In this age in which there is such an urgent race among nations for leadership in the field of nuclear power, we hear a great deal about the “balance of power.” The phrase is meant to convey the idea of superiority in the ability to wage war. Both great nuclear powers claim to have this advantage, a position that can best be measured by the number and type of aircraft, the advancement in the development and production of ballistic missiles, and, of extreme importance, the number of strategically located divisions with sufficient material and accessibility to make them invulnerable to attack. Both the United States and Russia claim to have the edge in this respect. Both are indeed powerful nations, capable of launching a major nuclear war, antagonistic to each other and in a position to wage a surprise attack, with devastating results on the other.
Military leaders are agreed that if a conflict should arise it will surely start in Europe. Victory in this region will but be the start in the subjugation of the rest of the world. Recently, Major Max S. Johnson, retired, returned from a two-month tour of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s commands and forces in central Europe He made an intensive study of the line of defense down through Western Europe, analyzing the West’s strongholds as compared to those of her foes. The result of this survey of the present power of Russia versus the Allies is a startling revelation.
General Johnson discovered that Russia’s line of defense is spearheaded by 20 armored divisions now in East Germany, capable of a surprise attack on the West. These divisions are well trained, recently equipped and backed up by 10 airborne divisions in Russia proper. This spearhead has sufficient supplies and arms to wage an offensive action for at least six months.
General Johnson went on to say that Russia has, on hand in Eastern Germany enough bridging material to erect 15 bridges over the Rhine, the jumping off place to the Allies. It has 6,000 tanks, 2,000 armored and amphibious personnel carriers for fast movement of troops overland and a large supply of 700-mile and shorter range ballistic missiles. There are, backing up this huge armory 2 Soviet Ail armies of approximately 5,000 aircraft.
Do the Allies have a corresponding line of defense, that can mat& Russia’s ? According to Johnson’ report, they have not. They are, in fact far behind the Soviet’s display of power, and would not be able to withstand a determined attack. The West is, in one respect at a decided disadvantage because of their tactics being retaliatory instead of offensive. In the opinion of the general, it would take at a very minimum, 30 well equipped divisions, supported by a number of trained and properly equipped reserve divisions. At the present time the Allies have only about two-thirds of this number, inadequately supplied. Although it is planned to have 12 fully equipped divisions in West Germany, there are at present only 7, and it will be 1961 before this figure is reached.
The West is dangerously weakened in their position because of geographically located forces. The 20 divisions are separated widely, not only by miles but by language difficulties as well. It was General Johnson’s opinion that the 21 present divisions were actually only equal to 10 Russian divisions for the reasons mentioned.
It was also revealed that the Russians have the edge on the West in the field of planes and armor. Presently the Allies have only about 2500 fighter planes as compared to the Soviet’s 5,000. Of the 12 fully equipped Russian divisions in East Germany, 6 are tank divisions and the balance mechanized. This indicates, of course that the Russians would be able to move much more readily than the West, and move their forces West-ward.
The defense of ground troops against Russian aircraft was also shown to be hopelessly inadequate. The recent changes and planned changes in Allied land bases places them in an extremely awkward position, so far as offering a retaliatory threat is concerned. Paramount among these changes is the forced move of bases from France to existing bases in England and West Germany. France’s refusal to allow nuclear weapons being fired from her soil has forced the abandonment of plans to build a powerful missile base there. This cutback of nuclear bases in France falls into the U.S. plan of cutting back in defense spending. Plans are now in force to close one Air Force base in Vermont in March of 1960, and inactivate three fighter squadrons and two air – defense units by mid-1960. The reason for this cut-back as officially disclosed by the Dept. of Defense: “These actions are necessitated by the changing composition of the Air Force, involving increasing numbers of missile units and decreasing numbers of aircraft units.”
The general concluded his survey with the statement, “Actual NATO strength in Central Europe is less than half that of Russian’s, on the ground and in the air. In any “conventional” or non-atomic war, or in a war with small-scale atomic weapons, odds are that Russia would reach the Rhine in a matter of days.”
Thus we see that the balance of power definitely lies with the Soviets, whose strength is significantly supported by the element of surprise. It, naturally would take many more divisions of the West to offset the threat of surprise attack from the enemy.
To the Bible student, this obvious unbalanced state of power comes as no surprise. The scriptures have foretold in unmistakable language the rising of a great power in the time of the end, which would attempt to conquer all of Europe, and perhaps the world. The power supplied this northern confederacy would be of God, for a specific purpose, clearly stated by the prophet: “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O God, before their eyes.”
It is completely in the hands of God to mete out the lands and natural resources of the earth to whomsoever He wills. As Nebuchadnezzar was forced to confess: “that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Dan. 4:25). The balance of power today is in the hands of a nation, amply described and identified in the Bible as Russia. Let us bear in mind the apostle’s declaration in Romans 13:1, “For there is no power but of God ; The Power that be are ordained of God.” It is the Most High’s intention that He should be glorified in the destruction of the King of the North, into whose hands he has given a kingdom, lands a n d strength Wage war, much the same as He did in the days of Pharoah, whom God called for very same purpose.
The true and significant balance of power lies with the Almighty Creator, in whom we live and move and have our being. Without the purpose and intent of God to some day establish a Divine and everlasting Kingdom on this earth the nations would wander aimlessly a n d hopelessly until eventually bringing upon themselves chaos and oblivion.
“And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee : for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Psalm 9:10
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One