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FOURTH
The Nazi Military Bible: INSTALMENT
of Nazi Germany's militäry "bible", tells to dãy what Germany really thinks of her eritwise. ally, Ithly,
Ewald Banse; the author
Professor Banse wrote, in 1933; the text. book of the German military machine. A copy of his publication, which was supposed to be distributed only in German military circles, came into the hands of a London publishing firm, which issued an English tranilation, des- pite strenuous efforts by the Nazis to prevent re-publication.
Professor Banse's indiscretions permit us to know, in even more astonishing detail than doca "Mein Kampf," what Germany planned when "Der Tag" came. Previously chapters have dealt with Germany's plans to invade Holland, Belgium, plans which we have already seen put into effect. Yesterday's chapter des- cribed the plan to invade England.
Now read what Bause has to say about
Italy. Remember that the text that follows Italian tanks demonstrating in a great review of 28,000 men of the Italian forces in Libya: A swarm of small
is the opinion of Germany,
I
it were true that territory, of itself and alone, could determine, could shape the destiny of nations, then Italy would be the permanent leading state in the Mediterranean basin-a part, however, which she played for a few centuries only in classical times.
same
ay
Within the Mediterranean, however, Italy occupied the
sort of position Germany in the North; given a hardy people under strong leadership, her central position allows her to dominate in all directions from the Pillars of. Hercules to the Euphrates.
But if her people are weak and divided among themselves, Italy will be the port of foreign- era who can land at any point on her long coast line and bestride the peninsula in a few- clays.
That has always been Italy's weak point-an enemy may not only land where he pleases (the const abounds in natural har
approach from bour) but can two different directions_and_cut__ off part of the country.
She cannot prevent this, for she dare not render her army powerless by dispersing it in all directions, or no part will be strong enough at the decl sive point.
Military
Importance
Northern Italy is of military importance for five reasons:
(1) The Hae of the Po and the parallel running lower streams of Its tributaries form strong positions against north and south, though they often expose the plain to floods, since some of them flow in elevated beds, the embankments of which can be. pierced. (2) Northern Italy. In the
contre of Italian Industry, food production and, national effort, be that. Its loss would pro- bably break the country's defen- sive will and power of resistance. (3) The Alpine foothills are very difficult to hold against an enemy offensive from the Alps, and very unsuitable for an advance by Italian troops against the moun- tain valleys; that is why Italy has been so keen to get possedulon of the watersheds, which in the Tyrol are situated very far north. (4) The plain of Lombardy pro- Jeeta into Venetia in a dangerous- north eastward, direction, My which means that an Italian army on the Isonzo or the Carin- thian front. may be cut off and taken prisoner by an enemy at- tacking from southern Tyrol in the direction of Phdua.' ¿
machinca advancing in a cloud of dust,
WHAT HITLER THINKS OF
the ITALIANS
not be relied upon for the sangfroid necessary at such a juncture,
If a knowledge of psychology is useful against any people, it is use- ful against the Italians.
Cannot Fight
Modern War
Italy is not in an economic post-
to carry on tion
a modern war without importing and, further the length of her coast line places her at all times at the mercy of the strongest sea power.
These two factors really diminish Jier military capacity. a third cause lies in the un- rellable character of her people.
Italian is a re- The Southern flection of the Mediterranean scenery with its glowing colours.
Short of stature and dark of hue, he is entirely the slave of his emo- tions: his mood will suddenly change from indolent ease to via- lent nervous tension and excite- ment.
The tension, however, does not signify an unremitting pursult of any, goal, for he has no such axity of purpose, and, his exeltement dying down as quickly as it flared up, he returns to his previous state of dull apathy.
Indolence and passion are always striving for the mastery in hien; he is all compact of unreliability and specious appearance, and every- where a vast and in most cases unbridgeable guif yawns between Intention and achievement.
ate
his
He is very fond of maturing plans in his head, but has nether the wish nor the perseverance to carry them out; the thought is to him us good as the deed. All his geese
certainly and gwans, schemes often look well enough. but all usually turns out to be just A pretty pase Appearance. con- coals reality, the agile mind cloaks the infirm purpose.
The milliary value of a nation these moral qualities is more 1squesilonable. The Hallan is essentially unmilitary, and when. he in uniform, is dressed trafs about flashing his eyes and This was a cherished 'plon' of
sabre, hoping that rattling his
will look at him. He Conrad's, but unfortunately could-
everyone not be carried out in the world
this time in the Isplay acting, lack of the necessary for war
part of the soldier.
