| Show f German Loss of Superiority Air I Disastrous to Army Mobility Editors Editor's note cote Arvid for two years correspondent la Ia Serfs Berlin for tile the Stockholm newspaper newspaper news news- paper has returned re- re turned timed horn homo with the tile most com com- Independent report of what goes on 01 Inside Germany since American correspondents left Ift the ft sari ad capital capitol This Is the second coad of a series of articles By Edwin STOCKHOLM O I Germany still is a great war power but her army has lost mobility one of its greatest weapons weapon according to Arvid Fredborg Swedish newspaper newspaper news news- newspaper paper correspondent who returned I home lome recently after two taro years in I Berlin Fredborg who represented the conservative e Stockholm paper has written a book Behind the Steel Wall in which he says there are many factors in the German military picture besides numbers of ot soldiers and quantities of equipment As he tells the story when the third retch reich lost superiority in the theair theair theair air it lost the advantage of moving land and forces without molestation As transport and supply lines become become become be be- come more and more disorganized the no longer can can exploit exploit ex- ex inner lines linea to improve military military mili- mili tary ary pos positions Army Still Strong The German army represents a aK powerful K V erful force and while Its spirit hu has las grown worse its discipline is undiminished German officers have lave the men in hand and the German war power still is intact On the fighting front the number number number num num- ber of elite eUte troops has been greatly reduced educed by heavy casualties and inexperienced reservists are used to o fill tUl their ranks The air force has been weakened not ot only in equipment but in men as s Marshal Goering has released great reat numbers to the army The Theair Theair air force probably does not have today oday more than to first line planes Most are fighters as aircraft production generally has been converted to fighters Since 1911 1941 there have been 2030 20 30 training accidents Such accidents accidents ac- ac ruin equipment and the aircraft reserve appears to consist of f only about planes which is s too sm small l a margin Subs Remain Threat The German navy has not been improved except in submarines They have shown a conspicuous lack ack of activity in the last few months but the general opinion is that Germany is holding back a a. boat U-boat reserve to combat invasion Coast artillery has been improved improved im- im proved roved gradually to meet an in- in It is strong strongest st along the English channel but heavy fortifications dot the North sea coast Since the rise of ot nazism there thereas has as been a a. lot of talk in and outside outside out- out side de of ot Germany that the army should try to liquidate nazism Years passed and only weak reactions reactions ons were noted on the part of the he German military The could cOUI 1 have top- top toppled toppled pled led Hitler for tor some years after 1935 but the officers did not care careo to o oppose the single power which they tey considered able to carry out German erman rearmament I Officers Loyal I I Hitler knew what he did when he e shot General Kurt Von Schleicher Schleicher Schleicher Schlei- Schlei cher who was the last poll political I general German officers now are well known for loyalty and a sense I of f duty I At one time it looked like Field Marshal Erwin Romme might get jet a high political military tion on At another time it appeared that Field Marshal Fritz Erich Von on Mannstein in might play a al similar role Many informed observers conder consider con con- sider der Von Mannstein Germanys Germany's foremost soldier Time rime after time his ils Judgment saved apparently hopeless situations in Russia after Hitler's litters amateur military strategy backfired Fredborg says the generals now map the war strategy and claim that the party no longer Influences war planning The rhe party is left with the responsibility of manning antiaircraft defenses on the home front While the whole German community community com com- is overworked and suffering suffering suffer sutter- ing from nervous exhaustion no noone noone noone one should underrate its strength Nazism is not going to fall like the walls of Jericho The retch reich has reserves and cards which have not been p pili played 1 a Y e d d. Among these are new weapons about which there is so much talk They bey are not to be overrated but it would be a mistake to believe they are just propaganda Only last June a German official official oW- oW cial said that defensive action would be carried through with among other things the help of long range artillery During the first World war the Germans surprised surprised surprised sur sur- the world with ith their kilometer guns At the end they melted the guns and the allies alUes never got hold of them There is nothing now to prevent them from making guns with a a. range of double double double dou dou- ble that distance However to have Oa a decisive influence In Influence In- In fluence the explosive must have an effect totally different from those known today or the projectile pro pro- must have enormous w weight eight In the latter case there is a possibility pos pos- that the rocket system is being considered Hint lIea Heavy Guns With a range of 20 kilometers for the cannon the Germans could from well protected batteries on the continent bombard great parts of London and seriously damage damage damage dam dam- age England But no war decision in favor tavor of Germany would be obtained obtained obtained ob ob- that way Great Britain the United States and Russia would answer with new weapons Germanys Germany's war machine still sUII is held in high respect At present Jt It is comprised of about di divisions divisions dJ- dJ visions and all an together amounts to men Of Ot the total however only half can be considered a real army Nobody outside military circles knows the exact disposition of German forces but Fredborg estimates estimates estimates esti esti- mates they have about infantry and light divisions of men each making men 25 armored car and tank divisions each of men making men men heavy artillery and special troops numbering men a a. reserve of an antiaircraft antiaircraft antiaircraft craft force of police troops noncombatant re- re air force 00 navy coast artillery and in an organisation organization to do labor service etc making a a. total of ot under direct German control t I Satellite Strength The Bulgarian army has 30 di divisions divisions divisions di- di visions totaling men The Rumanian army has 25 divisions half halt of which are only being organized The Slovakian army has men the Croatian Italian fascists and volunteers from other countries countries countries coun coun- tries amount to about Where the satellite nations are concerned the Finnish and Hungarian Hungarian Hun Hun- garian arian armies from the German viewpoint must be eliminated Neither Nei Nel- ther her one can b be persuaded to offer any my contribution to the war except defense of their own country Finland is counted as having men while the Hungarians c could ouid Uld produce about 40 divisions In n all men Germany controls a huge numer num- num ber jer er of men but today has a a. deficit in n armed forces because it must apportion them over Fortress Eu Eu- rope The problem of supplying troops underscores the shortage of oil and gasoline to keep the motors planes lanes and transports moving German erman experts state that the country needs tons of oil lie and gasoline yearly for of offensive offensive of- of warfare Economical and defensive warfare which the Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans nans have been concentrating on since the end of 1942 will wUl hardly require more than to tons a year |
