Big Allied Forces And German Army Needed For Gap

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23343, 28 August 1950, Page 5

Big Allied Forces And German Army Needed For Gap

(11 a.m.)

LONDON, Aug. 27.

Senior Western Allied military experts in Germany believe that, in addition to the formation of a Germany Army, great strengthening of the Allied forces in Germany at the same time is necessary to help close the “hideous gap on the European front” referred to last night by Mr. Churchill, says the British United Press correspondent in Berlin.

It is considered that Western Germany is capable of mobilising 22 to 25 divisions without taxing the nation's economy. But for such to have a real value, the Western Powers must send into Germany an equal number of divisions.

Militarv officials believe that even a joint Allied and German force of 20 or more divisions would do much to minimise the threat of a sweep across Europe to the English Channel virtually unopposed-in event of war. The Russians have about 30 divisions of well-trained and equipped troops in Germany and Poland which could be moved into action at short notice.

Military officials maintain that only the presence of Allied troops in sizeable numbers could give the Germans the required assurance that they were being welcomed as allies and not being used as cannon fodder as the Communists would have them believe.