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THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1953.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL'S WAR MEMOIRS

A

"TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY", CHAPTER 28

IKE'S CHANGE OF PLAN

CAUSES

S a war waged by a coherent design. Britain, coalition draws to though still very powerful, its end political could not act decisively aspects have a mount alone. I could at this stago ing importance. In Wash- only warn and plead. Thus ington especially longer and this climax of apparently wider views should have measureless success was to provailed. It is true. that me a most unhappy time. I American thought is at moved a mid cheering least disinterested. In mat- crowds, or sat at a table tera which seem to relate adorned with congratula. and blessings from to territorial acquisitions, tions but when wolves are about every part of the Grand

with the shepherd must guard Alliance,

an aching his flock, even if he does not heart and a mind oppressed

by forebodings. himself care for mutton.

At this time the "points nt issue did not seem to the

United States Chiefs of THE

and

CONCERN

Is the best for the drive, as gone. This very often happened tinuo to communicato freely it will ensure the overrunning in inter-Staff negotiations. with the Commander-in-Chief of that important industrial

I was in full agreement in of the Soviet Army. The U.S. arca, Into which German, principle with our Chiefs of Chiefs of Staff, however, also Ministries are believed to be

he Staff, and we thought on the suggested that Gen. Eisenhower moving; it will cut

samo lines. All the

I should be asked to submit to same, German

forces approximately thought that their telegram them an amplification of his half, and it will not involve brought in many miner ex- message to Marshal Stalin, and us in crossing of Elbe. It is traneous matters and did not to delay replying to any new designed to divide and destroy take the best ground for an request from Moscow for further the major part of remaining argument with the United States Information until he had heard

West. enemy forces in

Chiefs of Staff. I accordingly from the Combined Chief's sent them the following minute. Staff.

In

This will be my main thrust and, until it is quite clear that concentration of all our effort on it alone will not be nce:ssary, I am prepared to direct all my forces to erisur- its success. IN Uca in Bradley's zone, and he will have the Third, First, and Ninth Armies to carry it out,

with destruction of German milltary power had brought

-

Was

Staff to be of capital im- with it a fundamental change in- portance. They were, of the relations between Communist Russia and the Western demo- course, unnoticed by

cracies.

They had lost their unknown to the public, and common

enemy, which WDB were all soon swamped, and almost their sole bond of union.

Henceforward

Russian im- for, the time being effaced,

perialism and persaugm by the flowing tide of creed saw and set no bounds to the Communist

tory.

their progress and ultimate do- two and more than minion,

to years were

bitore pass they were contrented again with on equal will-power.

vic-

not

the

we

I should not tell this tale now when all is plain in glaring light if 1 had not known it and felt

Nevertheless, as will now be disputed, they played a dominating part in the destiny of Europe, and may well have denied us all lasting peace for which it when all was dim, and when had fought so long and abounding triumph only intensi- hard. We can now see the fied the inner darkers of human Of this the reader deadly hiatus which existed affairs. between the fading of must be the judge.

The decisive, practical points President Roosevelt's

strategy

with and policy strength and the growth which this narrative socks to of President Truman's grip deal were:

Russia had of the vast world problem. First, that Soviet

become a mortal danger to In this melancholy void one

the tree world. President could not act and Secondly, that a new front must

be immediately the other could not know.

created against her onward sweep. Thirdly, that this front in Europe should be as far east as pos- sible.

*

the military

of

Fifteenth Army also under his command, following,

possible, mopping up.

if

He will have Montgomery protecting his left flank, with British and Canadian Armales, north of general line Hanover- Wittenberg.

have

considered your

telegram, and of course it is a good thing for the military

We

of

Gen. Elronhower, but 'emphasised the political im- portance of taking Berlin, both as "upreme signal of defeat to the German people" and

as countering the forth- coming Russian capture of Vienna,

Meanwhile he received a further telegram from Gen. Elzen- hower pointing out that, after concentrating on the centre, he intended to let Field- Marshal Montgomery cross the Elbe and go on at least as far a Lubeck, This city and Berlin "would be included in our important targets," if a

German

should collapse occur.]

hower

Thank you most kind

points to be placed before the TN full agreement with my Combined Chiefs of Staff

military colleagues, I re- Committee. hope, however, peated the substance of my

realise that we

minute to Gen. Elsenhower. only a quarter of the forces Prime Minister to der Eiten. Prime Minister to Gen. Elsen-

and that invading Germany,

hower the situation has thus changed

31 Mar 46 remarkably from the days of

Very many thanks. It seems to me personally that if the June, 1944....

enemy's resistance does not, collapse, the shifting of the main axis of advance sa much farther to the southward and the withdrawal of the Ninth U.S. Army from the 21st Army Group may atretch Mont- gomery's front so widely that the offensive

role which was assigned to him may peter

It seems to me that the chief criticism of the new Eisenhower

is that plan

It shifts the axis Devers

of the main advance with

upen. Berlin to the direction through French

Liepzig to

and

protecting his Seventh and Arnties.

right

First

of main

to

Once the success thrust is assured I propose to

clear take action

the northern ports, which in the case of Kiet will entall forcing

the Elbe. Montgomery will

be responsible for these tasks, and I propose to increase his forces if that should seem necessary for the purpose.

