Nazis bolster Sicilian force ‘to save face’
Effect of the ‘abandonment of Italy’ on others also feared
By Helen Kirkpatrick
Allied HQ, North Africa –
The fact that German reinforcements are apparently still going to Sicily leads to the conclusion that the German High Command feels that Italy must be kept in the war – at least until the winter campaign relaxes pressure on the Russian front.
Italian resistance has been almost worthless from the Nazi viewpoint.
It is probable that the Germans are conducting a kind of “Gallup poll” to discover whether an Allied attack on the Italian mainland itself would create a greater spirit of resistance.
There are two principal reasons why the Germans must attempt to stem the tide of the Allied offensive. The first is the proximity of Italy to German industry.
But more important is the effect the abandonment of Italy would have on the rest of Europe and on Germany’s prestige.
But the Germans might find that only the northern part of Italy could be held. This would at least give them defensive airfields in the Po River Valley from which to ward off Allied air attacks against the Alps and it would allow them to say that they had not abandoned Italy.
Italian rumors are discounted in North Africa
Allies put little credence in reports from Berne and Sweden
By Helen Kirkpatrick
Allied HQ, North Africa –
The general opinion here is that reports from Switzerland, Sweden and other neutral countries on the situation in Italy should be treated with the greatest reserve, if not altogether discounted.
It is felt here that the transition period of the government of Marshal Pietro Badoglio cannot have been sufficiently long to permit the Italian situation to crystalize nor yet for recent messages to the Italians by President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to have percolated through the country.