Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-03-28
Writer Sees Dangers
in Sudden Peace Hope
Allies Have Yet to Conquer Bulk
of Germany, He Points Out
BY Dauid Laurence

BY David Laurence
The inherent tendency of the Ameri4
can people to anticipate events before
they have actually happened will pro-
duce perhaps our greatest problem in
the immediate future
Despite everything that has been
said or written about the necessity of
building supply lines and especially for
communication systems behind our
huge armies in Germany. the public In
the last "a hours has been ready to
write OF the European war as ali but
ended.
Collapse and panic can come at any
moment, of course, but nobody in
authority in the Allied governments
can afford to operate on the basis of
such an expectation, and certainly
workers in war plants are not justified
in relaxing their efforts because of the
sudden rise of our hopes for an early
victory.
1t would be worth good deal to the
NaA high command if at the moment
of our brilliant successes in crossing
the Rhine some way could be found to
throw the Allies into frenzy of pre-
mature celebration and sudden slacken-
ing of war production.
Whether the Nazis will or will not
fight to the bitter end is something of
secondary Importance at this time, be-
cause the fact remains our armies have
defeated the Germans west Of the
Rhine and are moving rapidly into open
country toward the east. The bulk of
German territory has yet to be con-
quered. :
Pointed Comments.
Gen. Elsenhower's pointed comments
on the need for railroad bridges are.
however, the most important news in
all the reports from the front When
ne says that We need railroad bridges
and that they cannot be built overnight,
he is saying in effect that soon the Al
lied armies must stop their advance and
wait for their supplies to catch up with
them.
Meanwhile, the Nazis will have a
chance to consolidate their remaining
armies for further operations The war
could go on through the summer If the
Allies are forced to wait several weeks
to get the rail bridges built. Small
pontoon bridges are useful but hardly
adequate for major offensive east of
the Rhine that is to keep on going till
1uncture can be made in the north and
south with the Russian armies.
The big, uncertain factor of all fac
tors, however, is in the realm of ma
t1onal psychology. What will be the
effect on the German people of the
news that the Allied armies are well
across the Rhine and that inevitably
there must be junction with the Rus
sian armies?
German soldiers who have been in
ooctrlnated in Naziism for years will
nght to the bitter end because they
have been trained to do so by the Hitler
movement. But no single German army
corps is perhaps composed 100 per cent
OF Nazis. There are merged with them
other troops of middle age who will
recall how Germany collapsed before.
,They will tend to extricate themselves
as quickly as possible from the clutche,
OF the Nazis. Many will lose their live.
doing so. But this kind of internal diff
hcuity must inevitably produce condi-
tons of incipient chaos,
Imposed Surrender Only.
The iron hand of the NaA command
ers may keep the German defense
adamant for several weeks inside new
lines. Gen. Eisenhower is going on that
assumption. There may be peace"
feelers but the Nazis must know these
Will be OF no avail. Only an offer. of
unconditional surrender from Hitler or
Goering or Himmler would receive Sc
rlous consideration, and then only per-
maps In order to arrange for a uniform
cease fire. order If that is at all feas-
Ple.
Since the three aforementioned ins
oiVlouais are doomed to die anyway,
1t seems improbable that any such sur
render offer may come from them. It
may, therefore, be taken for granted
shat an imposed" surrender such as
Gen. Eisenhower refers to. as differen-
tiated from negotiated" surrender. is
to be looked for.
The American people, of course. as
sumo that it's all over in Europe but the
shouting. They will make a grave mis-
take In assuming that resistance will
end overnight when it does end. The
surrender will come as result of a
series of military successes and after a
crumoling of one army after the other.
1t may be piecemeal and cumulative
rather than uniform. a.
But that the end of Organized 70.
slstance will come this summer AMI,
That unorganized or guerrilla resistanc.
will occur thereafter would seem IN ha
as Tar as the military development,
thus far permit prophesy to be made
High military men are optimistic, i,,st
as they were last September, but it IL
safer to assume that the European war
will not be over till the white flag has
actually been raised throughout all of
Germany as result of direct CONQUEST
by our military forces.
In