GERMANY AND ITALY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22719, 4 May 1937, Page 12

GERMANY AND ITALY

- MILITARY PACT RUMOURED VISITS BETWEEN LEADERS ROME, April 27 A military alliance between Germany and Italy is being discussed quite seriously in Rome. Persistent reports are current that the German War Minister, Marshal von Blomberg, is coming to Rome to open General Staff talks with Marshal Badoglio and Signor Mussolini. There have been repeated assertions in diplomatic quarters that the Fascist bloc of nations intends to strengthen itself with a hard and fast military alliance.

Signor Mussolini's coming visit to Hitler, probably in June, is believed to aim at framing such an alliance between Italy, Germany and Yugoslavia, and possibly Austria and Rumania. Germany's Air Minister, General Goering, who has been at Capri, will meet Signor Mussolini. Their talk is expected to explore this possibility. II Duce will also inform General Goering how, during his recent conference at Venice with Dr. Schuschnigg, he thwarted an attempt by France to detach Austria from the Fascist camp. Allied for military purposes, Germany and Italy could each put into the field, at present strengths, 1,000,000 men, and 3000 to 4000 aeroplanes. _ At sea their combined fleets would make a total of 11 capital shipft, 23 cruisers, 50 destroyers, and 100 submarines. Divided by 1600 miles of ocean and 30 miles of land, the two countries could scarcely conduct a major war in concert against a group of Powers. If France alone were their victim the case would be different.