The Wilmington morning star., 1944-01-24
NO INDICATION
GERMANY READY
TO TOSS TOWEL
Answers To Many Ques-
tions Must Come Dur
ing 1914
Nv LEWIS HAWKINS

has so far been more a year O.
questions, the answers to which
lid the key to the length anc
nos+ of the war in the west.
MANY of these queries center
49, Russia. Will the Red arm,
J,,ive into East Prussia, Rumanis
~ even Germany proper before
tha thaws? What chance is there
~ healing the Russian-Polis sore
before the poison spreads? Why
Ala Moscow muddy Allied rela
4 IONS through Pravda's rumor O.
british peace feelers?
Or these questions on Germany:
Is the German army as close
10 complete disaster as Berlin
own commentators have beer
limiting recently? Is the home from
within weeks or even months o.
a break up under the pressure o.
bombings and the long drain o.
bloody defeat?
Tied into all these, but loom.
ing far larger than any, is this
question: Will it be necessary to
fight a way into Europe from
the west? That is the question that
must dominate all others for the
western democracies because the
answer is the difference between
life and death for untold thousands.
While any flat answer is only
euesswork, talks with dozens of
officers and the views of COM
mentators here and in neutral
capitals produced this broad con-
sensus:
|, A mass assault from the west
must be made.
2. If made with enough strength
and skill to score a quick break
in and best the German army in
one or two really large scale bat
files. the collapse is likely to come
in d matter of weeks or months.
3 There is no question of having
to fight all the way to Berlin.
The crux of this reasoning is
that America and Britain haven't
vet proved they can lick the Ger
man army in a full scale test.
Until they prove it the Germans
can't be expected to quit.
Without the slightest reflection
on the skill and courage of the
victors in Africa and Sicily, it
must be recognized that most Ger
mans see these reverses merely
as large scale skirrnishes never
involving more than six or eight
German divisions at any one time
and fought with Italian allies
who are regarded by the Nazis
as eften worse than no help at
all aesinst an enemy which held
wide numerical superiority in
the latter stages of the campaigns.
Supporting this idea, they point
10 Italy where a dozen German
divisions are taking full advant-
age of weather and terrain to de-
crease the pace and increase the
cost of the Allied advance.
Estimates that western front
must be opened on a broad scale
also are based on the assump-
ton that Russia will not smash
Germany unaided in drive which
finds the most advanced spear
heads about 1875 miles from old
Rumania. 225 miles from East
Prussia and $50 miles from Ger
many proper.
Even assuming that Moscow is
able and willing to go on expend-
ing tens of thousands of lives be-
fore the invaders are driven from
Russian soil, the German army
is still fighting strongly and skill
1ully enough to avert complete
disaster along a from tsome 800
miles longer than when the Rus
SLAMS opened the wars longest
offensive last July.
Allowing for heavy losses-but
not IN prisoners which are gauge
OF Shaky morale - the Germans
sun presumably could salvage 20
10 80 divisions for use elsewhere
II and when willing to withdraw
10 shortened eastern line extend
ing roughly from Odessa to Riga.
acknowledging that there is
some chance of a complete blow
up IN the east, most observers seem
10 lean to the idea that the cur
rent gloom from Berlin is intend
ed mainly to harden the German
VIII through fright and secondari-
~ TO foster British-American fear
Oh "Red-hordes" and perhaps
Nmpt the democracies into pre-
NATURE attack from the west.
Inc best EVIDENCE that the Nazi's
ssFylng does not foreshadow early
llhal defeat in the east is seen in
accepted o reports that in the last
~ days Berlin increased the anti
INVASION strength in the west by
1--WE Or more divisions while trying
~ create an impression everything
was being poured into the east
10 stem the Red tide.
Inc quality as well as the num-
oerS Of the German army undoubt-
guy has declined considerably
snce l94l, but nothing in the cour-
S;se, morale and skill being shown
eli russia, Italy and Yugoslavia
dosseSts it is anything but a very
uamngerous force.
mere is no sign Of important
seq qu supply shortages yet,
st'u none is expected for several
months.
II generally is accepted that Ger.
s;;aiy still can muster about 300
DIVISIONS, plus non divisional army
w, vofpS and fortress troops, to make
~ ~ force of five to five and a
NaI million fighting men