When Hindenburg returned to Germany after the collapse of the Kaiser's armies in 1918 he entered Berlin as a defeated general with many more victories to his credit than had been gained by his conquerors during that bloody four years' struggle. But these victories, many of them brilliant ones. were of no avail when the final test came and when the once proud, once victorious German army realized that its enemies, refreshed with ever-increasing supplies and men, were bound to win in the end. Then came'the collapse of the mighty German war machine despite all Hindenburg's efforts to stop the demoralization that was setting in. Today Germany is in much the same position that she was then. "I remember well the summer of 1918! I was an artillery officer then," said Mr. Hugh Dalton. Minister of Economic Warfare in the British Cabinet during a recent broadcast, "and everyone was asking "Will the war ever end?' Then suddenly the enemy broke down. The Germans can develop great strength. It is a very brutal strength, but is also a very brittle strength. We may make it snap again quite suddenly." Mr. Dalton, although he did not prophesy a German collapse in the near future, nevertheless let it be known that he did anticipate a repetition of 1918 and a collapse of Hitler's war machine. On the face of it there is much to be said in favour of Mr. Dalton's Although the German army today is sti mighty, powerful and a brutal force, it is still brittle and only in victory, as demonstrated by the Italians, can its moral be sustained. Let one or two defeats come its way, and some are bound to come as Britain's strength increases on land, sea and in the air, and the murmurings of discontent that split the Kaiser's legions in 1918 will appear among Hitler's well-disciplined forces to start the work of destroying moral, ithout which an army cannot win a war.
ish moral has never been higher than when is faced with heavy odds. The evacuation of Dunkirk, the stoicism of the civilian population during air raids, the superiority of the R.AF. in its fights with the Luftwaffe and the "never say die" spirit that pervades the whole Empire proves this, Can the same be said about the Germans? The answer is a plain "No." In 1933 Hitler came to power. He brutally crushed all opposition. A once free people was enslaved and even slight criticism of the government was severely punished as treason against the state. Concentration camps were filled and the whole nation was regimented on a wartime basis. Since 1933 there has been no change. The benefits that Hitler promised the Germans for lack of freedom, tightening of belts and long hours of work have not come. And, as millions of Germans realize, they are not likely to come as the war carries on through its second year with no sign of an early victory in sight. In 1940 Britain commands the seas. This year she will have command of the air, Her armies are well-trained and well-equipped and are ready, eager to get at grips with an enemy, whose forces are scattered throughout Europe. Germany will be bombed as England has been bombed, her armies will face men, who have been showing the Italians how well the British can fight, and that is when the testing time for Germany will come. Can her people stand what Britons have had to stand? Can her armies fight on when the soldiers know that the final victory can never be theirs? They can't.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.