THE NAZIS FACE DISASTER
SEELY, Lt. Comdr. C. S.
The Nazis Face Disaster By LT. COMDR. C. S. SEELY OUR advance on the Western Front is proceeding very well, and the Nazis now have no choice but to fall back across the Rhine in the south....
...However, they seem to be holding our bridgehead on the east bank of the Rhine to a small area...
...They must now hold practically all of that river at all cost, or they are lost...
...This may be a week or it may be longer...
...During this enforced wait they are not wasting their time, but instead are mopping up by-passed pockets of Nazis in the coastal areas...
...And by a combination of circumstances, seldom encountered in war, the longer the delay in beginning the drive, the greater the chances are for its success...
...This will in turn free the "containing" Russian divisions which otherwise would have to watch the pockets...
...Nobody but the Russians know the answer to this, of course...
...That is, time now favors the Russians just as it favors us...
...Nazis cannot retreat a single mile beyond the Rhine—except at the extreme northern end—without inviting disaster...
...We can now wait out Hitler, if we care to...
...I believe the next great Russian drive will be to encircle Berlin, and I also believe this will be successful...
...That is, time, and nearly every other military advantage for that matter, is on our side...
...Our armies face no such alternatives...
...The opinions and assertions expressed above are the private ones of the writer and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Navy Department or the naval service at large...
...It is as clear as crystal that the...
...The Russians apparently are still waiting for supplies and reserves to be brought up before beginning their great assault on Berlin...
...But the Russians are not likely to begin this operation until they are practically certain of its success...
...For this reason the encircling movement may not begin for some time...
...However, the date this operation will begin depends entirely upon the time the Russians require for bringing up war materials and reserve divisions...
...But of course they must be expected to try to do this, and to eliminate the bridgehead, and they certainly will seal it off if they can—no matter what the cost...
Vol. 9 • March 1945 • No. 13
