This Year's War of Nerves

An ominous quiet hung over Berlin last week as Germany's round-shouldered little First Soldier slipped out of the city for a mysterious meeting with Benito Mussolini. Berlin officials were more than usually reticent about where the meeting took place and what was discussed, saying only that "full agreement" was reached on Axis war plans. With Adolf Hitler and his Axis partner were high military officers and their Foreign Ministers, Joachim von Ribbentrop and Count Galeazzo Ciano.

On March 18, 1940, Hitler and Mussolini met at Brennero. Twenty-two days later Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. On Oct. 4 they met again at Brennero. Twenty-four days later Italy invaded Greece. On that same day, Oct. 28, Hitler and Mussolini met in Florence. Seventeen days later Germany bombed Coventry. Maybe these were coincidences or maybe something is going to happen soon.

There are three possible theatres of action. In preparation for action Germany again employed her technique of warring on nerves.

The Balkans. In November 1939 and January 1940 Germany used threats of invasion against the Low Countries to find out how those countries would react to actual invasion. For the same purpose Germany kept the Balkans in a state of jitters last week. By displaying her Army across the Danube, by spreading rumors and feeding correspondents scare stories, the Germans have already learned that there is no fight in Bulgaria. Last week they turned the heat on Yugoslavia. Rumors spread that Germany had demanded the use of Yugoslav railways for the transport of equipment to Albania, that large German forces were being concentrated on Yugoslavia's borders. Purposes of this little war of nerves were to test the resistance of Yugoslavia, to create distrust of Belgrade in Athens and Ankara.

In Ankara German Ambassador Franz von Papen used all his talent for intrigue to persuade the Turks that they would be fools to move if Germany entered Bulgaria. The Turkish General Staff promptly held a long conference with representatives of Britain's Army, Navy & Air Force. That gave the Germans just the information they were looking for. As soon as Yugoslavia could be frightened into tipping her hand Hitler would know how far he could move in the Balkans--and at what risk.

Gibraltar. Germany has already intensified her part in the air war on Britain in the Mediterranean (see p. 28). If the Axis could take Gibraltar, Britain's hold on the Mediterranean would be threatened. Nobody outside the Axis and Spain knows yet what Hitler has cooked up with Generalissimo Francisco Franco. Since Hitler visited Spain last October the London-Washington Axis has wooed Spain, and Britain is reported to have strengthened the fortifications of Gibraltar on the land side. A campaign over the run-down railroads of Spain would be risky, but Germany may already have enough supplies in southern Spain for a sally.

A possible hint of a forthcoming grand offensive in the Mediterranean was contained in a succinct communique from Vichy:

"Marshal Petain, the Chief of State, yesterday met President Laval. They had a long conversation in the course of which the misunderstandings that had brought about the events of Dec. 13 were dispelled."

If Pierre Laval's influence is again felt in Vichy, Adolf Hitler will be much more sure of keeping France's North African Army and Mediterranean Fleet where he wants them.

The British Isles. Adolf Hitler's own newspaper, Voelkischer Beobachter, last week observed that a German invasion of Great Britain last autumn "would have spared the English people some distress and grief," adding that the reason why the invasion was not made would be told at the opportune time--"and not only with words." The Berlin correspondent of La Tribuna of Rome wired his paper that Germany was making formidable preparations for the final assault on Britain: "There are German troops who for months and months have been trained in nothing but embarkation and landing operations. There is no pause in the work of preparation, which continues day and night."

In nearly every house along the coast of The Netherlands German soldiers were billeted. The Dutch people saw that this intelligence found its way to Great Britain, which was just what nerve-warring Adolf Hitler wanted them to do.

. . .

On her part Britain played a little at the nerve game. According to Spanish sources, British aviators have dropped in Germany round-trip tickets to London on which is printed: "The return half will not be needed because you will be so well received."

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