STRANGE HAPPENINGS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25364, 23 October 1943, Page 5

STRANGE HAPPENINGS

GERMAN HOME FRONT SPECULATION AROUSED (N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 21. Interest is being aroused in Britain by two conferences held in Germanyfirst, a meeting of party leaders called on October 6 at Hitler’s headquarters, when Hitler gave “ a comprehensive survey of the course of the war and the present military and political situation and, secondly, a meeting on October 19 which was attended by “ leading personalities of the State and party ” at which Hitler’s speech was given much publicity. The latest conference also dealt with home politics, but those who attended were entirely members of the services—all the heads of the home commands, the army, the navy, and. the air force, with the chief medical officers, quartermaster-gene-rals. high officers, and officials of the High Command. These meetings, which are causing speculation, first, from the Nazis’ viewpoint, marked the end of a prolonged period of internal instability and the restoration of “ order tfnd discipline. The instability was apparently aroused by fear and dissatisfaction at bombing, the eastern retreat, and the fall of Mussolini, who showed that a dictatorial regime could be overthrown with little trouble. One view of this latest meeting is that it was either addressed primarily to the German people, whose faith in the Nazi Party is waning, and was intended to show that the Junker generals are in charge of the situation and are working with the Nazis, or was deliberately put out as a bait to the Allies in order that peace negotiations would loom large as a predominating topic at the Moscow talks. On the other hand, the Geneva correspondent of the Daily Mail says- " Suspicions that military control has passed from Hitler’s hands to those of the soldiers are hardening to a certainty.” He says the generals themselves are split, and an overwhelming majority demands that Germany should cut her losses in Russia before it is too late. Lined up against Hitler are the Prussian professional soldiers, who oppose the small group of pro-Hitler generals. The Manchester Guardian, however, dismisses this theory. “Even supposing,” it says, “that fundamental open differences do exist, the public announcement will probably take another form. The meeting is more likely to be a characteristic attempt on the part of the regime to forestall such differences by demonstrating the unity of the regime and the army and fixing the army’s due share of the responsibility for the home situation. The intention would be to prevent a cleavage by forcing upon the army a share of the responsibility for the situation at home and at the same time to use the army in an attempt to increase the spirit of the home front.” It has been obvious for some time that the morale on the German home front is incomparably worse than that in the army. It seems that the immediate policy is to raise the flagging spirit of the people by all kinds of propaganda and inducements —backed by fear. Between October 2 and November 15 in Gau, Cologne, and Aachen alone 600 “We believe in victory " rallies are being held. Whatever speculations may be right or wrong, there are strange happenings in Germany.