In addition Sixth Army Group will be prepared, when above requirements have been met, to drive to south-east on Nuremberg-Regensburg axis

to prevent any possible Ger- consolidation in south man and to join hands with Rus- sians in Danube valley...........

time we

BOUT the same A loaned that Eisenhower had announced his policy in a direct telegram to Marshal Stalin on March 28 without previously 'Berlin' vros the

subject either mentioning the

to prime and true objective of his

Air Chief Marshal his Deputy, the Anglo-American armies. Tedder,

Combined or to the Fifthly, that the liberation of Chiefs of Staff. We all though: Czocholsovakia and the entry that this went beyond the limits into Prague of American troops

with the Soviets of negotiation was of high consequence. by the Supreme Commander in sixthly, that Vienna, and indeed Europe as they had previously

Austela, must be regulated by been understood. the Western Powers, at least Gen. Eisenhower felt justled correspondence with the

the Russian

NEITHER

Fourthly, that chlefs nor the State De. partment received the guidance they required. The former confined themselves to their professional sphere; the latter did not compre hend the issues involved. The indispensable political direction was lacking at the moment when it was

most needed.

The United States stood

of victory, on the scene master of world fortunes, but without a true and

SHALL WE GIVE THE SMITHS

FOSTERS etc.)

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an

upon Sovietety

- Russian

with the in this dum of

of the mi

SL, and thus raises the

of whether

48

to

the 21st

loce

its

Army Group wi not be so stretched offensive power, especially after it has been deprived of the Ninth U.S. Army.

Thus wo might be con- demned to an almost, static role in the north and virtually prevented from crossing the Elbe until an altogether inter slage in the operations been reached. All prospect of the British entering Berlin with the Americans is ruled out.

معلم

hus

The validity of auch criticism depends an the-

the extent of

enemy's resistance. If that resistance

19

must

is practically collapsing there is no reason why the advances, both of the

main Army and of the 21st Army Group, should not take place on a broader front than hitherto, This is a point on which the

Commander Supreme

word. have the final

It also sects that Gen. Eisenhower may be wrong in aupposing Berlin to be largely devoid of military and political

Evon kamportance.

though German Government depart- ments have to a great extent moved to the

the south, dominating fact on Garman minds of the fall of Berlin should not be overlooked..

THE

Seventhly, that Marshal Tito's State because Stalin was biso Bessive pretensions against Commander-in-Chief of the Red

must be curbed..

Army. Yet it was not with the Finally, ant must be reached on that he corresponded; who was and above all, that a President of the United States all major issues

between the also the head West and the East in Europe forces, but with Gen. Marshall. United States Chiefs re- plied in substance that Elsen- before the armies of demo- In this telegram Eisenhower

procedure .in com. cracy melted, or the Western said that after isolating the Ruhr hower's allies yielded any part of the he proposed to make his main municating with the Russians main appeared to have been an opera- Gennan territories they had thrust along the axis Erfurt-

that any conquered, or, as it could soon Leipzig-Dresden, which by join-tonal necessity, and be written, liberated from ing hands with the Russians, made by him, and not by them. modification of it should be totalitarian tyranny.

would cut in two the remaining The course of action outlined in Oerman forces.

A secondary his plan appeared to accord with advance through Regensburg to

strategy and with his agreed where also he expected to directive.

the Russians, would the general

Eisenhower, they claimed, was prevent "the consolidation of deploying clusion of our Chiefs of

Stoff

across the Rhine in resistance in the the was that a prolonged German German

guerilla, in redoubt in Southern Germany," north the maximum forces

be used. campaign, or even the mountaing was unlikely on

secondary effort in the south any serious scale. The possibility

an outstanding and was being exploited

ALTHOUGH nothing could be

which could

was achieving

Tha

was therefore relegated by us, STALIN agreed readily. He said such as supplies would per- as it proved rightly, to the that the proposal "entirely as

shades

coincides with the plan of

mitch

On this basis I inquired about the Soviet High Command." The Battle of Germany, they the strategy for the advance of "Berlin," he added,

"has

lost said, was at a point where it Commander armies as its former strategic importance,, was for the Field the Anglo-American

Soviet High

measures Command to judge the

which foreseen at Allled, headquarters, The and received this reply:

therefore plans to allot second- should be taken. To turn away Gen. Elsenhower to Prime ary forces in the direction of

deliberately from the exploita- | Minister

This statement 30 Mar 45 Berlin.

