Churchill's Report

The greatest living war commentator was speaking to the House of Commons, but his audience was the world. In the broad view, Winston Churchill's report was pregnant with political implications. But in the area of combat (as in the field of specific inter-Allied power politics) Churchill's summary, his first in five months of intensified military operations and preparations, was also the clear and vivid report of a great commander.

The Prime Minister opened on a sober note:

"The war is still going on. I have never taken the view that the end of the war in Europe is at hand or that Hitler is about to collapse, and I have certainly given no guaranty . . that the year 1944 will see the end. . . .

"On the whole my information--and I have a good deal--goes to show that Hitler and his police are still in full control and that the Nazi party and the generals have decided to hang together [laughter]. The strength of the German Army is about 300 divisions, though many of these are substantially reduced in numbers. The fighting quality of the troops is high."

True, Churchill added, Allied bombings have cut down German munitions production and drawn off four-fifths of the enemy's fighter-plane strength to the west. This, plus the fact that heavy German forces are held in Italy, Yugoslavia and the Western European invasion area, has contributed to the great Russian victories in the east.

British Role. Churchill digressed for a moment to mention the oft-underestimated part played in the war by Britain's home Islanders. The Royal Navy, which has borne the brunt of the successful antisubmarine war, has lost 41,000 officers and men--just over 30% of its pre-war strength. British airmen in the R.A.F., until now carrying on the main attack against Germany, have lost 38,300 pilots and crewmen killed, 10,400 missing.

The British Army, in 1939 "little more than a police force," has fought all over the world.

Churchill turned back to his analysis:

"The Anglo-American air attack on Germany must be regarded as our chief offensive effort at the present time. Until the middle of 1943 we [the British] had by far the largest force in action. As a result of enormous transportations across the Atlantic . . . the U.S. bomber force in this island now begins to surpass our own and will soon be substantially greater still, I rejoice to say. . . .

"The whole of this air offensive constitutes the foundation on which our plans for overseas invasion stand in the scales, and the degrees of attack will reach far beyond the dimensions of anything yet employed or indeed imagined."

German retaliation raids must be expected to increase, Churchill said. There is also no doubt that the Germans are trying to prepare a large-scale attack against England with rockets, pilotless aircraft or both.

Hitler's Obstinacy. Turning to the second major Anglo-American offensive, Churchill said that progress in Italy had been slowed by two factors, unusually bad weather and a German decision to rush heavy forces to defend a winter line south of Rome. He added:

"We were therefore committed to a frontal advance in an extremely mountainous country which gave every advantage to the defense. All rivers flow at right angles to our advance and violent rains often turn these rivers in a few hours into raging torrents, thus sweeping away all military bridges . . and sometimes leaving part of the assaulting force committed to attack on the far side and beyond reach of immediate support."

Need for an amphibious operation to turn the enemy flank became obvious. The allied seaborne attack on the Anzio beachhead was launched Jan. 22.

"In the upshot we got a great army ashore equipped with masses of artillery, tanks and very many thousands of vehicles, and our troops, moving inland, came into contact with the enemy. The German reactions to this descent have been remarkable.

"Hitler has apparently resolved to defend Rome with the same obstinacy which he showed at Stalingrad. . . .

"Battles of prolonged and intense fierceness have been fought. . . . The enemy has sustained very heavy losses but has not shaken the resistance of the bridgehead army. . . . General Alexander has probably seen more fighting against the Germans than any living British commander, unless it be General Freyberg, who is also in the fray. Alexander says the bitterness and fierceness of the fighting now going on both at the bridgehead and on the Cassino front surpasses all his previous experience.* He even uses in one message to me the word 'terrific'. . . .

"On the broad grounds of strategy Hitler's decision to send into the south of Italy as many as 18 divisions, involving with their maintenance troops probably something like a half-million Germans, and his decision there in Italy to make a large secondary front is not unwelcome to the Allies. We must fight the Germans somewhere in this war unless we are to stand still and watch the Russians. This wearing battle in Italy occupies troops which cannot be employed in other greater operations, and it is an effective prelude to them."

* Among U.S. divisions last week to be on the front: the 3rd, a Regular Army outfit heavily sprinkled with West Coast soldiers, which spearheaded the first Anzio beach attack; the 36th, a National Guard outfit from Texas, which forced the bloody crossing of the Rapido; the bloody crossing of the Rapido; the 34th, Iowa and Minnesota National Guard, which battled its way to a footbold in Cassino.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.