Kesselring Doesn’t Like Some of Our Customs!

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 110, 11 May 1945, Page 5

Kesselring Doesn’t Like Some of Our Customs!

ALLIED AIR POWER DEFEATED GERMANY

Received Thursday, 11.10 p.m. LONDON, May 10.

Allied air superiority defeated Germany, said Field-Marshal Kesselring when he met press correspondents in his luxurious special train in Austraia. The reasons for the defeat were: Firstly, Allied strategic bomb - ing; secondly, attacks by low-flying fighters; thirdly, terror raids against the German civilian population.

He is certain Hitler died rather than fall into th§ hands of the Russians alive.’’ Hitler would have welcomed the opportunity to make peace with Britain and America at any time. The Fuhrer was a genius in the operations sense and in conceptions. I only regret that Hitler had to direct both Germany’s military and economic life. He was overtaxed with the weight of his problems.’’

Kesselring singled out FieldMarshal Montgomery, to whom he referred as “Monty,” Air Chief Marshall Tedder and General Patton as the commanders who won his respect. He asserted that the German soldier was superior to the Russian. “We were not satisfied with some of the customs of the New Zealand ers, but every people has its customs, * ’ he said. Kesselring denied that Germany ever intended to use gas and he put no faith in V weapons.