SILENCE IN ADVERSITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 18, 21 July 1943, Page 5

SILENCE IN ADVERSITY

HITLER AND MUSSOLINI

(Special P.A. Correspondent.) Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, July 20.

The Russian offensive has failed and Hitler has not spoken in public since his broadcast in March. Sicily has been successfully "invaded and Rome bombed, but Mussolird is silent. "Imagine Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill being silent at such a juncture," comments the "Observer."

There is speculation in London whether Germany intends to defend Italy. Reports continually strengthen the impression that the Italian troops in Sicily no longer have much heart for war.

The military correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" says: "It would be no surprise to find that the Italian army generally is disintegrating. As in Tunisia, so in Sicily, there may soon come a psychological moment when the Germans, no less than the Italians, may decide to call it a day." He adds that the collapse of the Italian morale would be far reaching and would entirely unbalance the Axis military budget. He points out that Germany has about 260 field divisions, of which 190 are in Russia, more than a dozen in the Balkans, 40 in France and the Low Countries, and 10 in Norway, leaving eight to balance the remaining liabilities, these being _ the divisions in Italy and her centra! reserve. Germany has few field divisions in Italy, and it is therefore concluded that she has practically no central reserve. The correspondent suggests that if 30 Italian divisions were eliminated in the Balkans and the Dodecanese, together with 26 in Italy and the Riviera, Germany's military budget will be unbalanced by 50 divisions.

"The Times" refers in a leader to a Berlin newspaper's explanation that Sicily is of no importance and is "merely an insular outpost of the continent," and adds: "There is no indication from Berlin of any intention to render much more help to the Italian mainland than has been given to Sicily, The whole trend of GermciTiJtrategy suggests that the plan* is now to concentrate on the defence of, the "Fortress of Europe."

The Istanbul correspondent of "The Times" reports the view of a prominent German connected with the German Embassy. "Italy ceased long ago," he said, "to be of any iise to Germany. In. fact, she is becoming an increasingly heavy burden which is now taking the proportions of a definite deadly peril. Had Germany considered only practical advantages, she would some time ago have dropped her 'groggy' ally, but political considerations compel her to stand by Italy. We shall do all we can to save Sicily, but if the Allies succeed in conquering the island entirely that will mean the end of Italy, and it is extremely doubtful whether Germany will consent any lons^er to drain her own resources in a vain attempt to revivify the corpse." "The Times" suggests that the Russians' cutting of the Orel-Bryansk railway—the Germans' main life line for reinforcements and supplies to the Orel front—gives the Russians every chance of turning Ox-el into another Stalingrad.