Show r Behind the War News I in Berlin B RJ Pierre J. J Hun Huss F Former Correspondent O NEW YORK INS INS Blitzed Blitzed Cologne stands stands today as visible proof that the united nations can ripen the third reich from the air this summer for an eventual eventual eventual even even- knockout by land forces The mass raid on Cologne bythe bythe by bythe the R RAF A F opened a second front in the air right under the nose of the fatherlands fatherland's boastful Watch on the Rhine The smoke clouds and ruins of the Rhineland key city are an ill omen to every native German and the effect on morale within the rest of Germany will in fact be as far reaching and devastating devastating devastating ing as the destruction by the pounds of bombs To Hitler himself staring in mad fury at atthe the wreckage and no no doubt shouting curses of retaliation re- re r re retaliation at everyone within hearing the Cologne debacle must be the distant handwriting on the wall For at the beginning beginning beginning begin begin- ning of the war the nazis had counted much on the unmatched d striking power of the and at the same time on what they thought was a fatherland made bombproof through super air defense and preparation This illusion has been destroyed But foremost in Hitler's BlUer's mind and in that of every German Germanis is without doubt the old lurking lurking lurking lurk lurk- ing fear more than a year old that the R RAF A F heavy bombers are but the prelude of what can come once the massed air fleets of American flying fortresses get under way I used to hear Germans talk about it and the apprehension showed in their eyes I know that the R RAF A F blitz on Cologne again touched off that hidden fear in German breasts I know that In the air cellars and bombproof shelters of Germany tonight there will willbe willbe willbe be thousands listening with real fear to the air alarm sirens thinking with clutching panic of those thousands and thousands of American flying fortresses they have heard so much about The nazi propaganda designed designed designed de de- de- de signed to minimize and counteract counteract counteract coun coun- this morale onslaught onslaught- never succeeded in dispelling that haunting nightmare It stuck in the public mind as solidly solidly solidly sol sol- sol sol- idly as the conviction among Germans that Germany could never win a war against America I heard German officers dis dia discussing cussing air warfare among themselves several times The They were convinced that Englan would never succeed in g Germany from the inside w Insl e air through attacks that attacks that Is hk b substituting the air weapon weapon f. f to the 1914 18 hunger blockade r But I also heard them speCUlate speculate on the possibility of holding ou out indefinitely against massed al air fleets of heavy bombers such America could conceivably as forth I never heard them brie brin deg g fo de den or laugh down the latt It showed in a different say u Va the concern lurking back of th their e rigid military minds It can be stated with a fa fair r degree of certainty therefore that any consistent mass bom bOtn bom ing of Hitler's key cities in th the to manner of Cologne Cologne Berlin Berlin is In particular would particular would hasten ii measurably the job of ripening Hitler for an eventual knoCk knock out by land The effect on morale alor alone would not be the only gain asid aside from the visible devastation Every heavy bomb that falls a as I witnessed in Berlin and 1 la hi German and occupied cities during during dur dur- ing 41 1940 scratches the wa War machine ever more and more it it itis is like the grain of s sand nd dropped into the power sooner engine engine sooner or later there is a a. defect O or orl crack A AIn In Cologne for example Hit lers ler's war machine got a couple of real cogs and important con connecting fleeting bolts knocked loos loose Knowing that Rhineland city Id I'd say the R RAF A F selected as targets for the night such vital spots as the huge bridges over the Rhine the tremendous raU rail rail-J railway way net terminating in the rally way station in the heart of th the thi city city alongside alongside the famous domand dome dom and and the spacious highway net leading out of the city to all parts of Germany France Bel Belgium el gium and Holland I would make a bet and say sap that Hitler is minus the vast output of the Kalk and Humbold Deutz plant proud mass pro pia p ducer of submarine engines ant ard aircraft minus the vast car out outi put for the army of the confiscated former Ford plant minus the Nippes Cologne-Nippes railroad and ald roundhouse factories and minus minu the synthetic rubber buna buns pro producing pro during plant of Franz Clouth 1 |