Arrivals in Turkey from Germany, according to the Istanbul journal "Vatan," declare that sober-minded Germans no longer doubt that Germany hae lost the war. She has not done so yet, but the events of the past few days indicate that the confidence in a victory for the Allies, which has existed even through the darkest hours, is justified and likely to be fulfilled. When the Russian armies after months of hammering, such as they have suffered all along their front, can turn upon the invaders as they have at Rostov, and inflict upon them a major defeat and force them fo flee, they not only encourage the rest of the Allies, but strike a shattering blow at German moral. There is plenty of evidence to show that the enemy is not quite so certain as to the outcome of this war as Hitler professed to be when he started it. It comes both from Italy and Germany. With regard to Libya it is clear that the Germans expect defeat. They are fighting very stubbornly and are bent on making the Allies pay as heavily for their success as possible. But there are signs of anxiety to be perceived.
One is to be found in the declaration in the German news agency a day or so ago that the Germans and Italians in Libya were fighting an enemy superior in numbers at the ratio of ten to one. Signor Appelius, writing in Mussolini's organ "Popolo d'Italia' de-Glared that the people of Italy were worried over the present Libyan situation, foreseeing that the nation would have to face great Sacrifices before the war is over. Goebbels, breaking a somewhat lengthy silence makes an uneasy speech at the Berlin University, declaring that Germany has now a unique opportunity and asserting "We can win, we must win, we will win." Of the magnitude of the enemy effort there is not the slightest doubt, but the gallantry of the Russians, and their superb fighting qualities have during the past five months shown the world that the German military machine is not so all-powerful as the German propaganda service would have everyone believe, while the defeat of the German armies seeking to force Rostov and gain entrance to the Caucasus is as humiliating a reverse as anything which the Germans have succeeded in inflicting upon the Russians.
Indeed though they have made huge gains in territory, the Germans have up to the present completely failed to encircle and destroy the Russian armies, With all the strength they have mustered in the centre of the Russian line, they claim for the second time after many weeks to be within sight of Moscow. Some months ago they alleged they were also in sight of Leningrad. They probably do not enjoy the view now as possibly they did when they made their claim, That they continue to make some progress in the neighbourhood of the Russian capital cannot be denied. Yet it is painfully slow and made at a tragically high cost. Hitler has so definitely committed himself to the e. of Moscow that he cannot now relax his efforts without suffering a diminution in his prestige which is already considerably blown upon, and the result of this insane campaign has been the destruction of the flower of the German army, and stupendous losses in men and material.
Reports indicate that in France now the army of occupation amounts to little more than a quarter of a million, and those chiefly men of over military age. "The younger men have all been sent to the Russian front.
Nevertheless they have been up to the present completely unable to force a decision, and because of the enormous wastage which is occurring are increasingly unlikely to be able to do so. On the other hand Russia's vast potential man-power is being called into action. The successful counter-attack at Rostov shows of what the new levies are capable. It would be extremely foolish to regard these indices of ultimate victory as presaging that it is at all near, or that heavy sacrifices will not be necessary before it is attained. But there is justification for believing that the war machine of the Axis has received blows such as it never expected to receive, and that the Allies are now showing that not only can they win this war, but also that they will. That is realized in Rome and Berlin. Hence the anxiety.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.