Show Three Mysteries of Europe ITS TT'S almost as much as your life Is worth to 1 I. hazard a guess about the confused situation in Europe with Europe with reports of war between Russia Rus Bus sia lia and Germany the new accord between the reich and Turkey and the snails snail's s space pace British invasion o Syria No one seems to know exactly what it all means and its it's even possible that the principals principals principals pals in the military arid and diplomatic maneuver maneuver- maneuvering maneuvering maneuvering ing arent aren't too sure themselves just going to happen The rumblings of dissension and possible outright conflict between Germany and Russia have a more authentic sound than ever before yet yet no DO reason to believe that conflict Is inevitable It certainly isn't to o Germanys Germany's best interests at this time to fight Russia PoWerful Powerful Pow Pow- erful though Germany is and relatively weak though Russia may be still Russia is a mighty big country the soviet has been preparing feverishly to defend herself for almost two years and it isn't likely that even a German blitzkrieg can whip Russia in short order A AGerman AGerman AGerman German conflict with Russia would be a major military effort effort and and if Russia should prove strong enough to carry carryon on through this summer summer sum sum- mer flier and fall it might well prove disastrous to Germany for by next spring American strength and defense production will be so great that it Will be too late for Germany to knock out Britain Best bet is that Germany is trying to scare Russia into granting major concessions as to to economic political and perhaps even military cooperation This is just a guess but well we'll hazard the conjecture that there wont won't be a Russo-German Russo conflict this summer The Turkish pact represents some gain for Germany but but il if the announced terms of the pact are correct and there are no secret commitments commitments com corn by Turkey Turkey Turkey-it it is far less of a gain for the nazis th than n Britain had reason to fear Berlin and Rome comment has made much of the fact that the threat of a Turkish attack has been removed That's poppycock If Turkey was ever going to do any attacking she would have done it at the time of the German invasion invasion invasion inva inva- sion of Yugoslavia and Greece The truth is that the real threat was of a German attack on Turkey lurkey and that Turkey in the face of that threat and the tremendous German pressure would join the axis camp and permit Germany to use Turkish facilities for an attack on Britain Britain Brit Brit- am ain in the middle east The pact apparently removes that possibility for for- forthe the present and thus makes the British position in inthe inthe inthe the middle east ast much more secure and the probability of eventual British success in Syria much greater As to Syria Britain's snails snail's pace invasion may be due to limited forces and equipment for the attack or it may be that the invasion is more of an act than real war with a mere show of attack and resistance prior to capitulation capitulation capitulation lation by Vichy forces That sounds a little fantastic but it isn't impossible in this fantastic fantastic fantastic fan fan- war war and and certainly it is a more pleasant answer to the situation in Syria than an explanation explanation explanation ex ex- ex- ex implying British incapacity Anyway there are interesting things going on in Europe these days that intrigue the the imag imag- We cant can't be sure of the answers or of just what is going to happen in th the near future future fu fu- future fu- fu ture but we can be sure of this Time is marching marching march march- marchIng ing on inexorably and Hitler hasn't much time He has to do something soon soon something something pretty big if he is going to win the war this year That the pressure of time and events will force him to make the attempt seems seems in in- evitable |