are
retiring as fast as possible.
This withdrawal does not follow the
usual German pattern. It Is more of q
rout than retreat. Large quantities of
war material are being left behind and
although the once feared and fanatical
German onicers are still being obeyed
blindly In some instances by their men,
these are exceptions. The morale of the
Officers corps on the fighting fronts is
at Its lowest ebb, not 80 much because
Of the defeats Of the last IL months but
because the men have lost faith in the
leadership of Adolf Hitler and his
cohorts.
Won Arnim Urges Surrender.
The fact that Heinrich Himmler the
most detested man In Germany, is now
the most important figure in the Reich
also contributes to the general demoral-
ization Of the once foremost officers
corps in the world. There are more high
ranking oh1cers and men of the German
nobility in the Free Germany Commit
tee In Moscow than there are left in
the army register of the German fight
ing forces.
Gen. Won Arnim, a relative of Gen.
Jurgens Won Arnim who surrendered to
the Allies In Tunisia In 1943, made .
revealing broadcast two weeks ago from
Moscow. He told the soldiers Of the
German Army over the air that it Is
much more difncult for q German gen.
eral to surrender than to be killed in
action. Death on the battlefield is hon.
orable and glorious; surrender is a
permanent tarnish on the honor of an
o1lcer and lasts for the remainder of
his life. and afterward, provided it is
not prompted by . high patriotic duty.
Gen. Won Arnim felt that under the
existing circumstances, when Germany
Is beling led to destruction by an "ir-
responsible and dangerous maniac called
Adolf Hitler" the duty Of all fighting
men Is to turn against him or surrender
to the enemy because the war is being
lost by Hitler himself. There are times
in the history OF . nation, this scion
OF the Prussian mobility said, when 1t
Is the duty of soldier to cease the
senseless bleeding Of the nation because
to do otherwise would be betraying the
nation itself.
Sought Victory on Easy Peace.
Germany went to war because she
wanted to dominate the world. In this
aim Hitler had the full support of the
men who are now abandoning him.
There was . definite objective In the
Reichs decision to bring about the
present holocaust. If it had succeeded,
the world would have been dominated
by the Germans; If not, the Germans
believed some arrangement would be
made with the enemies whereby the
Reich would lose some OF its tail feath-
ers but would not be too severely dam
aged.
From the beginning of the war i've
years ago the main German aim was
the rich lands Of the Ukraine and the
strategic areas in Poland Hitler had
signed treaty whereby he and Premier
Stain agreed to divide Poland and to
set up two spheres Of influence in
Europe in the west and Rus
sia east Of the Vistula River and the
Balkans.
After the destruction of the Polish Re-
public, Germany marched on westward