Faced, however, with the serious troops. (5) The weakness of the wester side of the Alps, which present Italy with an almost im-
the common Italian complains pregnable precipice and leave the farth of real soldiering or war-
French
loudly and shrinks at the thought Important passes in
of exertion, wounds and death, hands.
while bis officers fall to grasp the and lose time necessary measures
An lialian offensive against France on this front. Would offer no-hope-of-success-and-byen
In the Nico' gap, which, though
I strongly foriified, constitutes a
naimal opening. success could only be gained at the cost of
over inesses Acred-atthat...........
and
Is it to Italian strategy exhibits the hosi
indecliion iation, Umidity, doubt characteristic of the Mediter- fanean race, that an Italian con- stantly imagines himself surround- the gap created by the Etschtal anded by enemy traps, and that his un- of responsibility developed sense the Doberdo Plateau in, the, Karst
A Navy lossca
To sum up, the line of the Isonzo,
mountains, which adjoins it on the leads to emciency in the organi east, the valleys of the westernsation of supplies, and reinforce Alpa and the Nico gateway aro
menti
the weak spots of northern Italy Subject To
•from the military point of view. In case of a simultaneous attack from several of these points Italy would, it is true, have the advan, T Inge of all very denso railway wystem, but this asset would be everywhere Imperilled by the par rowness of the plain from the north Us the south (which could be traversed in a two days or even in one big day's march); moreover, the Italian national, character bould
Panic And when the Italians and them- selves in a really tight corner, as on the Isonzo front at the end of October 1017, there is no holding them Universal panie iets in and cach man thinks only of saving his own akin
The character of the Northern. Italian hot of stick.uniforma call-
+
bre.
He is of more mixed blood, while hardened by a more rigorous climate than the Southerner.
For the most part, the Northern- ers are taller and stronger, and.. fairer, sometimes quite fnir, in complexion.
Ilan character were on the whole correctly estimated by our higher command in the War and, when Italy declared war on May 23, 1915, It did not allow itself to be diverted from the offensive against Russia which had begun at Gorilee on May 1, but followed
willl' August.
They do not to the same extent sacrifice thought
it up vizorously to feeling,al-. though, compared with Germans, they too are an emotional Their thought is not of course so collected as the pure Teuton's, but their It distinguishes them from Southern compatriots.
сап
It was actually four weeks after of war that the their declaration of race.
Italians ventured upon their first offensive on
on the Isonzo. The German government never at any time have expected uch help against France from Italy's adherence to the Triple Alliance in 1882, although both Bismarck and Moltke reckoned that it would keep a certain number of French troops butay in the western Alps...
In addition to their Mediter- ranean traits, the Northern Italians possess something of the creative energy and enterprise of the Nordic ruces, the industry and, cannlness of the Eastern, the savagery, of the the Dinarie; and,-in-the-best-of-them, these qualities, though compara- tively diluted, and expression
achievements. While remarkable
in
the Southerner seldom passes from the will to the deed, the Northerner Eets a clearer purpose before him and not infrequently reaches his goal.
From the military point of view, the North Italian makes a tougher soldier less concerned for his own safety, and a most resolute and circumspect officer.
Among the Alpine peasantry are soldiers of whose spirit any army might be proud. and the better class youth in the big clties of Northern Italy is filled with an enthusiasm and patriotle fire that will carry it through much.
Bul these quatlles, which shine so brightly in comparison with the Southern Italian char- acter, quickly fade before; those of Germans and Frenchmen.
Pubile spirit and the sense of duty are not so strong among the mass of North Italians as to cause
individual to
put the the
com- munity's needs before his own and to make fim the latter willing- instrument.
A long course of very stern dis- cipline may possibly extract from the Northern Italians more than has yet appeared, but contact with the Southerners will always, It may be presumed, have a demor- altsing and weakening effect, with the result that the total Italian effort will always be less than a Northern Italian effort alone would 'be.
"The character of the Italian people..as a whole may, from the point of view of national, defence, be shortly described as follows:
Snatching
At Chestnuts.
Its main feature li-a-passionate and quickly spent: impetuosity. It cannot endure a long nervous strain, which produces headlong panic. The Italian is eager for the fruits of victory and the victor's laurels, but at minimum risk.
Hea very clever at snatching
was con-
In 1888, however, it was agreed that an Italian force of five army corps and two cavalry divisions (about 200,000 men in all) should reinforce our lelt wing in Alsace.
Schliefien, it is
truc. vinced that this support could not be safely reckoned upon, as public opinion, which counted for more in Italy than in the Germany of that day, would oppose the em- ployment of Italian troops abroad. He considered, too, that owing to
the delays in mobilisation and shortcomings of the Italian and Tyrolese railways, the Italian forces would arrive too late to affect the rapid decision relied upon in the west. Schlieffen went so far to think that the Itailan alliance would not even detain French troops in the western Alps!
