LENGTH OF WAR IN EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24368, 21 September 1944, Page 5

LENGTH OF WAR IN EUROPE

“OVER BEFORE END OP THIS YEAR” MONTGOMERY REPEATS FORECAST (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.m.) LOI ?PqN. Sept. 19. “The war in Europe will be over before the end of this year,’’ said FieldMarshal Montgomery in a speech reported to-night from Belgium. He made his forecast in a Belgian field during the presentation of medal ribbons to officers and men of a Scottish division for heroism on the Normandy beaches. “Before we started this business _ I gave it as my opinion that if we did our stuff we could have the war against the Germans over this year,’’ he said. “It is now the middle of September, and I will go so far as to say that that statement is absolutely right. There is no doubt about it. “The Germans are in a very awkward position. The Allies are closing in against them from all sides. No human power can stop the utter and complete defeat of the remnants of the German army. ‘ “If you defeat the German armies, everything else is yours for the asking, I would say there is no point in rushing straight away to Berlin to-day or this week. You will make the job easy if you first defeat the Germans or collect them as prisoners.” Field-Marshal Montgomery said the Germans had made many mistakes. The first was on D Day, when they waited instead of counter-attacking. Then, instead of Conserving their reserves and yielding ground if it was necessary to do so, they had gathered reinforcements from all parts of Europe and flung them piecemeal into battle. This had enabled the Allies to gain the great victory in Normandy, after which everything was easy, “Tlie second great German mistake was after the American break-through on July 25,” he said. “They assembledsix panzer divisions and attempted to break through to the coast. Our right flank was then at Le Mans, on the way to Paris. We immediately stopped our right wheel and turned the flank northward to go behind the Germans. I maintained from that moment that we had won the war. The Germans never recovered from that trap. Those who escaped were cut off in the second pocket towards the Seine. “The position to-day is that we have taken prisoner more than 400,000 Germans and are making ready to finish off the war.”