THE TEST OF BATTLE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 43, 25 January 1944, Page 4

THE TEST OF BATTLE

MR Churchill, who is religious in a way that is outside Hitler's experience,, admits the possibility of events which lie beyond the control of himself and his advisers. If they come,- they will be welcome indeed; but in the meantime the plans are being made, the arms and the troops are being assembled, and the deadline for attack upon the continent is fixed. Hitler does not look upon the arm of Providence as a possible source of help: he regards it as necessary and expected. Indeed, he knows that he cannot survive without it—not in the way that every wise man looks for more than his own strength in a hard encounter, •but in the mood of one who demands it as a right. Hitler may still be waiting for a divine justification of his mission" when the maps have been torn from his walls and the armies of occupation are crossing the frontiers. But the fanaticism of one man cannot retain its hold upon a defeated nation. There: may have to be battles of the kind visualised by Mr Churchill before the Germans abandon the leader and the false faith that have betrayed them. Many of them, undoubtedly, have already abandoned him in spirit. They are loyal to-day because fear and desperation have replaced the older and more attractive motives. The hysteria that could be detected in Hitler s speeches may not be far from the surface of the public mind. "Fear has begun to open cracks in Hitler's Germany," said The Daily Express, commenting editorially on Hitler s latest broadcast. It is not merely the fear of bombs and of advancing enemies. Deeper and more dangerous than that is the bewilderment of those who have lost their faith in themselves and their leaders. No matter how violently Hitler appeals to Providence,, to the logic of history—as interpreted by the Nazis: —or to a patriotism, Jie Germans now find themselves thrown upon their own ie sources. Hitler could not promise them a climax in 1944: he could only command them to fight on and on to accomplish the seemingly impossible." The question that is being asked everywhere is how long these people, knowing in their hearts that the war has gone against thefcn, can continue to fight. From now onwards the blind faith in Hitler will be lacking. The Germans are emotional but they are also the inheritors of a military tradition. Experts believe that they will hold on, and may even bei capable of determined counter-strokes, until they are convinced that there is no longer a chance of a stalemate. When that moment arrives the influences that are now undermining civilian morale will have a universal effect.