European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 21, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 the stars and stripes june 1945 sweating it out by Mauldin Are we really winning not so Long ago i sat in the up of a powerful armoured division whose columns pushed their Way 40 Miles into enemy no one was worried about being i listened to two majors talk about the outside the window was a statue for Ger Man War dead and there were fresh Flowers at its armoured and other vehicles rumbled 1 Dort know Why Are came Over said one whose Job was of High tactical importance in the 1 dont responded the a widely travelled and Well known writer in civilian both officers were of above average intelligence and of wide they agreed that we had mixed in somebody else quarrel and that we stayed Home that we were wrong to have meddled in the first place that led to Japan at tacking us and to Germany Declar ing War on us they hated the germans All especially the is bastards carrying this column at the with the nazi threat wiped out and the japanese Challenge almost apparently it is not hard to forget that our country itself was Ever really threatened to argue quite sincerely that it never was in mortal if Britain had fallen in and How close it was we know now is that the Ger mans would not have been stopped at and All Africa and Asia would have been nazi German Penetra Tion before the War into South America was considerable As master of half the her prestige and Power would have increased those inroads just in the Balkans and with precisely the same climbing North knocking out the Panama canal from South american air bases the principal South american airlines were German con talled before the becom ing established in would have been the next according to the elaborate nazi after were remarkably effective for a men like the two majors would recognize no threat Worth counter ing until tiie panzers and dive bombers crossed the Rio there was and is Only one valid reason for our going to War the Protection of our Homes and the people we were not helping the the French or anyone except were annihilating regimes that would bring their Buchenwald and death cite two examples of the fruits of their basis to our families and waging war1 across the seas has Cost us tremendously in human and material but much less than had we waited for them to Cross the Rio Grande or make landings on our Franklin Roosevelt knew this Long before most of his fellow Citi the threat he feared is for the time being though not All the Price is paid in assessing the in fives of friends and years from our own the Issue the Long estrangement from the sadness Over toss of the ranking tyrannies of the authority system and the Petty politics have their perhaps increasingly now that the noise of Battle has diminished to almost nothing and there is time for Why did we fight the majors and others in and out of the army As though the question was at last relevant and had just come into their so the hollowing out the Victory the hands of those who did much to win it but survived to belittle the great achievement As meaningless except As an exciting youre recognized we of 2nd 3rd 164th Engineer combat want recognition As the original miser Able squad in the our motto the miserable the High score our car company has the record of being the Best car company in operation but we have the highest court martial record of any of the companies we Are associated we have had at least which is very High for a company of Only 126 emr  something be done to investigate our outfit there must be something radically wrong with us or our anti Leopold belgians prepare for showdown i see a told pm there strategic is tactical he should know jells of Allied air pounding by George Tucker associated press staff correspondent june bitterly disputed question of whether tactical or strategic air Power contributed most to Ger Many defeat has been frankly Dis cussed by Fritz whose great Panzer Lehr lived fought for ten months under Allied air attack until it was Fin ally surrendered in the questions were addressed to this tank who was Field marshal Rommel chief of staff in am a before being assigned to the defense of the Channel by an interrogation officer of the All the replies of Bayerlein Given Here Are quoted How did the existence of fighters affect tactical decisions to move or not to move troop movements could not be carried out in the when the weather was favourable for the movements were therefore Al ways dependent on the if marches had to be they were very expensive in casualties and the necessary night i Arches required More time than Day All troop movements were therefore delayed and rendered very difficult by the Allied so that head quarters were often unable to make any definite time calculation and the troops often arrived at the decisive place too there any difference in ground Force reaction to spit fires and typhoons lightnings were unpleasant for the ground troops because of their almost noiseless their Maneule ability and their heavy armament and exact aiming and they were particularly effective against direct or near destroy the thunderbolts armament and noisier and easier to identify from the also very a Neuv Erable and i myself was hit by thunderbolts five direct or close bomb hits destroy the its weapons penetrate All tank except that of the King spitfires and Mustangs these have not impressed me particularly in their do ground forces find bombs or strafing More unpleasant strafing is More unpleasant for ground troops than be cause of better and More exact re after would have added to German losses and could have hastened the Allied the heaviest air operations of this War were in does the general consider that he Allied bombing would have Leen More effective if it had been concentrated More against ground rooms and less in strategic attacks against the German Economy or Nee versa the attacks on Industry and communications systems were also utely necessary and decisive for the end of the attacks on concentrations were an increase in this Type of attack would Lave been what were the effects of medium and heavy bomber attacks on rear Irea communications and army dumps during major operations important communication lines were destroyed by bomber attacks and were not usable for hours at a Telephone Calls had often to be relayed Over Many Side and emergency lines and were difficult even in there is no Way of evading does the general consider thai or less emphasis on air Power by the at the expense of or in favor of ground would have been