Hitler's Jackals
Germany's allies in South-Eastern Europe are bound to her by fear and by expectations of favours to come, but there is nothing which binds them to one another, or gives them a common cause in the war. Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria are de- pendants. of Germany whom she needs, and she plays upon them in different ways. From all of them she wants soldiers for her coming spring and summer campaigns. Bulgaria, how- ever willing her government, would find difficulty in inducing her men to fight against the Russians or even the Yugoslays, though it might be another matter if Turkey were the enemy. Rumania has had her fill of fighting for Germany in the autumn campaign in Russia, and at the moment seems more intent on staking out her claims for some of the territory lost to Hungary than for more nebulous gains from Russia. But Hungary offers a more hopeful field for German exploitation. Not that she has Nazi sympathies, or any liking for German methods, but it is with German help that she has recovered from Rumania much of the territory lost under the Treaty of Trianon, and it is with German help that she hopes to retain this, and to achieve her other territorial aspirations at the expense of other neighbours. She has well-trained soldiers from whom she will be expected to turn out an army for the coming campaign, but she cannot possibly at one and the same time provide the million men asked for, or half of that number, and produce the food which Germany needs. None the less, her contribution may be substantial. It is well to remember that it is not German, or even German and Italian, man-power alone in Europe that we are fighting, but also that of the three vigorous Danubian countries which have been harnessed in her interest.
