Foreign News: Total War

The mobilization of a country's industries, factories, economic resources from a peacetime to a war basis is a tremendous task for any nation, even for Germany, highly militarized though she is. To be able to carry this change through in a matter of hours if necessary, Chancellor Hitler last week created a "permanent economic general staff" headed by slim, taciturn, 59-year-old War Minister Field Marshal Werner von Blomberg.

Some 100 "economic defense führers" will be named to this staff by Blomberg, to work with Germany's military keymen, Colonel General Werner von Fritsch (chief of the Army general staff), Admiral General Erich Raeder (Navy Minister), stanch-bellied' Colonel General Hermann Wilhelm Goring (Air Minister & economic dictator). They will blueprint Germany's economic, industrial life and plan for complete and immediate mobilization in the event of. war. The Nazi object: preparation for "total war"—i. e., a fight in which every business, factory, mine is part of the German military machine.