Evening star., 1945-04-14
We Duy
Continued From First Page.)

inch of the Reich has been overrun
have only served to underscore the
supreme commanders words.
He declared then that the Nazis
would not quit; there would be no
formal surrender; that victory
would probably be announced by
proclamation.
But it is hardly likely that Gen.
Eisenhower alone could or would
proclaim such We day. 1t would
be proclaimed by joint agreement
with Premier Stain, and it could
hardly come, whatever the success
of the cleanup in the west, until the
eastern front. too, had collapsed.
There is no disposition here to
believe that even splitting the Reich
in two would cause the collapse Of
a fighting front-actually many
fighting fronts-as the German
command disintegrated into sepa-
rate pockets of major resistance
These fronts already are forming.
One, perhaps the weaker of two, is
shaping up in the north in a great
arc backed up against the Baltic
Sea and trying to hold the northern
ports and perhaps Berlin.
The other would be a great arc in
the south centered on the national
redoubt" of Naziism-the hideaways
of mountainous Southern Germany
and Northern Austria between Lake
Constance and Berchtesgaden.
The arc in the north would prob
ably break into more than one
oocket. particularly if the Allies In
the west continue their wedge
toward Hamburg and Lubbock.
1t would mean there would be the
Berlin arc to clear out the northern
ports, the flooded fortress of West
ern Holland-perhaps eventually
even Denmark and Norway. The
farthermost and best naturally
guarded of these three-Norway-
and the heart of the Southern Ger.
man redoubt might take months to
Clean out, especially if the Nazis
held on there past fall and into
weather when SHOWS come in the
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the mountain roads.
1t Is not suggested that the Ger
mans would necessarily be able to
do that with any degree of success
The speed of the American race
through middle Germany and the
force Of the Russian drive into the
southern flank from the east is
bringing the end near, even faster
than the Germans had calculated
But, by the very nature of the
Allied reak-through in the center
considerable Wehrmacht forces are
actually being folded back into these
arcs.
No Precedent for Situation.
1t seemed clear that, just as surely
as victory would not be proclaimed
on the day of the American and
Russian linkup, neither would the
proclamation be withheld until the
last shooting on German soil was
over.
The situation created Is virtually
without military precedent-a people
beaten and unable to quit; a nation
defeated and unwilling to surrender,
and the prospect of one side event.
ually having to announce just that
it had won war.
Just when, after this die-hard
resistance is finally pushed into its
last pockets, the Allied victory
proclamation will come, will depend
on the extent of the breakdown of
the German fighting force.
But 1t Is conceivable-even proba-
ble-that when it is proclaimed the
Germans might still have at least a
nominal army in the field, perhaps
two-one in Norway and one in the
national redoubt.
That is to say, the proclamation
would not necessarily await break
down of the German opposition into
purely guerrilla resistance.
But it would certainly not come
until virtually all Of Germany is
seized and resistance whitfield down
to mere mop-up and pry-out size
and locked tightly in corner from
which it could not move.
If that was the case, there might
come a 'celebrational" victory day,
and after that the war would con-
tinue as aggressive occupation" of
additional parts Of the Reich and
the liberation Of the last bits of
Nazi-held and Nazi-conquered ter
ritory.
1t would be entirely conceivable
under such conditions that some
American Doughboys would still be
in the fighting line in Europe and
new gold stars would be added to
the little flags in the windows down
Main street back home for weeks
or even months, after the day OF
celebration.