Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, MAY 22, 1944. BEHIND THE SCENES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 147, 22 May 1944, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, MAY 22, 1944. BEHIND THE SCENES.

As tlie war continues the battle of wits becomes more intense and intriguing. The enemy, by propaganda, is doing his utmost to keep the morale of , the German people as high as possible. Hitler has made numerous promises, and Goebbels has used various methods to try to convince the Germans and their satellites that ultimately they will achieve victory. The tide of war has turned against the enemy in recent months, and, to overcome the difficulty of explaining the reverses to the people, the German leaders have employed the terms “withdrawal according to plan,” “a movement to .shorten the line,” “elastic defence,” and so on. The stubborn fact remains that the Germans cannot point to any major success for many months past, and they know that they have to face still greater difficulties. On the Eastern Front the present lull is but a breathing space taken by the Russians in order to prepare further mighty blows; in the West, the spectre of an Allied invasion haunts the enemy, who is kept guessing and is unable to secure the information which he desires to enable him to dispose his armies to the best advantage to meet the great assault. The Allied secret is very closely guarded and only the Allied leaders know the day and the hour when the'greatest drama in history will be staged: they also know a great deal about the enemy’s preparations to meet the assault.

For many weeks ike Allies kaye, with but few breaks, maintained heavy air attacks on the enemy’s towns where .there are important war industries, on airfields, and railways, and also on the now familiar “military targets” in Hitler’s Atlantic Wall. Important as the bombing is, perhaps even more useful is the information gained from the photographs taken by the aircraft and the reports of pilots and observers. Remarkable pictures have been built in this way, and to the information thus gained must be added that secured by commandg raiding parties, whose activities are kept secret., It is known that the enemy coasts have witnessed a large number of such incursions, and many a German soldier has been seized and mysteriously removed from his post. Then there are the members of underground movements in the occupied countries who reach England, bringing news about the enemy and his. activities. 'Tims, behind the scenes the Allied Intelligence Service has built up a wealth of information and a picture of the enemy’s defences, all of which will be of the utmost value to the attackers. The more complete and accurate the vast picture of the Atlantic Wall, the more Allied lives will be saved and the greater will be the initial success when the huge armada sets out. The activities behind the scenes are of vital importance, and there are signs that, they are causing considerable anxiety in high places in Germany.