"Unfortunately, the younger Molike did not share his prede- cessor's view of the Italian staff, not realising at the Southerner always promises whatever is ex- pected of him, without any de- finito idea of keeping his word.
In 1913 Italy definitely under- took to disputes in any of three corps and two cavalry, divisions-a smaller force than originally con- templated-but theproutset by rendered-nugatory at the
វាទ
was
the statement that the advance de- tachments would not arrive on the uther side of the Alps until 19 days after mobilisation; from which it could be deduced that the main force of this ampl
not army would be ready for batile until at least five weeks after mobilisation up proximately the date fixed for first declalve engagements.
This was altogether too late be of any real assistance to the though it gave, Italy Germans. plenty of time to play, her "fa- ›vourite-game of walling to ace which way the cat wouldfúrið. Can't Count' On. Her * Help
10
The military lesson to be learnt from this Italian attitude is that horthern powers will do best to
conaldering whether the strong Italian navy, which is superior to the French Mediterranean fleet, should not land an army on the south coast of France.
The appearance of auch a force in Provence or Languedoc (even it. It made comparatively little pro- gress) would make a far greater Impression upon France and have much more serious effects upon the German front than the inter- vention of Italian troops along the Upper Rhine.
Another matter worth consider- Italian march be an would
ing
and
through the valleys of the Rhone- Aare towards the Jura and the Bellegarde gap.
That Italy should at first remain neutral (though she had in reality already taken sides against us) and not enter the last War on the Al- lied side till ten months later, might almost have been expected. It was wholly in keeping with her psycholory, which prompts her to watch carefully for a chance of easy success, but to stake nothing.
To this must be added the quite natural wish to win back Itallon nationals living on foreign rail, al- though there could just as well be claimed from France or even from neutral Switzerland as from Aus- tria.
subjects In France has Italian Savoy, Nice, Corsica, Tunis and castern Algerla; in Switzerland they fill the whole canton of Ticino; the Italian subjects of Austria in the southern Tyrol, western Istria and ports
Dalmatia were well outnumbered by the Italians in France.
Hence Italy could have satisfied her irredentist armbitions much more easily at France's expense. But the Italian Government thought that the Central Powers of entry would be beaten, and the Great Britain into the War was s deciding factor, for Italy's
supplies of food and raw materials were at the mercy of the all powerful British navy...
The Bar, in fact, that files over 'Gibraltar and the Suez Canal will always determine Italian policy in preference to the strongest military power in the north.
Fall Price
Of Treachery
ut no point victorious, Although Italy received from the Allies the full price of her treachery--in particular, the whole of the south- ern Tyrol with its flourishing German culture, Istria with the Alpine foreland to the north and porta. of Dalmatia.
in-
-But she has at the same time found herself saddled with certain things from which she was free before: firstly, a far more marked antagonism to France and a much disparity between her own grenier
and the enormously power creased powe
power of France, no longer held in check by the German pire secently, the creation of
the north east,, new enemy to France's olly against Italy, Yugo-
who Slavia,
Challenges Italian supremacy in the Adriatic and stretches out liands towards Istria the territory of the Isonzo. and
Thirdly, Austria till cherishes: the hope of regaining at any rate the German parts of the southern: Tyrol, as far, that is to say, as the Saturno Pasa,
Red Far East Army
oa walioshanghai, May 16. Roparts circulating here state that General Grigory, Stern, "former Divisional Commander of the For Eastern Red Army, who it is be lieved, directed troops during the troops.north of the Alps, as the delator singe of the Soviet-Finnish: lays aro too great, and should rather employ them against France Within Italy Itself.
the chestnuts which he has allowedanperise with the services of italian others to pull out of the fire, for Chimundan.
On this account he alwaYS #takes the alde of the stronger, and
< Kaliuriraffable, both as anjally, azjdv sa a companiow fajarmaqi Qut
Ha finds it very difficult to get through:tle: arduoushound-incomE.....
ls desired to use nity however, it is ah nykillary Italian army › la - the north (in order, perhaps, to make beller: use billaly's strength than spicuous spade work which the may be posible on the difficult business of war: demander for helgerterne Alpinefront Italian help wants to play prominent part, :) should not be counted tipon in the and to: hear his exploits praised. /. Arsifidecuitys baffles, but be held
Vin roserved. The unreliablilly, exocelyn caution, and timklily of tho Xin
#however,?KO
better.
hostilities, has returned to the Far East to assume an important post.
It will be recalled that Stern, who was the successor; of General Blutcher, commanded the Soviet forces at Nomonhan last year. - da
The Japonese presa here comments. that General Stern's return is an in- dication that Russia is stengthening- her military power in the Far East. 1. Routers
Friday, MAY 17, 1940.
Tell me, doctor
2
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