Evening star., 1945-01-21
Nazis, Though Going Back,
Are Still Far From Defeated
Warming Against Overoptimism Cites Losses
Suffered by Allies in France and Unweakened
German Morale Despite Reverses
Bv Constantine Byofpn

Another wave OF optimism is about TO
hit the people of the United States.
In the west, the armies of Field Mar
shall Won Runstedt, after having threat
ened our vital communications, have
and the situation has been re-estab-
lished.
In the east, the Russian armies have
begun an offensive extending from the
Carpathian Mountains in the south to
the Baltic Sea in the north. Henceforth
we must look for spectacular COM
muniques announcing the killing of
many thousand German soldiers and the
destruction of thousands of German
tanks and guns. ...
In the Pacific, Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
have started their long planned inva-
sion of Luzon.
All these happy tidings are being re-
ceived by the American people with the
greatest satisfaction, particularly be-
cause they have come after receipt of
unfavorable news from Europe over a
period of several weeks.
Seek Time to Organize.
But it would be a very serious mis-
take If the people and their official
spokesmen, who are the cause of the
various waves of optimisn-were to go
on another rampage like the one Of
few months ago after the Germans were
chased out of France. Unquestionably
the military situation has improved, but
the end of the enemys organized re-
sistance is by no means in sight as yet.
The Allied general STATS have been
aware since last fall that the Germans
were trying to gain time in the west
to organize another 100000 men within
the Reich. The Nazis also needed several
additional months in which to complete
the organization of their subterranean
factories and produce more of their Sc
cret weapons.
In order to hasten the defeat of the
enemy and following the usual general
instructions from Washington, Gen.
Eisenhower decided to attempt to break
through the Siegfried Line and settle for
the winter, if possible, on the east side
of the Rhine. This, American and Brit
ish strategists agreed, was real gamble.
But Of the morale of Germany was as
low as it was SO often reported, We had
better than $3.50 chance of succeeding
So Gen. Eisenhower gambled.
Aware of Allied Weaknesses.
The Germans reacted quickly. They
knew that all our requirements and sup
plies had to come from great distance,
and fully realized that the American
troops who had been driving through
France since D day would be tired and
probably thinned out.
Marshal Won Rundstedt, who admit
tedly is the best German strategist in
the west, made daring surprise at
tack. He almost succeeded in placing
our forces in most difficult position
But even though he had to give up the
territorial gains he had made in three
spectacular weeks, he disrupted our
offensive plans and caused us such heavy
losses in manpower and war material
that 1t Is now admitted in all competent
military circles in Washington and Lon
we can resume a full-scale offensive in
the west
We have to lick our wounds, send
more men from the United States to
France, get our factories to produce
larger quantities of war material, and
then ship it. We have to replace all we
have lost and also bring up the addi-
tional number of men and quantities
of supplies required for hreak-through
Of the Siegfried Line Unquestionably
the Allied forces will probe the German
position further in the next few
months. But unless there is an unex-
pected, though much hoped for collapse
within the Reich, it is not likely that we
will be able to resume an all-out offen-
sive before spring.
Victories to Be Spectacular.
In the meantime, the Russians have
started their steam roller in motion
against the Germans in the east Had
the offensive come last summer or even
last fall, we might nave been racing
for Berlin. But as it Is the Russians will
have to fight single-handed in the east
for at least three months, until the
Americans and British armies are in
position to resume their real drive. Let
us not be fooled by the signposts which
tell hnu, for III ic fn parliY,
The coming battles in the east are
west, particularly because the Red