INVASION OF EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23915, 6 April 1943, Page 5

INVASION OF EUROPE

DEFENCE PROBLEM FOR HITLER POSSIBLE POINTS OF ATTACK (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 5. “Transport will probably be Germany's greatest problem in repelling an invasion of Hitler’s ‘European fortress,’’’ says the Berne correspondent of the “New York Times,” in a message surveying the possibility of a successful landing by the Allies. “The very size of the fortress rules out its continuous fortification. Neutral correspondents have been allowed to see some of the defences and write admiringly of them. Not all the cement in Europe would enclose the continent in a ring of fortifications. “It seems certain, therefore, that the Germans and Italians have resorted to a chain of minor works linked at intervals with important redoubts where men and material can be concentrated. In the initial phase of an Allied assault mobility may prove to be the supreme test for the defender. "The attack may come at many points, and it will be essential for the Germans to move troops rapidly to parry the thrusts. Here coal, oil, and petrol will tell their tale. Coal production in Germany has fallen notoriously below the average, because inexperienced men have replaced miners called to the colours. But even if stocks of fuel were unlimited, transport would still be a problem due to wear and tear on tracks, highways, locomotives, and rolling stock. "The German High Command has partly met the problem by establishing big camps and redoubts in Norway, the Low Countries, and Brittany, and even as far as Greece, with the object of reducing transport to a minimum. Furthermore, Germany is preparing inner defences.” The correspondent says various points are suitable for Allied landings. One is the French Channel coast, between Cherbourg and the Seine Estuary. Sicily would be tempting after the clearing of Tunisia, though competent observers do not look for major operations there, or even in Italy, for political rather than military reasons. Other zones are the North Sea and the French Atlantic coasts, and Jugoslavia, where guerrillas are already a thorn in the side of the Axis. If Crete could be retaken Salonika would offer possibilities. “A concerted sabotage offensive, aimed principally at railway lines, is now under way in occupied Europe and Germany itself, according to private reports reaching Stockholm,” says the “New York Times.” “A strategically important railway bridge across the river Oder at Frankfurt was blown up, necessitating rerouting of vital military traffic, including bulk transport to the central front, via Kuestrin. This resulted in congestion and delays. “Bombs exploded in Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse and Potsdamer railway stations last week, causing damage. Similar incidents are reported from the occupied territories. The Germans are forced to use special guards to patrol railways, particularly in France and Denmark.

“It is also learned that the Gestapo has executed 40 members of the Nazi Party for conspiracy, aimed either at Goebbels or Himmler. The purge caused a stir in Berlin, in spite of the Gestapo’s efforts to hush it up.”