Show W lI Germanys Germany's Magnot Mind I j fJ May Hasten Nazi Collapse I t L ft Axis Pro Propagandists a ands sis Fear Fortress Europa Concept May B Backfire If Allies Break i 4 Impregnable m p pr r Line Morale May Crack r 1 By BAUKHAGE J News Analyst and Commentator j so Service Union Trust Building r. r Washington D D. D C. C 0 Has Herr Heir Goebbels created a I maginot mind In his minions which will crumble and wreck German Ger- Ger t. t man man- morale man morale just as the failure of the French defense smashed French morale That is a question which the students of propaganda In WashIngton Washington WashIngton Wash- Wash I Ington are arc studying with great grent interest interest InI in in- terest today Both external evidence evIdence newspapers pers broadcasts public statements and Internal evidence reports evidence reports of spies pies and neutral observers reveal two things one that the Axis peoples peoples peo peo- ples pies are extremely invasion con lIcious and two that they are suffering suffering suf suf- fering from a severe case of war nerves But q 4 third more serious possibility is developing As a result of the maginot mind it Is believed that a marked increase in the scope of the air raids or even a minor success of a tingle single Invasion unit might result in ina ina a complete breakdown of Axis mo mo- rale Realizing U this s the German propaganda forces are arc working frantically frantically fran Iran to change their previous verbal barrages based on the concept concept concept con con- of ot the Fortress Europa an utterly utterly ut ut- utterly terly impregnable defense system back to the original German concept concept concept con con- of ot the value and efficiency ofa of ot ofa a highly mobile offensive force torce Last year when the second front talk reached its height beight the German defense propaganda reached a hIghwater highwater high highwater water mark too Then when invasion invasion inva inva- sion alon weather passed the German defense talk died down to be renewed renewed renewed re re- re- re this past April Everything 0 was done by the Nazis to create the idea that Europe was ringed by an enable wall of ot steel iron and concrete Comparisons were made with the Maginot line they said the guns in the Maginot line could traverse ISO degrees degrees in hi the new German Gennan wall they can swing around the whole degrees They said that the steel used in the construction construction construction tion equals a bar which would reach tom the earth to the moon the moon the concrete would build a road iron from Berlin to the Solomon islands i Those Six Months I That was the kind of fare the Germans and the Italians were served Immediately after the fall of Tunisia for instance there was an Axis chorus which tried to sound exceedingly jubilant when it declared declared declared de de- we have held beld back the enemy successfully for six I months long enough to complete our I fortifications it is too late for an attack on our fortress nowlIn In recent weeks however with with- the growing attacks on German cities citIes cities cit cit- ies the surrender of the Italian island is island is- is island land fortress to forces utterly indifferent in in- different to walls of steel or concrete concrete concrete con con- crete the German propagandists have begun to realize that they went too far in building a faith in a wall- wall that their propaganda is in ha danger of ot back They realize that if that concept Is held beld and if the Allies Allies Allies Al Al- lies make a landing at any point poin t and break the wall the civilian m morale morale mo mo- rale Tale will break with it So the tune has suddenly changed Now we hear bear that the shores of th the e Mediterranean are protected by a splendid mobile defense there defense there is n no south wall to Europe none Europe none is need need- ed The European continent under r German Gennan dominance is ideally equipped far tar better equipped for fox offense against any Invader wh who might get a foothold than the invader invader Invader In in- vader could possibly be bc the difficulty difficulty culty of the Allied transportation n across water is stressed the power powe r of ot the submarine is emphasized But this face about-face according to observers here has come pretty late e and can hardly create much confidence confidence confidence con con- on the part of a nation which h has had the myth of the Fortress 5 Europa pounded Into it for over a year About the There is another factor of course which is working against enemy morale morale mo mo- rale that Is the fact that the hardest hardest hard hard- est eat blows now struck come from Iron m the air with the weapon which Ital Italy y I exalted and which Hitler forged an and d put Into effect In the form fonn of hi his s time one Invincible Meanwhile what has bas happened t to o the which which some people e have called the vanished Luft Luft- t wafIe We have heard much about It during dur durIng ing past months but very little has bas been of a definite nature Well the paper strength of Ger Ger- Germanys Germany's Germanys Germany's many's air force has been pretty well plotted from data obtained in hi confidential reports to Allied headquarters headquarters head quarters here bere and abroad This is what it looks like A line German German Ger maximum overall first line first man force of between four and five thousand planes Even as I write it is probably declining In num num- bers The whole is divided into five one of which until the middle of June was putting putting putting put put- ting up a considerable offensive offensive effort effort effort ef ef- ef- ef fort on the northern Russian front It is or was under General Keller r and it may originally have bee been n composed of 2500 planes That estimate estimate esti esti- estimate mate Is questioned by some American Ameri can observers The second fleet under General was in hi the Mediterranean an area It was estimated shortly after Tunisia as strong but probably probably probably ably soon thereafter was considerably considerably bly wasted and not very efficient because it was spread thinly over along a along along long coast line with Italy as a weak link The Remainder The third fleet was under General General General Gen Gen- eral perhaps perhaps fifteen hundred planes with the tremendous and growing task of guarding the German German German Ger Ger- man industrial area the submarine ports all the way to the bay of Biscay Bis Bis- cay cay and and also the duty of meeting an invasion at any point along that long coast line Then there was General Richthofen's Richthofen's RIchthofen's fens fen's fleet in hi southern Russia and I General Stumpf's at the other end I of the stick in hi Norway with what was left I Besides these fleets or a part of them perhaps were certain Flieger korps mobile korps mobile units which attempted attempted attempted at at- tempted to come to the rescue when some area was in dire distress Buthe But Bu t I the whole force the experts believe is spread so thin that in hi case of of simultaneous air attack great gaps have to be left which would make and already have made Allied air invasion safe and as a corollary would do the same for land invasion beneath it The has not vanished It is still a powerful weapon and the Germans are trying to maintain n its strength by concentrating on the production of fighter planes But Bu Buthe t the days when Hitler's evil angels angel s darkened the skies and fortunes of Europe are over e Diary of a Bro Broadcaster This share share taxi a taxi system f Is g really working out very well but i it t requires quick thinking I heard beard a avery avery very charming but disappointed d doe young lady telling her tale of woe oe today I had to get to my dentist this noon and I stopped a cab with someone someone some some- one in hi it The driver said he be ha had d to go to the Mayflower hotel firs first t. t That was only a few blocks out o othe of f the way but J I 1 was in hi a hurry so I IsaId Isaid said no no As the cab started off I looked at the passenger And t wa was wasI s I sorry I said no no It It was Wendell il Willkie I thought This One World isn't t so small after all We didn't realize how prophetic prophets c we were when we used to sing Yes we have no bananas I stepped into a Connecticut avenue avenue avenue ave ave- nue drug store the other day and an d asked for a chocolate milk shake No chocolate said the clerk Another Another An An- other customer ordered a bacon an and d tomato sandwich No tomatoes said the clerk Before anyone els else e could speak he said Now who who's s going to be smart and ask for a n banana split Oh Ob we are learning to do without without with wIth- out In Washington the without sometimes seems as if it it would include include in in- clude elude shirts and sheets sheets clean clean ones anyhow I met a dignified lieutenant lieuten ant colonel early the other marnin morning g carrying his laundry box Did h he e wear a shame-faced shame look He di did d not He was b beaming Anyone Anyon e beams who is able to get his laundry laundry laun law dry in hi time in hi this town |