The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-27
interpreting
The War
By ELTON G.. F.y

| ~ A,.1 challenge
u A''sio-Amerlcan power from IL.
west. A ne
There is yet no evidence =.
German rout on the eastern *Y
although the crack in soldier W.T.
rale and organization that betot ,.,''
such military catastrophes n1 WIZ
be near. '''0y
Until the Russians report Or II.
Germans admit the taking Of ls,s s
numbers OF Nazi prisoners it nons.
be assumed that the great tan
back OF Hitler's armies from H.
Sea of Azov all the way I'D t vi.
central and into the northern t.' '~s
u.s. as the Germans like to st...
it, "according to PLAN and a +s1e
in the retreat most of tba N MI, ua'
power and the machinery Of -' ~a.
lis intact. Vi War
When great masses of prison...
begin trudging into camp. it mssas
the enemy's organization is bnasp
ing up, blocks of his forces " e az.
being cut off from support s a,s
supply and, hungry and with s sna
munition gone, are giving IN =.
means that matters aren't rn
ming according to plan" '~l'
Russian force of arms, eo,r,,.
and daring on the part Of Pss
strategists have sent the Ns1 Sa
staggering back hundreds Of niIa ,'
from the high tide mark Of inv. '
sion.
But, as Secretary of War Sim.
son points out, "our success ~
the Mediterranean has undoubtedIn
accelerated the German retrpat
in Russia
| Anglo-American armies arc ~
the European mainland. PRESSING
north along the Italian peninsua
Island by island, the Allies pusn
a half dozen potential springboards
for other mainland invasions cJos.
er in the Mediterranean from Chr.
sica to the islands off the Balkans
The German garrison OF the long
Atlantic wall watches for invasion
from England-and cries for more
manpoWer.
The manpower for the Atlantic
and Mediterranean wall must -
and is-coming in great measure
from the eastern front, To drain
away troops from there, the Nazis
must shorten lines, not in small
individual sectors Of trench but
on broad fir; ITS. hundreds Of miles
Hong. But when the front begins
to straighten, the Russians push
forward another great salient and
the process must start all over
again.
Currently, the process is on The
southern and central fronts. The
Dnieper has been reached by the
Soviets, and, over the weekend,
crossed at some points according
to the Germans admission The
broad scale fall-back in the center
and south is leaving German for
ces manning an extended salient
in the north arcing over 10 and in
Guiding the Leningrad andd Finnish
fronts. Divisions now urgently
needed by the Nazis elsewhere are
in that most inactive area,
This suggests that the NaziS
may find it expedient in the near
future to shorten the northern line,
Withdrawing perhaps as far west
as Lake Peipus on the EstoMaA
border. With that 1OO-mile lake m
front of them, the Germans coaA
save manpower at least until he'V
ice formations made posSloe d
road for direct Russian advance
| Should the Germans ind una,
the Dnieper line can not be Ael4
(and the weekend developmens
strongly suggest that the PFPs'
marshes at the Polish Russian pO''
der might assume the same Va n
as Lake Peipus. Taking a postum
behind the Pripet marshes WoIu'
however, involve the distinct Wv
sibility that it would be seCul'
only until the Russian fros'S mo-
den the ground-and the Gelll n
have learned how well the nus
slams fight on ice and snow
The swift surge Of the RuSslo.
forces to the west, however ~
mot without danger. An OVER. over,
tended supply line is the spe!~.
that haunts the n'ftar, caIipd-s f..
er. An army moving too las, ~,
food and ammunition must coll'sn
plate a counterattack by an eng rI
much nearer his supply base a.
rains are begging roads 1ol .'o ID.
transports, truck and guns Ill r rs.
dition, as the Russian army rit,
gains territory it is confronted " Si ta
the necessity of changing pan NE
wide-gauge rail lines wlscn ID.
Nazis converted during 'hem s,,ins
vance to fit their own Iot anr3
stock. Moreover, the WehrindGse 10.
has considerable experience IN u
molition.
-V-----
vYysyY Ch