The Wilmington morning star., 1943-11-01
Interpreting
The War
BY ELTON c. FAY
Associated Press War Analvst

fNAASi4tS are
pushing the Allied armies toward
the geographical center of ~.
worlds worst internal police,
quarrel, Yugoslavia.
Whatever experience the AIHed
leaders gained in soothing Freros
factions in North Africa Will,
busy fighting a war will be ness
ed on the day they go ashore +,
the land of Draja Mihailovic and
Gen. Josip Drug Tito> Broz Tbsr.
the followers of the two hur, a.
cusations and bullets at each otb
er while battling the Germans
There is every indication that
when Anglo-American military
chiefs believe the time has come
to move in the armies will SET
up beachheads, unawed and I'm.
deferred by the deadly fams
quarrel within Yugoslavia.
| Moreover, the indications ar.
that the time is, indeed. getting
close. Allied armies move stead.
lily up the eastern coast of Italv
and their planes and ships DOM.
nate the narrow corridor of the
Adriatic sea. Across tina! sea !,
Yugoslavia.
| Yugoslavian forces, despite
their internal conflict, have sue.
ceeded in Wrestling substantial
areas, including Adriatic coast re.
gions, from the Germans. Their
armament stock improves, both
from captured material and from
supplies put down to them from
the air and sea by the Allies.
They are reported to have Allied
officers as advisers. They await
Allied armies.
The paths for the landing of
those armies are being cleared.
Control of the waters and air over
the Mediterranean, except for the
inshore reaches of its northeast.
ern corner, is in Allied hands.
Heavy forces stand ready in the
Middle East. The stepping stones
from North Africa to Italy are
in use to supply any offensive
launched from there.
Of equal or even greater sig
nificance concerning the timing Of
a move on the Balkans is the
progress of the war in Russia.
Red armies are streaming toward
the Crimea and over the Dnieper
river bend country, aiming at
clearing all of South Russia of
the Nazis. When this is done they
stand at the edge of the Balkans,
with Bulgaria and Rumania be-
fore them. Six months ago that
objective was talked of in long
range terms; now the talk is of
tomorrow.
And so the Allies hurry for
ward to fight in the Balkans-and
try to keep out of politics.
The Allies fighting men believe
-(or hope)-they can do this.
The military leaders evidence a
belief that when Allied forces land
in Yugoslavia they can count on
full military cooperation from
both the forces of Mihailovic and
Drug Tito-even if there are some
continuing instances of Yugoslav-
ian feud.
Cognizance is taken of the cur
rent bitterness, manifested in yes
terday's assertion in commu-
njque by the Partisan troops that
a town held by Drug Tito's men
was recaptured by German "and
Miiailovic troops" But Allied
campaigners rely upon the Yugo'
slavian's common hatred OF the
Germanic invader to put all 1ac'
tons into one firing line.
There is no disposition to DIS
count the fact that a grave po'
litical problem will exist, not only
at the end of the war but during
the days while Yugoslavian cam
paign continues.
But at this point, the military
leaders concerned solely WIN
planning and executing battles
smile family and note the exist
ence of the AMG. The Allied MIL.
tary Government is a corps OIL
specialists who take up where the
fighting man leaves off, They
should find their work n Yugo'
s1avia interesting.