Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-07
Near East Best Point of Entry
For Allied Invasion of Reich
Observers Cite Extreme Difficulties of Attempts
From West or South Warn Against Premature
About Drive on StilI.PoverfuI Axis
Br Constantine Rr01ru,

T dcfenScS behind the Lenlngrad- kharkov-
| R0stoV line are considered about as pow
erIul as those on the Rhine. and it IS
questionable whether the Soviet armies
will be able to storm them with the
equipment now on hand Whether We
will be able to transfer to Russia such
huge quantities of war materialas to en-
able the Soviets to start an unlimited Of
fenslve this summer depends on our out
put of merchantmen and our ability to
combat Nazl submarines more success
fully than in the past
An offensive across the Mediterranean
has better prospects provided we can
clean the Naz divisions out of Tunisa
before the end Of the summer and re-
duce Sicily, Pantelleria and Crete. Nazi
Strangholds in the Mediterranean
To reach France, Italy or Greece our
forces must cross the Mediterranean UNI
Ger the fire OF German bombers and the
attacks Of Nazl submarines. But the OPP
Grafton. While costly, would be more like
~ TO yield positive results than opera
tons against the west coast of Europe,
military experts say. Greece and Yugo-
Slavla now have large bands of guelrilaS.
They can be of more effective assistance
to the Allied forces than the so-called
underground helpers in Western Europe.
Gen. Draja Mihailovichs men, as we'll
as the PartlsanS, are well-organized mill
tary units which can fight.
But before we can think of crossing
the Mediterranean it is mandatory that
Marshal Ronmels forces be destroyed
and that we have full control of Bizerte
and the other ports of Tunisa Unless
this occurs no military command will
attempt to operate in the Mediterranean,
regardless Of what advantages such an
expedition offers.
The long way-and by far the one
most likely to yield results-is through
the Middle East.
Turkey, unless some unexpected po-
ltical blunders are made, is all set to be
on our side She Will remain strictly
neutral so long as the Allied power in
the Middle East is what it is today-a
small force lacking cohesion and equip
ment. But if we could send real force,
properly equipped, into that area and
i
they have been seeking for many months,
there is no question that we could enter
the Reich by the back door and, using
the Danube as our main line of COM
munication, strike at the heart of Ger
many
1t is true that it is long way from the
United States and Great Britain to the
Middle East and that the lines of COM
munication from the debarkation point
in the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea to
the Turkish borders are not entirely sat
isfactory. But for some time We have
been using that route. which is far less
exposed to Nazi submarines than those to
Britain Or the Mediterranean.
The equipment of Gen. Bernard Mont
gomery's British 9Th Army went that
way; much of the war material used by
the Russians in their present offensive
is believed to have gone that way, too.
Consequently, there can be no valid rea-
sen why we could not send divisions and
equipment by that route to organize a
powerful force in Syria, from which COM
munlcations with Anatolia are easy.
An offensive by way Of Turkey would
take the Allied forces to the Balkans in
a relatively short time.
On the map the Middle East Balkan
route appears longest. But many mill
tary observers believe that it is the safest
bet for the Allies in their plans to invade
the Reich without undue losses and with
a greater degree of safety.