Evening star., 1945-06-20
RommeI Aide Tells.
How Allies Could
Have Won Sooner
BY the Associated Press.


WIESBADEN, June 30.-A Ger
man general who was on the re-
ceiving end of Allied air attacks in
North Africa. Normandy and the
Ruhr, has told questioning Allied
officers they could have won the
war sooner with Increased tactical
air operations" after the Normandy
break-through.
United States Army interrogation
officers had asked 1t. Gen. Fritz
Bayerlein, commander of the Pan
zer Lehr Devision and once Field
Marshal Erwin Rommels chief OF
staff, whether more or less en-
phasis on air power by the Allied
at the expense Of or in favor OF
ground power, would have been
profitable.
Gen. Bayerlein told them he
thought stepped up tactical air war;
fare after August /, 1914, the date
on which the Americans reached
Brittany, would have added to
German losses and could have hast
ened the Allied operations"
Strafing More Unpleasant.
The interrogators followed up with
this question:
Does the general consider that
the Allies bombing would have been
more effectively employed II it had
been concentrated more against
the German economy or vice versa?'
Gen. Bayerlein replied: The at
tacks on industry and the communi-
cations systems were absolutely
necessary and decisive for the end OF
the war. Attacks on troop concen-
trations were rare. An increase In
this type Of attack would have been
advantageous"
When asked directly. however
whether strategic or tactical bomb
ing was the superior weapon, Gen
Bayerlein said only, Il am unable To
decide which is better"
Marshal Rommel's aide In Africa
and Normandy said he had found
"straflng Is more unpleasant for
ground troops than bombing be-
cause Of better and more exact re-
suits, even in trenches"
Delayed Troop Movements.
German troop movements, he
said. were delayed and rendered
very difncult by Allied fighters SC
that headquarters was unable to
make any definite time calculations
and troops often arrived at the de-
cisive place too late"
Gen. Bayerlein revealed that "in
attacks by Marauders, Thunder
bolts and rocket Typhoons on the
5th Panzer headquarters in Nor
mandy north of Conde on June 49,
the commanding general was the
only one left (alive) out OF all high
ranking offcers'
In areas threatened by dive bomb
ers, he said, trips by commanding
officers were often postponed or
abandoned altogether" out OF fear
Of the effect their death would have
on troop morale.
Attacks on communications, par
ticularly as they affected telephone
lines, and on fuel dumps also were
effective. he said, but attacks on
ammunition dumps were not so ef-
fective. In order to destroy an am
munition dump completely a very
heavy bomber attack is necessary.
Impressed by Lightnings.
Gen. Bayerline said coordination
between fighter -bombers and the
American Sd Armored Division was
superb" at St. Lo, where two days
Of bombing left his positions look
ing like a landscape on the face
Of the NOON"
The German general, who sur
rendered In the Ruhr pocket, gave
these evaluations of Allied planes:
neutrality-suspicious. for ground
troops because of its quiet, almos,
noiseless approach, its maneuver.
ability and speed, its heavy arma
ment and bombs. exact aiming and
hitting. Particularly effective against