Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-12-03

Japan that no one-neither President
Roosevelt nor the high ranking generals
and admirals who are formulating ths
strategy of the Allied forces-has the
slightest idea as to what Russia's plans
are or will be.
They all have to guess what Russia's
strategy will be and must hope that
the pledge given by Premier Stain on
December 3, 1943, at the last military
meeting at Teheran will be fulfilled.
Evasive and uninformative replies are
given the frequent but discreet inquiries
to Moscow as to the approximate date
when the Red armies will start rolling
again toward Berlin by way of the only
important strategic route from Warsaw
to Lodcz and thence to Breslau and
Posen.
When 1t is pointed out that we seri-
ously impaired the German power OF
resistance through the campaign of last
summer when the Wehrmacht lost more
than 100000 men and that now is the
time for all Allies to deliver the coup
de grace to the NaAs by synchroniza-
ton of operations, Moscow's answers
can be paraphrased with the words OF
wait and see"
In the meantime, Gen. Eisenhower has
been instructed to start the second
major assault against the Germans.
Although conditions for attack are far
less favorable than last summer, the
chief strategy planners in Washington
decided on immediate action because if
we had decided to mark time until next
spring the Germans would have had
enough breathing time to reorganize
their depleted forces and offer much
more stubborn resistance a few months
hence
The loss of France, all Russian terri
tories occupied since l941 and of all the
Bankans have been a severe blow to
Germanys prestige and national econ
omy The loss of those regions which
were the Reich's war granary means that
the German people will have to tighten
their belts further and eat much less
than in the past. 1t also means that
henceforth they will have to rely OIL the
Reich exclusively for fuel for their
mechanical forces and their remaining
aviation But from the strictly military
defensive point of view it means that the
Germans, if given time, will be able to
mobilize and train another 100 divisions
by next spring.
Nazi Lines Shortened.
The German lines of communication
have been overeXpanded since 1941. 1t
requires considerable number of men
to speed goods to millions of men fight
ing far from the main source of supply.
At one time the Germans were far inside
Russia; they had between 100000 and
100000 men in the Balkans and 1000 900
men in Western Europe ALI of them
had to be supplied with war parapher-
MALTA even if they were in position to
live on the land. The German forces
fighting in Russia had to be Supplied
with almost everything that is neces-
sary for soldier to carry on. The Ger
man armies in Romania and Yugoslavia
were severe drain on TIP German
supplies and, because of the attacks of
the various guerrilla bands, had to keep
a large number of men to guard the
lines of communication
Today Germany is no longer Defend
ing the European fortress. She is de-
Tending only her own territory and is
prepared to evacuate the remaining few
occupied countries such as Norway and
Denmark. Thus Germany's lines of
communication have been drasticauy
shortened and the men who formerly
were used as communications battalions
are being poured into the infantry and
artillery as actual first-line fighters 1t
is true that qualitatively they may not
be as good as the old German Army, but
Hitler needs now any kind of men re-
gardless of age or health conditions.
They may not make first-class soldiers,
but for defensive purposes the quality
of human material is less important
than in offensive actions
Thus the Russian offensive directed
against the Balkan countries, an Often
sive which had been considered by
Premier Stain himself as of no i'm
portance from the military point Of
view, has resulted not only in Hitler
being able to save at least IS divisions
from the Balkan cauldron but also
nearly an equal number of men who
used to guard the lines of communica-
ton and who are now being placed in
Germany's new defense divisions. Logis-
tically, at this moment Germany is in
better position than the Allies. We
have to take our reinforcements, re-
| placements and supplies by train, boat
| and truck over a stretch of about 5000
miles to the battle front That is a
greater drain on manpower and energy
than the average man realizes.
| Promotes New Army.
Russia has to get some of her sup
plies over a distance of at least 1000
miles Germany operates within her
own borders and can transport her
men and material about six times
quicker than any of her enemies. She
has not yet been able to integrate into
cohesive force the new reserves drawn
from the services of supply and what
ever she has been able to scratch from
the bottom of her manpower barrel.
But information received from the Reich
indicates that while the German troops
of Field Marshal Gerd Won Rundstedt
are fighting desperately to prevent an
Allied breakthrough in the west, Deputy
Reichsfuehrer Himmler is working
feverishly to organize the new German
Army which will be used as a general
reserve next spring and summer.
These considerations have led the
American and British war-planners to