Show I D 1 Overall Mobilization 81 Keeps Nazis in Field F r j I Geared Nation in Peace to Meet Shock of Total War Learned Learne From World I War I 1 Experience 1 By BAUKHAGE and arid I News Analyst Commentator t NU Service Union Trust Building i 1 Washington D. D C. C This is the first of two articles by Mr Baukhage on where Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- I many continues to get its fighting manpower The second and concluding concluding concluding ing article will appear next week Post-mortem Post arguments over the German winter counter offensive will probably be fought out from the chairs arm-chairs with almost as much bitterness bitterness bitterness bit bit- as that which characterized the actual combat Already there are a few who dare Insist that the German comeback come morally and physically was not underestimated This means that Germanys Germany's military preparedness the extent of which many knew few fews s seemed emed to be able to assay Just how thoroughly the Third Reich leaders had geared Germanys Germany's social social social so so- cial political and economic life into total war could be read in terms of facts and figures available to the experts But since no state in history history history his his- tory had ever so nearly approached approached approached ap ap- ap- ap I the absolute in military activity it may have been difficult to toA A t Ji i f 6 t y r ry y y y y f u 9 f J n SS guard stands by as Baukhage signs out of ot radio studio in Berlin in to 1939 after broadcast to U. U S. S interpret those facts and figures in terms of come-back come after the battle of France Y Perhaps one of the most basic datum came not from plans stolen i from the Nazi high command but furnished freely by the association of German tailors It proves the old adage that exceptions prove the rule The rule is that clothes do not make make the man The exception which proves it is the fact that in 1939 one out of every three Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans was in some kind of a uniform uniform uniform uni uni- uni- uni form and therefore under some kind of military or semi-military semi discipline either of the army itself or or of the Nazi party Struck Keynote The day war broke out about one- one third of the German people were literally clothed in the panoply of war This was not an accident It was part of the Nazi policy The Allies lies themselves more nearly reached a state of total warfare at atthe atthe atthe the end of World War I than did the Germans of that time Luden- Luden dorff read this fact out of the bitterness bitterness bitterness bitter bitter- ness of the defeat of 1918 He said total policy must in peacetime prepare prepare prepare pre pre- pare for the peoples people's life and death struggle in time of war in such a away away away way that even under the impact of war it cannot be shifted broken or completely destroyed by enemy measures Hitler reaffirmed this thesis and what is more is-more more immediately put it into effect as a policy first by eliminating eliminating eliminating all organizations not under either the party or the army A law was passed as early as March 1935 which stated that in Clin wartime every German man and every German GermanI I woman beyond conscription is bound to render service to the fatherland Let us look at some of the organizations organizations which grew up under this policy of total war First in importance importance importance tance historically is the translated Nazi Storms Storm t. t s Troopers abbreviated SA uSA anc and andL 7 L usually called the Brown Shirts Although this group contained militar military military mili mili- tar tary units it was planned as a apolitical apolitical at t political army and was abolished such after the Roehm as purge o of 1934 Then it contained three million million million mil mil- I. I lion men It was shortly reborn anc and f reformed and starting with a group of a million thousand of the original original original nal group took charge of training political soldiers from childhood up indoctrinating them in Nazi principles principles ples les and also overseeing military training raining before service in the army and again after the citizen had passed normal military age i iThe The second group to come into prominence in the Reich is now by byall byall all ill odds the most powerful group in the country considered from every every every ev ev- ery viewpoint It is the SS The SS are supposed to have had lad their origin in the group who made up Hitler's bodyguard in the early days of the party Their number number number num num- ber was estimated as in 1942 and Heinrich Himmler was from the beginning and still is their commander commander commander com com- mander although their oath of loyalty loyalty loyalty loy loy- alty is to Hitler This group was originally created created created creat creat- ed to form the nucleus of a new aristocracy The requirements of entrance en- en trance rance are strict In the first place the he applicant must have been an outstanding member of the Hitler Youth organization He can apply applyn in n his year for SS membership Out Dut of a hundred applicants usually usual- usual ly y 10 or 15 are admitted and they stand tand frequent re The applicants applicant's family must show healthy physical and according to Nazi standards political background background background back back- ground aryan blood back to 1750 and no hereditary diseases An SS applicant must be the right height and the right build mild with the right color of hair lair and eyes When he marries he must marry marry a suitable w wife e according according accord- accord ing ng to similar standards Before he heis heis hes is s eligible he must win certain sport awards serve in the Reich labor service ervice then in the army Meanwhile Mean Mean- Mean Mean-I while he must attend special schools of training in Nazi ideology and military and physical training When the SS novice finishes his term erm in the army he goes through more tests and if he passes is a aull full ull member Then he is under jurisdiction jurisdiction jurisdiction juris juris- diction of the special SS court of law aw and must live up to all the practices and principles of the or- or der er He is compelled to defend his honor lonor with the sword must take part art in duels and is permitted if attacked by an ordinary citizen to use a weapon against the attacker at- at acker even if it is not necessary I at-I SS 55 Comes II I I Into Its Own 1 Gradually from an organization which took over many military 1 I police and other functions the SS I grew rew to the point where it is the f dominating police force in Germany i iun 5 un uniformed ormed and plain clothes the the Gestapo and now the dominating 1 force orce in the army and the Reich It t has one entirely military branch the in arms with its own panzer and other divisions 11 I was in in Germany when war 1 broke out and it was that winter whiter that the SS-in-Arms SS was formed some SS men being released from the regular army to form these I l units It was evident when one one 1 i watched the SS in any military I formation from sentry duty up that I they tried to outdo the regular army in snap and spit and polish I I Th Their ir legs were a little stiffer when they did the goose step Their salutes were as precise as a trip trip- hammer They tried to look as mean as they could and often succeeded succeeded suc suc- ce ded in in looking meaner than that There is is no doubt that the SS divisions have the reputation of being being being be be- ing crack divisions and that they have won at least some of the respect re- re respect respect re re- of what is left of the old professional military element in the army which struggled I against their rise rise in in power as long longas I as it could Dispatches from the western front frequently mention SS outfits recently outfits recently when they were shooting American prisoners but the Russians refuse to say they fight any better than other divisions They have frequently been used as reserves in tight situations and also as a strengthening framework for less fanatical troops I The Black Corps as it is called because of its black uniforms is described by one authority as embodying embodying embodying em em- bodying a military fanaticism such as the world has hardly seen from the days of Mahdi and man I |