The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-30
Attack Via The
Mediterranean

With the taxing OF olClly, lie eyes ol ule
Allied world are fastened on the northern
Mediterranean shores as probable bridge
heads of invasion.
Many of US glibly talk of the approaching
attack on Fortress Europe by the Mediterra-
mean route with little or no knowledge of
the lay of the land along the Mediterranean's
more than $500 miles of varied coastline
1t appears appropriate to look at the map
of the area, if only to appreciate the obstacles
that stand in the way of invasion.
There is no picnic ahead for Allied expedi-
tionary forces, via the Mediterranean, despite
the bombing of strategic centers.
The shores of France, Italy, Yugoslavia,
Albania, and Greece stretch between Spain
and Turkey. Axis authorities have cleared for
action the entire French Mediterranean front.
They have set up defense walls" along the
coasts of the Balkan states and Italy. Certain
islands, such as Italy's eastern outpost, Cas-
telrosso, are reported evacuated, while 9TH
ers like Greeces Crete, are reinforced To
make the best use of natural island defenses,
Japanese experts in that field have been i'm
ported
Italy centerpiece in Europe's southern
'front.' has the longest coast to defend AS
estimated in offshore sailing distance, it meas
ures roughly 1900 milestone six times the
length of Frances Mediterranean shore, and
more than four times as long as the coast
of Yugoslavia. Albania has the shortest sea
front-about ITO miles; Greece, with the most
broken coastline, has roughly 900 miles,
The water gaps that separate the Allies
in North Africa and Sicily from their various
south-European goals include five diverse arms
of the Medterranean-the Ligurian. Tyrrhen-
ian, Adriatic, 1onian, and Aegean seas.
Each nation along the south European Gin
vaslon coast presents its own problems of
difficult or relatively easy sea approaches; of
island stepping stones or hazards of varied
degrees of Axis sympathy
Especially significant is the question of COM
municatons, considered both in the light of
enemy facilities for bringing up defense re-
lnforcements, and of advance lines for the
invaders moving on from established foot
with closely-woven systems of highways and
railways, the southern areas of the continent
lack extended communication links. The Bal
kan nations particularly are weak in trans
port facilities, although few new military
roads have been built by the Axis occupying
forces. An important one is the all-weather
highway reported now completed from Bull
garia to Adriatc ports of Yugoslavia and Al
bania.
The coast of France offers striking variety
for landing activities. Its western shores,
curvlng around the great Gulf of Lion, are
low and marshy, with sandy beaches sur
rounding many small salt lagoons Along the
eastern half of the coast, beyond MarseilIe.
on the contrary, mountain passes push close
to the sea in bold precipitous walls.
Italy, too, offers sharp contrasts The coas.
tai region of the Gulf of Genoa is high and
rugged, like neighboring France. Farther
south, the western coast flattens out here and
there into sandy and marshy coastal plains.
The southwest 'toe" of Italy, made Up of
the mountainous province of Calabria, is still
another story of massive obstruction, while
the 'heeP' of the boot is flat and rolling with
little to provide natural defense positions
Across the narrow Adriatic Sea from Italy
the Yugoslav coast rises in formidable and
picturesque mountain ranges All along this
shore, where rocky offshoots of the ranges
have been drowned and corroded by the sea-
tortuous series of gulfs channels, islands
and peninsulas has been formed.
Again, the Albanian front presents contrast
IN fringe of swampy plains, although back
IN the interior loom wild and inaccessible
mountains. Equally mountainous Greece is
nearly everywhere steep-shored, and is flank
ed by islands whose destiny as nests of oppo-
sition or steppingstones to the continent is yet
undisclosed.
The question as to the geographic softness
OF the south European front is therefore de-
MED by the map as it shows up many haz-
ards. 1t indicates, rather than soft under
belly spiny backbone of mountains rails
ed across southern Europe from the Spanish
Pyrenees to the Greek Rhodopes.
-V--------
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