THE GERMAN ARMY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 62, 6 April 1943, Page 6

THE GERMAN ARMY

HAS REACHED ITS ZENITH

SIGNS OF DETERIORATION

In an interesting history of the German Army since 1870, Professor I. Zvovicli, the well known Russian military writer, describes the creation and growth of the German military machine.. Describing it. as Europe's cancer, the professor states that the Nazi army was created according to the Prussian traditions which originated in the 18th century during the reign of Predcrick 11, who regarded his soldiers as. herds of animals., ruled them with a rod of iron and exacted Miwl obedience. The officers were looked on as a superior race. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, Germany spent nearly 70 years preparing for her battle for world supremacy. Milliards of the people's money was expanded in modernising the war machine and its equipment. Prussian barracks were, crammed with thousands, of men in a constant state of military preparedness. On the eve of the first world war Germany had a very large army, and the. German High Command was convincvetl that its machine would run like clockwork. But the Schlie'ffen plan, jvhich was based | on the expectation of. a lightning victory in the West, collapsed because of the exceptional bravery of the Russian soldiers. | German plans for the world war j of 1914-18 overlooked, several factors. The most important of these was j Russia's ability to render military assistance to France and Britain. Another was the possibility of a large American landing in Europe. A third factor was the fighting quality of the British soldiers at the end of the Avar. This came as a surprise to the German geneials. They had not taken the British seriously* as a fighting people. Ifn preparing for its next war, German imperialism considered it essential not only to create and equip a powerful army but also to turn its soldiers into machines. The German Army leaders, regarded Hitler and his clique only as experienced demagogues able to cultivate in the soldiers hatred against mankind, racial hatred. The soldiers were given a zoological stimulus to figlit for "Greater Germany," to which the "whole world, must belong. The generals decided to make use. of Hitler to turn their men into two-legged automata.

But they never dreamt that Hitler "would appoint himself chief strategist that he would dictate military policy to them. He imposed his autocratic control over the. army when he seized power alter Hindcnburg's death. Fritsch was Hangesd In 1934 lie shot Schleicher. In 1938 Blomberg was dismissed. In 1939 von Fritsch was hanged by the Gestapo. Many generals—List, Beiclinau, Keitel, Rommel —had to get Nazi Party cards in a hurry. Hitler organised special S.S. detachments within the army, gangs of trained hangmen to deal • with unreliable elements inside the High Cony mand. "When Germany embarked on war in 1937 Hitler became officially commander-in-chief. But the actual command was in the hands, of Braua chitsch and Keitel. Their tremendously superior military strength brought the Germans victor} 7 in Pol" and. Blackmail and Fifth Column treachery brought them easy-vic-tories in France and many other European countries. Then, giddy with success.. Hitler sent his motorised hordes east against the Soviet Union. When his 1911 plan for a lightning war Avas turned upside down near Moscow, he tried to put the responsibility for his failure on the generals, and at the beginning of 191*2 carried out the first great puisne of the High Command. He. removed Braucliitseh and himself assumed the chief command. Many old, experienced generals like Reiehcnau and Tod.t were killed. General Hadler was chief of staff. New commanders were put in charge on various sectors of the Soviet front. It is well known that Haider conr* sideretl Hitler's plan for a summer campaign in the East as impractK>' able. Now Haider's discharge, is oITh cially announced and Zeitzler, a creature of the Gestapo, has replaced him.