HITLER'S BIG GAMBLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 121, 23 May 1940, Page 11

HITLER'S BIG GAMBLE

DIRE NECESSITY

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

THE WINTER AHEAD

EFFECT OF THE BLOCKADE

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received May 23, 12.50 p.m.)

RUGBY, May 22

It is the opinion of economic experts that Hitler has been impelled to make what looks like an immense gamble of his offensive on the Western Front by the fact that he cannot see his way through another winter. It is evident that the Allied economic warfare has made its mark on Germany. In the case of food, available supplies are probably sufficient for the territory of the old Reich, but the problem is now complicated by the invasion of other countries. Both Belgium and Holland are highly industrialised and densely populated, and far from self-sufficient. Considerable damage has been done in the agricultural areas of Holland, and it is problable that Germany, instead of obtaining supplies from this source as in the past, will have to assist the Dutch to feed themselves. The Belgian population has always been extremely de-1 pendent on overseas imports for food. At the same time, Germany is faced with a considerably smaller harvest than last year, not only through the effect of the winter or autumn sowing but also the destruction of corn in the eastern districts by flooding after heavy snowfalls. The prospects for importing food I are affected by the diminution of the Russian acreage sown. To April, 1940. this is one-third of what it was in April, 1939. The Balkan harvest prospects of maize and oil-producing seeds is equally poor. Denmark's grain crop is not encouraging, and that country is suffering from a shortage of feeding stuffs. Reports have also been received of serious foot-and-mouth disease in Germany and a scarcity of the necessary vaccine, while authorities at the same time are unwilling to isolate whole districts, as was done in Britain, for various reasons, including the fear of immobilising labour. German agriculture also has to cope with a shortage of labour and problems arising from the shortage of petrol affecting the mechanisation of farming. There is likely to be a lack.of the usual immigrant farm labour for the harvest from Italy, Hungary, and neighbouring countries, although this voluntary labour will be made up as far as possible by the policy of conscript labour. . From information available it is believed that the German population generally is showing the effects of the serious deterioration of labour conditions since the war began. Civilians are also affected by the shortage of trained doctors. The number of registered medical practitioners in the • Reich fell from 56,000 in 1932 to 38,000 in 1939.] The latter figure gives only five doctors to 10,000 of the population, compared with. 11 in Britain.