When?

Never had the invasion of Europe from the West seemed so clearly imminent.

Berlin had a profound case of jitters, fished frantically for information with broadcasts and rumors planted in neutral countries: the attack would come "any minute, anywhere"; the Atlantic Wall forces were in the "highest state of alert"; Allied invasion craft were assembling; Allied troops were pouring toward English ports.

In Britain, fairly groaning from the vast weight of men, machines and materials piled up for D-day,* there was tension. But there was also silence, behind a wall of new security regulations which had suspended even the traditional freedom of foreign diplomats (except U.S. and Russian) to leave the country or send code messages. Some movement might be in progress, or the enemy might be getting more of the maddening "false alarms . . . feints .. . dress rehearsals" which Winston Churchill had promised.

One thrust already in progress was no feint, no false alarm--the vast, continuous air assault, grinding into its third stepped-up week, which both sides recognized as a pre-invasion barrage.

* Commented one London barrage-balloon girl worker: "England would sink if you cut the balloons loose."

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