Who Tires Soonest?

We have prepared for ourselves a very simple program. In the first place, under all circumstances, we must hold whatever must be held. . . . Let the others attack as much as they wish wherever we have no intention to advance. We must . . . wait to see who tires soonest.

So said Adolf Hitler last Oct. 1. By his measure of German gain & loss, the Allies last week still had to inflict a definitive defeat upon the Axis. Rommel was fleeing through Libya and the Allies were at his back in Tunisia, but the Germans were still in North Africa, astride the Mediterranean. The Russians were attacking on ever-widening fronts, but the Germans were still entrenched on those fronts. From Rzhev to Casablanca the Allies had greatly improved their positions, but they still had to translate these positions into victory.

By Hitler's measure the great question was: Who tires soonest? Perhaps it was that question which he pondered this week with Pierre Laval (see p. 23) and Germany's and Italy's top generals. Ahead of them was a very tiresome winter.

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