profitable increased tactical air operations to it is known attacks on fuel and ammunition dumps were fuel dumps often out As attempts to put out the fires were refrained from because of an extended Stop of the aircraft Over the burning attacks on ammunition dumps were not so in order to destroy an ammunition dump a very heavy bomber attack is marshal von Rund who commanded As 60 German divisions on West Ern front at one time and whose sensational Christmas offensive in the though falling Short of completely upset the Allied feels that nothing is More important than strategic air attacks on transport 50 Miles behind the and Goering is on record with interrogation officers As saying that strategic at tacks against rear communications were even More important than damage done to factories in the All his discussions with the of Bayerlein constantly referred to the Superb coordination of the american air and ground at where fortresses saturated his positions for two they left them look ing like a landscape on the face of the All crevices and he said the ground attack of the third that followed was magnificently sup ported by the entire operation seemed to Bayerlein a classic of the eventually the interrogators got around to ask ing Bayerlein the which contributed most of the Ger Man strategic air Power or tactical air Power i am unable to decide which is Bayer Lein june Pold forces were pooling their re sources for a showdown in face of King Leopolds determination to return to the belgian throne As soon As a Cabinet is Premier Achille Van who had resigned with Bis Cabinet last saturday when the King announce Edh is intention to return to the said today that King Leo Pold had asked him to form a new government but he had refused and that the Iling himself was now trying to form according to communist and Liberal party Lead As Well As Trade Union represent have called a mass meeting for the parliamentary left Wing adopted today a Resolution approving the resignation of the Van Acker Cabinet and asserting Only the abdication of King Leopold Rould forestall grave Van Ackers action was condemned by the parliamentary right Wing As being contrary to All Legal tradition which rules that the government should maintain order until the formation of the next and not until the re turn of the the pro Leopold Catholic party has thrown out a Challenge in the form of a demand for a general election it would justify its continued loyalty to and sup port the but official sources said it would take at least a year to bring electoral lists up to opposition to Jleopold is political Puzzle by Frank Conniff june 20 liberated but eighth months ago from the toils of today totters on the Brink of internal bloodshed because of a mysterious impasse in its Polit ical i even Veteran diplomatic observers say they Are baffled by the opposition which has developed to the return of Leopold to the a voluntary prisoner of War in despite pleas his retainers that he flee to England for Leopold firmly believed he eventually would be recognized As a True belgian Patriot like his King in world War but his Roseate dreams foundered a few weeks ago when the Bel Gian communist a Small but highly vocal and tightly organized began agitation against his climb on bandwagon within a Short time the socialist party climbed on the opposition ago the liberals cemented the anti Leopold coalition by voting overwhelmingly against his the irony of Leopolds present predicament rests to the following factors the communist party capitalized on popular resentment marriage to a a girl of the to his Union with a belgian girl was fanned by Gen eral admiration belgians for Leopolds first Queen a anti Leopold coalition has severely criticized his conduct of the War in 1940at a time when the nazi soviet pact was still in everyone agrees the implications of the present crisis Are that violence is almost certain to develop if Leopold returns and that what happens Here to the next few Days May foreshadow the shape of things to come for much of monarchy to continue regardless of the even the communists admit the monarchy will be sustained under the Regency of the count of until his 15 year old son reaches his majority three years a diplomatic observer whose knowledge of conditions cannot be King Leopold of the belgians disputed Analysed the situation me As follows it is hard to i think the Core of opposition de pends on resentment against Leo polds marriage to a there actually exists an cult in this the belgians idolized his marriage alienated families of belgian War because he promised in 1940 to share the Fate of my being married to a comely Young girl while living in a comfortable Castle even though Sun rounded by nazi guards didst strike the people As much of a the Bourgeois families he could have done resum ably by marrying one of their the working peopled a not identify his new wife Wito politically it was Leopold has Many things to recommend in 1940 his followers begged him to flee to eng land like Queen Wilhelmina and other deposed he he could have led a life of luxury in but instead he went into the allegation that he sold to the nazis when he in 1940 will not Bear scrutiny he surrendered May get out the maps and study tace military situation on that two Days later the English were fleeing from Dunkirk the army was torn to Leo Pold had no alternative but to sur Render and save As Many lives Leopold called a fighter this diplomatic spokesman made no attempt to conceal the of the present belgian he said Leopold always has been i think he would every thing on a that Means that a highly civilized country which should Well be Sta May be torn by violence and we can Only Hope it can be contained at the outset without having wider Paris edition printed at the new York Herald Tribune 21 Rue de for the armed forces under auspices of the information and Educa Tion the ulysees other editions London Nice Pung Stadt and new York 304 contents passed by the army and Navy entered As second class March at the new under the act March j s entertainment today in Paris area movies today Frisco with Bey and Susannah metro Marv 1 murder my Wotli Dick Powell and Linda olymp1a Mlyn Lyhu show Der my with Dick Powell and Linda metro stage shows passing through French variety count your French variety metro Madeleine rhythm an tit Soldier musical metro meet the Canadian Navy metro miscellaneous stage door floor at and dancing metro of night Rue Roeher Nouwt to one civilian i metro j officers night opening regulated by nominal m Rue Georgw v Rossignol be jongleurs de my Tom metro