The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1944 DECISIVE MOVES IN FRANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24972, 15 August 1944, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 1944 DECISIVE MOVES IN FRANCE

Against enthusiastic but unofficial reports of the lighting in the Falaise salient must be weighed the more sober comments of Allied Supreme Headquarters. The official view is that there are signs of the Germans withdrawing advanced units from the tip of the salient, that resistance is still stiff at some points, and that the enemy movements are being made in orderly fashion. Supporting these remarks are reports that near Mortain and Conde contact was lost for a time with the German rearguards. Yet these eventoned appreciations cannot obscure I the fact that a great battle is imi pending and that it- may reach its climax with dramatic suddenness. | General Montgomery, with his three j armies, the First American, the •Second British and the First Canajdian, which includes a division of Poles and a British armoured division, is playing for higher stakes than are to be found in the Falaise salient, valuable though these may be. Me is seeking the destruction of the main German forces which lie in an arc about Falaise, and to the north-east and east of this base. To secure the prize, it is of paramount importance that the Germans should be deprived of the power of manoeuvre. The turn that has been given to the campaign is an indication of the flexibility of the Allied plans. When the American encircling columns reached Lc Mans, they were in a favourable position to strike northeastward ' through Charters to Paris, and thus be well astride von Kluge's rear should ho seek escape by speedy retirement. Within these outer columns there were others 011 the Mayenne-Alencoti-Dreux highway, and, within these again, there were further Americans in contact with the enemy from Brecv through Mortain and Barenton to Domfront. In effect, von Kluge was threatened with a threefold encirclement of his southern flank and at least a double envelopment of his rear. At the same time, his main front and right were being hardpressed by the British and Canadians. He could hardly have been blamed had he decided that the time had arrived to retreat. This would appear to have been the I obvious course, but it is worth remembering that what seems the obvious and best course for the enemy to adopt may not look so to him. Or there may be reasons of which we know nothing and cannot know anything why he may be unable to do the obvious. However, whether his reasoning or his orders were good or bad, von Kluge decided to stay where he was and light it out. When this fateful decision became apparent, the Americans were directed to close in through Alencon and Argentan. So the stage has been set for the decisive battle. As far as the dispositions of the contending forces can be gleaned from the reports of the past few days, von Kluge has the greater part of his infantry, artillery and engineers in the arc from Troarn to Falaise and Conde. To the west of Conde toward Vire there is a mixture of armour and infantry. The tip of the salient through Sourdeval and Mortain is held mostly by armoured units, probably the remains of the four divisions which were badly mauled there last week. There have been no reliable indications of the strength of the enemy forces 011 the southern side of the salient through Domfront to Argentan. Possibly there are only a • few infantry units, but some of the armour which was facing" west toward Sourdeval and Mortain may 1 be switched to cover the flank. It is clear, however, that up t the present this southern flank is the soft spot in the enemy's dispositions and that the Argentan corner is the most tender. Such being the case, it is only reasonable to expect that von Kluge will make haste to reinforce the Argentan sector, and that the Americans will not be able to maintain the speed of their recent movements. Should the Allied drive be continued northward from Argentan to Falaise, the bag should I j a respectable one. Only 15 miles separate the two centres, and von Kluge will be extremely fortunate if he is able to extricate all his westerly units in time. He seems destined, also, to lose his important base of Falaise, with most of its equipment, and possibly some of the infantry toward Conde. Should the Allies at the same time strike north-eastward from Argentan and Alencon to Lisieux and Fvreux, Lhoy may trap the whole of the German Seventh Army. It must he noted that these are onl\ possibilities, although the whole tone of General Eisenhower's Order of t he Day encourages high expectations, and particularly his statement that the Allied forces have created "a fleeting but definite opportunity for a major Allied victory." TRAGEDY OF WARSAW j 1 How urgent it is that the Soviet '• and Polish Governments should ( come to agreement is proved by the ; latest horror in Warsaw. Had the I Polish commander, General Bors, ' been in touch with the High Com- , mand of the Red Army, he would t probably not have been persuaded f by surface appearances of an early j Russian capture of Warsaw. Then t he could have he'd his fire instead t of prematurely giving the signal for revolt. Instead of being overwhelmed ' by enraged German avengers, he t could have kept his useful and gal- c, lant force of 20,000 in hand until ad- 1' vised by the Russians of the right * moment to strike. Both Russians and c Poles are the losers by the lack r of collaboration. The Russians have a forfeited the help of a resolute ally ' able to strike from within at the r main enemy bastion in the East. n How effective that assistance could <1 have been is demonstrated by the s magnificent fight made by the Poles " from August I on. a fight in which , they gained important successes al- r though lightly armed against the s guns, tanks and planes the enemy * brought to bear. But now "the revolt

