| Show Victory i by Next Armistice Day REMEMBER DEMEMBER all the people and some of them supposedly in inthe inthe the know who were so sure that the war in Europe would b fee b over oyer by Armistice day of 1944 1914 Well V lI here Armistice day has come and gone gone and and the war warIn fir In Europe still goes on hammer on-hammer hammer and tongs and still still- from all indications quite a way from rom a conclusion Most of us have been pretty well sobered up in the past few w months from our pipe dreams of early victory over Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many but it wont won't hurt to do a little more sobering sobering because because many of us still think victory in Europe is just around the corner cor cor- ner by nor by Christmas Christma before the end of the winter next spring lets let's compare Germanys Germany's situation now with tion at the t time mc of the armistice of 1918 Today Germany has b been n fighting for a little more than five years and two months In IIi November November- of 1918 the Germans had been fighting for a little tittle littlemore littlemore more than four years and three months That looks as ns if Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many should be clos closer r to exhaustion now than last time But last time the fighting was almost continuous for those four ye years rs and three m months This time for almost two years covering covering covering cover cover- ing the conquest of Poland the invasion of Norway the conquest conquest con con- qU quest st of the low countries France Yugoslavia and Greece the fighting was not heavy and German losses were not severe For better than three years now it is true the thc Germans have been fighting hard and suffering heavy losses Josses in Russia But during most of that time they were doing little if any fighting elsewhere elsewhere elsewhere else else- where in Europe The real pressure of fighting has only been on Germany for less than six months since our invasion of France There is every reason to believe that the German armies are stronger today than they were in November of 1918 On the home front Germany is far better off today In 1918 morale had collapsed in Germany The food situation was cal There was opposition to the government within Germany in ill the reichstag in trades unions in newspapers in public com com- ment All AIl that is bottled up today Germany is in a gestapo strait- strait jacket The reins of government and control of the the army are held tightly in the hands of a fanatical group of men who knowing their lives are forfeit are arc fighting like rats in a trap In November of 1918 Germany had lo lost t all her allies ames Today Japan Tapan is still a staunch ally aIly sapping allied strength on the Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- front Germany still sun gets some support from fascist elements in Hungary and northern Italy She still controls part of Holland Holland Holland Hol Hol- land part of Yugoslavia part of oC Italy Norway and Denmark areas which were not under her control in November of 1918 Beset on all sides though German Germany is today and doomed as she is to certain defeat there is every reason to believe that the process of attrition has not proceeded as far today as it ith h had d by Nov No 11 of 1918 Germany still has plenty of power left and if she can continue to demonstrate the will to fight which she has shown recently it is quite possible for Germany to carry carryon on the struggle well into 1945 It might even be that next summer we will again be predicting victory by Armistice day |
