AXIS MILITARY SITUATION

Southland Times, Issue 24875, 15 October 1942, Page 5

AXIS MILITARY SITUATION

CHANGE TO DEFENSIVE LONDON, October 12. “The speeches of the Fuhrer and of Reichsmarshal Goering express a transition in the military situation, ’ said a German military spokesman broadcasting over the Berlin radio on Monday. “There is a formula for it—from the offensive to the defensive. A wrong picture would be gained if the formula were used to indicate a weakening of the position of Germany and her Allies. However, the transition cannot be doubted any more and the slogan from the offensive to the defensive is not wholly misleading. “The Tripartite Powers in three years of offensive action have achieved such successes .that they cannot lose the war, even if they limit their actions to the defence of the conquered territories. This should not be understood as an announcement of our future war programme. It means only that Germany and her Allies have won a completely unassailable position from which Ikey can expect—with composed calm and in full certainty of victory—all developments that may come. END NOT FORESEEN “The end of the war cannot yet be foreseen but the Tripartite _ Powers, having joined forces with time and space, can now cope with all military demands for any defensive or offensive necessities. “The discussion of a second front is in full swing in the enemy camp. If they would only listen to reason they would admit their impotence, but Stalin urges them to go on. So far all their plans and assumptions have been based on one main assumption—that Russia can carry the main burden and weaken Germany’s capacity to defend the Continent. This assumption must sooner or later cease to exist. It will then be proved that Britain and America have missed the bus. The United States has embarked on a vast armament drive, but it is beyond its strength to reconquer Europe, Africa and Asia.” Major-General Koch, the High Command’s armament chief, also declared over the Berlin radio that the new German tank will beat the American General Grant and the Russian Voroshilov tanks. “We studied the British Churchill tank at Dieppe and our new type will beat it,” he said. “The German soldiers in 1943 will have better weapons than they have now.”