within Warsaw is dying out amid terrible and tragic scenes." A promising and heroic initiative has been broken. Poland seems fated. She seems forever unable to read) dry land out of her "deep wide sea of misery." Whether the Soviet can completely divest itself of responsibility for the latest crucifixion of Warsaw is questionable. In washing Russian hands of the affair, the Tass agency blandly places the responsibility on the recognised Polish Government in London. But the Red Army was on the spot. If it was not in a position to press the attack on Warsaw, it could at least, have advised General Bors to hold his horses. Failure to do so has already cost the Poles dearly and must make the Russian assault, when launched, more difficult to press home. The fervent hope is that, this fearful lesson may teach Hussions and Poles (.0 compose their differences in face of the common enemy. HOBSON PARK The Mayor carries the support of the whole community in his efforts to obtain the return to their proper and healthful use of Auckland recreation areas, unless still required for immediate war purposes. The fate of Hobson Park is particularly at stake and it is gratifying to note that at yesterday's deputation the Hockey Association received fraternal support from other sports organisations. All are concerned and j all should pull together in the effort j to prevent the alienation of their j sports grounds being unnecessarily prolonged. The association readily | gave up Ilobson Park for a special ! purpose. Now that (he purpose has been fulfilled, it should not be kept homeless. Moreover, Hobson Park I lies in the populous residential area served by the Remuera and Great South Roads, a large district that is otherwise poorly provided with sports grounds. With hockey in winter and cricket in summer, the park caters for hundreds of active players. Such a suburban asset must be preserved. Only urgent war needs could justify its retention by the Government. The Minister of Defence should not proceed with his announced intention of taking the whole park for the Air Force without demonstrating the need. The public may well ask why at the present juncture it is necessary for the Air Force to spread itself over a space that has accommodated nine hockey fields and a dozen tennis courts. Air organisations in other countries are no longer expanding : some are being cut down. It would be salutary if the Air Force were bluntly informed it must make do with its present elaborate and extensive establishments and that, if this limitation enforced pruning of its swollen administrative organisation, the result would contribute to efficiency, reinforce civil manpower, relieve the public purse, and release i a valuable park to its proper uses. I LETTERS TO THE EDITOR! | Retrospective Legislation Sir, —To the average person the point j in retrospective legislation is: This may be justified to right a wrong but never ! justified to wrong a right. You are making a criminal of a law-abiding person by doing so. The moral question is beside the point. One may question tho morality of taxation of the voting people without representation,! but it is law. Put. j Discipline on the Wharves Sir, —It may interest your readers to know that the N.Z.E.F. overseas commonly unload their own ships. This work proceeds 21 hours of tho day. seven days of the week. The pay i.s the men's ordinary Army pay, of course, and the standard of the work is higher than anything I have ever seen 011 the New Zealand waterfront. No union is necessary, the men concerned are helping to win a war. 1 U.'i!). Mainwaring's Story Sir,—After reading the excerpt Irom ".Man and His World" and also "Country Mother's" letter, 1 feel I must express my opinion. I believe our soldiers are fighting intolerance. They are lighting lor freedom—freedom of thought and religion among other things, ll we show intolerance by forcing upon all school children a purely Catholic point of view, we are condemning the very thing for which our sons and husband's are fighting. I cannot see anything m Mr Mainwaring's book which can encourage "moral laxity" or can scorn "chastity" or "modesty." The simply written and beautiful description of a family liie, based on love, self-sacrifice, and forgiveness. cannot help but make a lasting impression on a child's mind, nor could such a philosophy be anything but an ideal mode of life for any adult— Christian, Jew or atheist. I am a mother of three school age boys. 1 am also (contrary to "Country Mother's" belief) as willing as nine-tenths of New Zealand women are to have as many children as our economic status will permit. But, rio matter how many children I have, fear of punishment in hell, and promise of reward in heaven, will have no place in my home. My children have a home where love, self-sacri-fice and forgiveness have their own reward in happiness, contentment, and joy in one another. I am sure lots of people feel the same as I. A Town Motiikh What Retribution? Sir, —From time to time, statements have been made by Mr Winston Churchill and others, which hear a remarkable similarity to promises made by our leaders of the last war, that the German beasts responsible for the ghastly mass murders and other atrocities will suffer tho full penalty for their crimes. We all know that few, if any, were punished for brutalities perpetrated during the last war and it is quite likely that some of those who escaped punishment then are among those committing tho present-day offences. Many New Zealanders who fought in the last war and who arc fighting in this wish to know wjiat really is going to be done this time. It is time the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, enlightened them. Mention has been made that Hitler and lii.s gang of thugs are to be placed on trial for their proved crimes. On trial by whom and for what —for crimes of which the whole world already knows, beyond doubt, they are gnilt.v? Is there any Court with jurisdiction over murderous gangsters who, b.v atrocious means, manage to acquire sovereign powerP So far as I have been able to ascertain, no mention has ever been made of tho specific penalty which Hitler, Himniler, Goering and company must suffer. If our own Government is opposed to capital punishment for murderers in New Zealand, can it logically support tho imposition of that penalty outside the Dominion? Vet that is the penalty, 1 should imagine, the vast majority of New Zealanders feel these ruthless gunmen richly deserve. A clear statement regarding steps to he taken should Hitler, Himniler and Goering escape to, say, Sweden, is also overdue. Ex-Digcer.