BEFORE WINTER

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 20, 18 October 1944, Page 7

BEFORE WINTER

Allied Offensive In West POSSIBLE STRATEGY (Bv Telegraph.—Presa assn.— Copyright.) (Received October 17,10.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 17. The launching of another offensive in the west before the winter sets in to coincide with that of the Her Army, is discussed by military correspondents. , . Stating that the Allies have paused in the west to collect their strength for r-other blow, the “Daily Telegraph’s military correspondent, Lieut.-General H. G. Martin, expresses the opinion that before the winter closes in the Allied command intends undoubtedly to strike another blow, nor can there be much doubt about some of its objectives—the liberation of Holland and occupation ot the industrial areas of the Rhineland, Saar, and Ruhr. . . “Should this new offensive succeed in full measure, disintegration of the Wehrmacht may follow,” he says. ‘ Subsequent operations may . then take the form of military policing on a .grand scale. Alternatively, the Allies m the west, having made another forward bound, may find themselves more .or less bogged down for the winter with the Wehrmacht still in being. What then?’ Strengthening the Citadel. Answering this question. General Martin expresses the opinion that the first and foremost of the German high command’s object is to withdraw its outlying armies from Finland, from the Baltic States and from the Balkans, and ultimately from Italy, to its inner citadel for the last battle in the spring. Secondly, it aims to produce a fighter force, au interceptor force strong enough to cancel out the Allies’ overwhelming superiority in strategic bombers. Thirdly, under the shield of this interceptor force (largely jet-propelled) it aims to repair and expand its synthetic oil plants and step up its production of heavy equipment generally, such as tanks and improved submarines. Thus it hopes to fight its last battle, not only with every advantage of supply derivable, but with air superiority once more restored over its own territories. “The first essential then is. to prevent the concentration of outlying Geyman armies. Here we see the immense value of the Red Army’s present offensive on two flanks of the eastern front.” General Martin adds that by harassing and finally cutting off these outlying German armies on the eastern front, the Red Army is performing the same immense services to the Allied cause as General Alexander’s army group is performing in Italy. General Martin says that if the Allies must postpone the decision till . next spring they are likely to be faced with the question of ’whether to use .strategic bombers to police German war industries at the expense if need be of a tactical front-line target. “Obviously the nature of such a decision would decide the nature qi any winter campaign,” he says. 'No one can deny that, though it is disconcerting that Germany has so far won many priceless weeks. Her recovery between Warsaw and the Carpathians has been one of the most surprising events of the w al ’j and in the west the Allies are being held to fierce battles on tactical‘positions. Coming Mighty Blows.

“But,” he adds, “the Allies have not yet struck in full force. They are about to do so- Battle will be joined on a l fronts simultaneously, and then the rigidity of the defensive may, as at Caen, play into our bauds.” * The “Observers” correspondent Liberator” says: “The real struggle iu the west at present takes place behind the lines, where both sides race up supplies and reinforcements, But iu the cast the long strategic lull has been broken and the Russians are conducting two otteuwives on a very large scale and of tie most far-reaching importance. Of the two, the northern one is the greater military event, but the southern one aims at the' more vital parts of the remaining German Lebensraum and contains perhaps even greater promise of bringing about another crisis. In purely military terms —regarding the number of men and mass of material involved —the present battle around the borders of East Prussians one of the. greatest battles of the w’ar.