weakeness enemy's was tion of the As soon as the U.S. Ninth not borne out by events.

did not

The appear sound, and First Armies join hands, The British Chiefs of Staff single objective should be quick! and enemy encircled in Ruhr were concerned both about the and complete victory. area is incapable of further merits. of the new plan and While recognising that there

factors not of propose about the shortcircuiting of the were offensive action, I

direct driving castward to join hands highest authorities, both military concern to the Supreme Com

Chiefs Con- or to attain and constitutional. They drafted mander, the U.S. with Russians renoral Ilno of Elbe.

a lengthy telegram to their sidered his strategie concept was Subject to Russian inten- colleagues in Washington, which eound and should receive full tions, the axis Kassel-Leipzig I did not see till after it had support and that he should con-

Nathaniel Gubbins

Mixer

In to

'as

ther

quivered IN America, where they will Over the years I have had muscles

and belleve anything, 2,000 em- many brief contacts (mostly spoke of their Industry

with ployers believe they can pick a unpleasant)

achievements on the hard road successful ach mon for promotion by the shape business executives, My

and hid

fatal, of his face.

terviews with them were so fortunate, and

often encounters with Aggressive The Thinker bag a ball. short and my exits from their

remarkable for shaped nose, The

KL panelled, soft-esrpeted rooms so. Executives wide space between nose and sudden that I am unable to re their cold, ferocious eyes and Ups, the Steady Type a ridge member all the details of their high-bridged noses as thin as down the jaw, linc, the Go features, except to say that the a paper kafe. Gatter a wide lower, jaw with Americans anë probably right.

The Laco of the most prominent muscles and a the ** For instance, I have been successful man, I ever met was Aggrazive Executivo a blähi- refused a rise" by a man, with a combination of all the fore- bridged nos

#bell-shaped nose (Thinker going characteristics except the Anybody with "a picsant, Type), whose only thoughts high-bridged nose harmonious face is rejected at woce probably, "How can' I and is Persuade this mucker he's not

next worth

oven what he's got with ting?"

Once

for promotion, probably fred

as. Westminster

.....

:.

He had a ball-shaped, nose, a wide space between the nose and lips, {Mixer), and a whole collection of ridges and quiver. ing Jaw muscles..

I have been terrified by But only a perfectionist could

In the words of a Wishington Blendy Typer with jawline, call · him ugly, He had that correspondent, "the" ngiler your stores may? deop\githe Grand; stranke, unusual bosuty which are the better your “chudiów of Canyon, 2 lenturret, abự do Con, inspires a great seriptors: Milk)

swuminant. face, Epstein, Ge

out.

I do not know why it would be an advantage, not to cross the Elbe. If the enemy's resistance should weaken, as you evidently expect and which may well be fulfilled, why should we not cross the Elbo and advance castward as poss

possible?

This has

political

Russlan

an

bearing.

far

I

2 Apr 45 again for your telegram....I am however all the more im- pressed with the importance of entering Berlin, which may well

be open to us, by the reply from Moscow to you, which

In poro. 3 says, "Berlin has lost its former strategic.

importance."

This should be read in the light of what I mentioned of the political aspects. I deem

it highly important that wo should shake hands with the Russlans as far to the cast as posalble

FELT it my duty to end this

correspondence

Important friends.

the

$1.9

of the South Prime Minister

Vienna If we

seem certain to enter

OUT

and overrun Austria. deliberately leave Berlin to them, even if it should be in event grasp, the double may strengthen

their convic- tion, already apparent, that they have done everything.

Further, I do not conulder myself that Berlin has yet lost its military and

certainly its political significance. The fhli of Berlin

would havo à profound

en

not

psychological effect German resistance in every part of the Reich. While Berlin holds out great masses. of Germans will feel it their duty to go down fighting. The idea that the capture of

Dresden and junction with the would be a Russians there superior gain does not com- mend itself to me....

I also summed up the position

In a message to the President.

Roosevelt

to

between

President 5 Apr 45 I still think it was a pity that Eisenhower's telegram sent to Stalin without any- thing being said to our Chiefs of Staff

or

was

to our Deputy, Air- Chief Marshal Tedder, or to

In- our Commander Field-Marshal

-Chief, Montgomery. The changes in the main plan have now turned out to be very much less than we at first supposed.

My personal relations with General Elsenhower

are of the most friendly character. I regard the matter as closed. and to prove

my sincerity will use one of my very few Latin quotations. Amantium irse

amoris Integratio

arc quarrels

Lovers'

renewal of love.]

(Continued Tomorrow)

est,"

the

[The Prime Minister in his World Copyright reserved. Re- mezzaga-to-the-President ex-production, even partially, in any pressed his full confidence in language, strictly prohibited.

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