Evening star., 1945-04-01


military observers at the front and in
Washington to revise original estimates
rs to when Germany's major resistance
will be crushed. They now believe that
we can expect dramatic developments
In the Reich in April and would not
be surprised If the backbone of Hitlers
legions were broken by the end Of this
week.
The Americana British forces are now
making deep inroads into the industrial
heart of Germany, and, according to re-
ports from the observers AZ the front,
the collapse of the Wehrmacht and the
volkssturm may come with dramatic
suddenness.
Ever since our landings in France last
summer it was evident that only su-
perficial crust of Germany's military
power still was available to fight the
onrushing American and British ar
mics.
This crust was deep enough to offer a
stubborn resistance for some months
and even stage counterofensive-the
last card which the German high COM
mand played last December in order
to ascertain the Allies recuperative
powers and their ability to reorganize
quickly.
Lacked Air Support.
There were many in the highest Amer
lean military quarters who doubted that
after the pre-Christmas blow that we
would be able to send enough reinforce
ments in men and materiel quickly
enough to enable Gen. Eisenhower to re-
sumo the drive to the Rhine. But the
job was accomplished by an almost
unbelievable effort on the part of those
in charge of this problem.
And when Gen. Eisenhower struck
with the full power of his reorganized
forces-composed of veterans of the
French landing and raw draftees sent
him posthaste early in January, the
worn-out German military machine,
which had been fighting for more than
five years, collapsed The German
armies we're without adequate air sup
port as were the French and the Poles,
in. 1889 and 1910.
The crossing of the Rhine, which in
itself was considered a maneuver which
should have taken many weeks of Bit
ter and costly fighting. was performed
with rapidity which amazed the most
optimistic military men. Our casualties,
according to figures available at this
time, were far below expectations.
The Germans had been caught be-
tween two powerful millstones: The
Anglo-American in the west and the
Russian in the east. No force, even had
1t not been as worn out as the German
Army was, could expect to fight these
irresistible forces, which were provided
with ample reserves and war materiel.
Cannot Last Long.
According to reports of the observers
on the western front, a formal surrender
of the German high command and its
leaders may not materialize. There will
be large groups of troops, possibly hun
dreds of thousands, which will surrender
without further fighting. There will be
others which will continue to fight and
attempt to withdraw to the mountainous
areas of the Reich where for a while
they might offer sporadic resistance,
Just as the Poles and the Serbs offered
against the Nazis in 1910 and 1941 after
their countries had been overrun. But
this resistance cannot last long. The
Germans have never been guerrilla
fighters and the Reich, with its excellent
roads leading to the mountains, does not
lend itself to type of warfare which is
possible in less developed countries.
Nobody knows yet what Hitler and his
thousands of "faithfuls" might do. Ac-
cording to certain reports, an exodus of
some of Hitler's henchmen to Norway
already is under way. 1t is possible that
men such as Himmler and Goering
might try to delay the evil hour by join
ing the few remaining German divisions
in the Scandinavian kingdom, which
lends itself better than the Reich to
guerrilla warfare. Their existence there
is not likely to be long lived since the
population will join the Allies in a man.
hunt for the Nazis, and the supplies
which the German Army possesses in
that area cannot last for more than
few months.
There Is no reliable Information about
Hitler's intentions. But, according to
some reports from agents in the Reich,
1t seems that the man who still calls
himself Der Fuehrer might prefer death
on the battlefield to capture and judg-
ment. He is said to compare the present
disaster of the Reich with Wagners
"Goetterdaemmerung" (the Twilight of
the Gods) and sees In the fire under
which the German towns and villages
are collapsing a parallel with the de-
struction of the mythical vaIhalla.
So far as the flames which are con-
suming the Reich are concerned, Hitlers
parallel Is correct. Never in the history
of the world, with the possible exception
of the total destruction of Carthage by
the Romans. has country been so thor
oughly ravaged by war as the Reich has
been In the last 18 months. It's once
fiourishing cities such as Berlin, Dres-
den, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg-to
mention only few Of the best known
are nothing but shambles. The country
side Is devastated. The German indus
tries which have cost billions and taken
years to build are 30 per cent wiped out.
And while the similar destruction In
the Allied countries wiz be repaired
within rs short period as their people
with American aid can put them back
In order, the Germans are not expected
to start any reconstruction work for
themselves for at least one generation