Show tr J cR IV UN Washington D. D C. C NO MILITARY ERROR Those close up to the war picture are convinced that aside from faulty intelligence there was no one single military error which brought on the swift and disastrous German break break- through officers officers of- of intelligence Undoubtedly some will be disciplined or brokenfor broken brokenfor for failing to evaluate the concentration the opposite tion of German troops beforehand before before- First army about a aa a. a week hand But there were other factors contributing to the reverse none of which can be laid at the doorstep of of a single commander Basically I they are factors which only GeneralI General I Eisenhower and General Marshall I themselves could properly evaluate and act on inside basic Here are some of the factors involved 1 1 General Marshall himself ordered the U. U S. S offensive which began November 8 and which continued with ram battering-ram tactics until until Von R turned the tide title against us Marshall Marshall Marshall Mar Mar- shall visiting the battlefront in October said that during the winter the Germans could mobilize mobilize mobilize mo mo- new divisions so it was wise for us to clear them off ofT the west bank of the Rhine before winter closed in 2 There was and is no disposition I to doubt the wisdom of General Marshall's Marshalls Marshalls Marshall's Marshalls Marshall's Mar Mar- shall's decision However these ram battering-ram tactics cost men also tire men out The American system is to keep divisions on the front line bringing up fresh men only for re re- re- re placements Thus the divisions now at the front have been fighting steadily steadily steadily stead stead- ily since the landing in Normandy last June June with with of course a lot of men coming up as replacements Germans Rested Troops 3 3 This is considered an excellent system and gets results However the Germans immediately took out their battle troops after Normandy and sent them to rest behind the lines lines The Nazi boys and old men we encountered in the Siegfried line made us think the German army was shot to pieces but it The experienced battle troops now refreshed after a long rest are taking taking taking tak tak- ing the offensive against us 4 4 The war department itself was responsible for a lot of the favorable news which gave the public a general general general gen gen- genI I eral feeling of overconfidence One of its most important indications was that some German troops were killed or taken prisoners I during the up clean-up of France making making making mak mak- ing a sizable hole in the Nazi army j Of these however about were Ukrainian Russian-Ukrainian labor bat bat- Thus the American public had reasons to believe that a large sl slice ce of the German army was deci deci- mated 5 Germanys Germany's new Royal Tiger tank is superior to ours and we wo W have known it It is extremely difficult to knock out of commission commis commis- sion However we thought the war was going to be over soon and that we could finish up the job with the tanks already on hand hand of of which we had tremendous tremendous tremendous dous quantities More lore recently however we have started building building building build build- ing a big tank which can equal or better the Royal Tiger Robots Beat Airplanes 6 Robot bombs and rocket bombs can fly in any weather whereas airplanes airplanes airplanes air air- planes cant Also they dont don't require require require re re- re- re quire men Thus the Germans have been able to bomb us from the air air air- by robots and rockets while rockets while because because because be be- cause of bad weather we couldn't bomb them The Nazis lay layout out a square of territory in and behind our lines then systematically pepper pep pep- p per r it with rocket bombs They can aim them well enough to hit within certain areas 7 7 The German system is to attack attack at at- tack suddenly with tremendous force and heavy armor in one small area they concentrated hundreds of tanks tank in their first attack Once they broke through they spread out Also the Nazis had little to lose o i I O o. o However it remains a fact that we had advance information of great Nazi activity for about a week before the attack came though apparently we sized it up as preparation for retreat rather than attack Note Gen Courtney Hodges against whose First army the blow was launched is regarded as an average American general He was not able to make the grade at West Point but immediately enlisted in the army and has worked his way fumy up He was a major in in command of infantry in the last war war one rank higher than Marshall who was then a captain and has commanded infantry in in- fantry all his career since having risen to be chief of infantry shortly before we entered the war UNDER THE DOME C E. l on The expansion in the tire industry announced an flounced announced by inspires n no cheers from anyone in the tire tyre in industry in- in Labor is unhappy because became manpower difficulties rule out Akron Akon is as the site for the new GW plants plants' Akron ron is a strong union town and organization organization S on there Lis is fairly simple The big rubber companies un are unhappy unhappy un- un happy because they have no assurance assurance assur- assur ance that the new tire plants will vm be ripped apart after the war They are ure afraid of new Son ion don P postwar com peti- peti |