Evening star., 1941-04-08
Busic Balkan Strategy

started off at Q fast clip, and these
aggressive tactics are meeting with
resolute opposition at all defenSible
points, especially on the Greco-Bul-
garian border Beyond this, we as
yet know little, specific military
movements being hidden behind wells
of censorship. No war correspond
ents are allowed by either side near
the actual fighting fronts.
In default of definite information,
it may be useful to survey the gen.
eral lay of the land, traced by nature
itself, to which all strategic plans
must conform.
The total battle-ground is extensive.
From the northwest tip of Yugoslavia
to the eastern border of Greek Thrace
is a distance of nearly 800 miles.
However, Yugoslavia's northern prov
inces of Croatia -Slovenia, together
with the region across the Danube
from Belgrade, can be quickly disre-
garded Flat or gently rolling lands,
the Yugoslavs cannot hope to hold
them against the German war ma
chine, which is here in its element.
On that terrain the Yugoslavs can
fight only delaying actions.
The decisive sectors of the Balkan
battle-ground lie in its extreme south,
where Yugoslavia narrows to a bot
tleneck between Bulgaria and Al
bania, at one point only eighty miles
wide. Down the middle of this cor
ridor to Greece and the Aegean Sea
runs the Vardar River. with the
port metropolis of Salonika near it's
mouth. The Vardar River Valley is
fairly broad. 1t has been the historic
gateway for Balkan invasionS going
north or-south, and today has good
railroad and highway to facilitate
troop movements. However, the
Vardar Valley is lined by high noun
tainS so it is defensible to attacks
from both east and west. From Bull
garia, the only strategic gap in the
mountain wall is the Dragoman Pass,
over which runs the railroad from
the YugoSlav city of NiSh to Sofia,
the Bulgarian capital. The strategic
heights which control this pass are
in YugoSlav hands, so a German in
vasion from Bulgaria by this route
will be difficult. The Italians seem
to be in no position to make an
offensive from Albania. Indeed, an
offensive the other way already has
begun, with the Yugoslavs seeking to
crush the Italians there with Greek
aid before German pressure from
Bulgaria becomes too intense.
Unless the German war machine
performs a seeming miracle, there
fore, it looks as though the Yugo-
SlavS were in no immediate danger
of having their main fortress stormed
and their communications with
Greece cut. The most Immediately
dangerous point lies just to the east
ward, along the Greco-Bulgarian
frontier, and it is here that the Ger
mans are hurting savage assaults,
regardless of losses. This region,
known as Greek Thrace, is shut off
from Bulgaria to the northward by
an almost unbroken mountain wall.
Two rivers break through - the
Struma and the MeSta. Both are
rugged, twisting defiles, and their
natural strength has been greatly
enhanced by elaborate Greek fortif-
cations, called the Metaxas Line The
main German attack is down the
Struma, and a break Through here
would bring the invaders close to
Salonika. Once that city was in Ger
man hands, the Greek and British
armies would be forced to retreat
southwark, and contact between
them and the Yugoslavs would be cut,
strategically speaking. Yugoslavia's
main supply line with the outer
world would be thereby severed, and
it would be practically isolated. This
danger point is therefore the one to
watch Unless and until it falls,
quick German triumph need not be
foi,