ROAD TO VICTORY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 6, 8 January 1942, Page 9

ROAD TO VICTORY

CANADIAN'S VIEW

EUROPE SEETHES WITH HATRED

A new Russian radio technique of addressing personal messages to women in Germany telling them of the death on the Eastern Front of their husbands or sons is having a terrific effect on German morale, according to reports from inside Germany, Lieu-tenant-Colonel George A. Drew, of Toronto, said on his return from a two and half months visit in England and Lisbon, stated the "New York Times" recently. The Russian announcer, Colonel Drew said, will say he has a message for a "Frau Schwartz," of such-and-such an address in Hamburg or Berlin. He then will say that Herr Schwartz was killed at such-and-such a time in such-and-such a place in Russia, describing effects found on his person. "Doubtless you have not been told of his death," the announcer will continue. "We regret that your leader has led your husband to this slaughter, but you are no different from millions of other wives and mothers whose husbands and sons are being killed here every day." j Colonel Drew said it was not difficult to imagine the effect on Frau Schwartz or on the other German women who are without news and ! wondering whether their men are alive or dead. DOUBTS ACTUAL BREAKDOWN. ! Although he was not too optimistic as to a breakdown- of German morale, Colonel Drew said all reports re- | ceived in London and those he heard in Lisbon while waiting for the take- ! off of the Pan-American Clipper were that German morale was not good. "I think one thing has emerged clearly," he said, "and that is that no such tiling as a real Nazi victory is possible, no matter what the military j outcome in the East or the West. The Germans have stirred up such a flood of loathing and hatred that there must be an increasing number of sober German citizens who see the danger to themselves every day that the war is prolonged. Some day there may be enough of them to rise and destroy the regime that is creating that hatred." BRITAIN'S POSITION. ' Colonel Drew said he was amazed at the small damage done to British war industry by German bombings and that British war production now was on such a scale that the "British can, before long, contemplate an offensive." Where it would be he would not try to guess, ' He believes the possibility of a successful invasion of Britain has passed, but that up to now that has been Britain's main concern—her own defence—since Germany cannot win the j war until Britain is defeated. "Britain must not and has not dared risk any adventure, no matter how promising, which presented the possibility of losing the equipment on which a successful defence depends," he said. "It is no secret that most of her equip-' ment was lost in the action leading up to Dunkirk and she has been striving ever since to make up that loss." A STRIKING FORCE. Colonel Drew, who served in France during the first World War, in which he was twice invalided home because of wounds, is the exponent of formation of a striking force of 500,000 men equipped to destroy the Nazis' panzer divisions, of which there were believed to be SO, or a totalof 300,000 men, before the start of the Russian campaign.

With such a striking force, he said, the problem would then be the formation of infantry divisions to consolidate the ground it would win.

"What is seldom mentioned," he continued, "is that the material for such infantry divisions already exists in Europe in the conquered countries. The problem would be to arm them with rifles and machine-guns. They would comprise the most terrible infantry divisions ever organised. God help the Germans who had to face those men with guns in their hands,"

The framework for such an organisation probably already is being laid, he indicated when he said that he believed the British secret service in Europe was never better than it is today.

ENGLISH PEOPLE UNITED.

Colonel Drew was impressed by British morale and by the unity of the people behind Winston Churchill. No leader of a democracy ever had such a united people behind him, the colonel said. They are confident and determined to carry on no matter if it takes twenty years, he declared. Colonel Drew also said he believed the old class barriers in Britain, now almost completely obliterated, never would be restored. As leader of the Conservative Party in Ontario. Colonel Drew made his trip to England to observe her war effort and see what was being done that Canada might copy in doing her share of the producing arid fighting.