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The Marshal and the War. Tito does not expect the Germans to withdraw without a fight. He intends to continue the fight against them until the total and utter defeat of Hitler. Right now, he could place 150,000 soldiers at the disposal of the Allies for action elsewhere if Yugoslavia were liberated. Later, perhaps, twice as many.
According to Tito, the German fighter is not what he used to be. He has morale only in the impetus of the first assault. If it fails, he loses heart. Nowadays, the Ustashi (Croatian quisling soldier) is worth two Germans in combat. He knows what to expect if defeated, and is intimately acquainted with the Yugoslav terrain.
For Chetnik martial valor, Marshal Tito has little respect. To hear him say it, the Chetniks—in spite of their historic reputation, black beards, skull & crossbones on caps—take to flight in any determined attack. However, they know the terrain and are extremely valuable to the Germans as guides.
Tito says that the Germans, while not resorting to a large scale offensive, are exerting offensive pressure on a number of different points to force the Partisans to waste their supplies and ammunition and prevent them from concentrating at the moment of the Allied invasion of Europe.
The Marshal's Country. I remembered an Allied official who had expressed doubts as to whether certain territories of Yugoslavia could be called "liberated" in the strictest sense of the word. Well, I entered Partisan territory ten miles behind the fighting line, traveled 25 miles in an automobile, saw a Partisan train, and visited the last session of the Anti-Fascist Youth Congress. Now three barefoot urchins are arranging a bouquet of cherry blossoms by a pool under a huge walnut tree. This is liberated enough for me.
<fOOTNOTE>*For another phase of the effort to get in touch with Tito, see PRESS.</fOOTNOTE>