The Wilmington morning star., 1943-03-29
Interpreting
The War .
BY Carl. c 1,p.An

The ,,sof,,1- =, NhANMER
- me neo', usefulness Of the Maretb t.
TO Marshal Rommel annares s.4 In,
about ended. +'ientiy b
Although only slightly dent,
zen. H., Montsomerys frontal .su ssa1.I'l BY
it has been outflanked assault,
Frances Maginot line. Ss va'
-Four arnored spearneos
pointed at the line of Aris aa
nications to the north and +. .Oalnp'
be most unusual if the Gorrn y would
tegist elected to stand ar5 md" stra'
While in immediate danger a ~ Asht
cut off. '' u being
Inc greatest threa; TO his r,..
at the outskirts Of el Hamn,a ''sF is
a strong armcred force is So >. "nere
point OF seizing control Of fl. 'as
ern gatepost of the Gabas ,,e west
tween the salt lakes and thu 'ap al be-
ter an amazing 1OO-mile cirsg'. sSa al
march across a northern ,Su'-0us an
the Sahara. SPN Of
Rommel foresaw the wide,o,,,
attack by this column .ns VVplns
careful preparations to Nee. :. ai'as
placing a concentration Of arm., oI
and motorized forces at O, H. INJURED
But such was the strenetb 1.IlAa' WI
wing of Montgomerys attacg u t 'al'
1t met these forces and nrsbo5 Aa'
back. The spearhead is now ''sa aSl
about Is miles from connIeti, UalF
circuit to the sea at Rommel. N
North of the Gabes bottlenee. '.s .S
American columns commsnGas '''
Lieut.. Gen. Patton have rior,.,
nearly pierced the lower end NV n.
Grand Dorsal, the chain of m VIE
talns which runs from nortt 1'1p
south, ready to fan out on tbo . ~
al plain. The southern coInmr 'a'I %
OF ell Gueter apparently bo, 'aS'
pass yet to thread, while the nor,l ~r'
erh column east of Maknassy sasn
lngly holds the eastern end n ,' ~
last pass. u 'Ie
Farther north another smo,
column has driven throug1 |sa %
Grand Dorsal. capturing Fon," W.
and Threatening the Kairouan 1,.' rI.;
The French, on the LETT flank dt r.1,'
Americans, appeared to he ba.5.I
Tor a junction With this foca
kairouan by moving across ia H..
eastern side of the long.conts,.a5
Ousseltia valley.
Still farther north the Br,;s
First Army of Gen. Sir XIV
Anderson has moved out of f, 5
fensive positions at DiebeI laS
near the coast and captured its fir..
obJectives. This operation protab,
was on a bigger scale than fbe co,r
munlque indicates, for the Rritisb
had fallen back to hills from which
.Ney had to cross broad open val.
ley giving clear field of fire bo.
fore getting at the German posi
tions.
Altogether the news from rugisia
IS good, for the British Eighth Ar.
my apparently has driven a Slight
wedge into the Mareth line to the
southwest Of Mareth after faim,
to hold a similar wedge to the morrill,
east ii the vicinity of Zarat.
This French-built line probably Is
the strongest system of fortifca.
tions that Montgomery has had to
crack, including the Naz delenses
at el Alamein in Egypt, 1850 miles
to the east.
AS long as Rommel could stand
off the flank attacks he could make
a fight for the Mareth line. nut the
latest developments make it appear
that that time is passing.
For nearly a week, Gen. Patton,
paving the earth around llaknasT
and ell Guetar, has had the appear
ance Of bull waiting for his enc.
my to get off the fence,
He probably has been DELAYED less
by local German and Italian resist
ance than by the restraint Of Allied
strategy.
Rommel probably will try TO fore
stall Patton's charge by one more
attack east of Gafsa. Dispatches
from the front hint at this, report
ing that German pressure is build
ing up on the Maknassy road. From
his chosen positions in the hills On
either side of the passes Patton \
we'll placed tO turn it back.