WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24895, 7 June 1946, Page 7

WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL

FURTHER EVIDENCE BY JODL

« DECLARATION OF WAR A ' SHOCK TO GERMANY” (Rec. 7 p.m.) NUREMBERG, June 5. “The British and French declaration of war impressed us soldiers who had been at war from 1914 to 1918 like a terrible stroke,” said Jodi, who was chief of the operations staff of Supreme Command of the German armed forces, when he continued his evidence at the sitting of the War Crimes Tribunal. He added that through the general staff he had heard that Goerig suffered the same shock. • German forces in the Siegfried Line in 1939 were so weak that th®y could not man all the emplacements, he said. The pact with Russia was kept alive in the hope that peace would be maintained. Hopes rose tremendously when the attack against Poland was ordered for August 26. 1939. and then surprisingly cancelled. No one in the German armed forces had expected war against the western Powers and nothing had been prepared for such a war when Poland was invaded. Even when the invasion of Poland had started the generals still hoped it would be a local affair. When the western Allies refrained from an offensive iri the 1939-40 winter the German General Staff felt that a major war had been averted and that the conflict would die down if Germany kept quiet in the West. “Then we saw how the British brought more and more divisions to France, and how the French brought more divisions from the colonies?’ continued Jodi. “Hitler became so nervous that he wanted to attack in the winter before the Deposition became too preat but we all advised against it. Germany also noticed the Roval Air Force flying over Belgium and Holland every night, and not respecting neutralitv. We realised we could not relv on their neutralitv. however much they wanted it. sn the decision was reached to attack through Belgium. It would have been the «Te«test strategic error if we had acted otherwise.” Jodi said that Germanv had no military agreements with It=»lv or Jaoan The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour was a complete surprise to Hitler.

French Labour Seeks Wage Increases.—The executive of the Confederation General du Travail (the Frehch T.U.C.). after a four hours’ meeting, decided to present the incoming French Government with a demand for 25 per cent increases in wages and pensions for all classes of workers. Including Government employees.—Paris, June 6.