Evening star., 1943-08-14
Lost Stuqe in SiciIv

OF Sicily has clearly begun. The
German high command, which be-
gan evacuating specialist units a
fortnight ago. is now pulling out it's
combat troops as fast as possible.
leaving only skeletonized suicide
forces to delay the Allied advance.
Those doomed rear guards are put
ting up desperate fight behind key
positions in very difficult mountain
Gus terrain, all bridges having been
destroyed and roads literally blown
out of the mountainsides. This may
delay the inevitable somewhat, but
the collapse of the thin German de-
tense screen must come soon.
With the end plainly in sight, this
is good moment to review the
Sicilian campaign and estimate its
significance. The invasion began
just eight weeks ago today. 1t
started under highly favorable aus
pices, because it caught the Axis
defense off balance. The Axis high
command knew that an invasion was
coming, but did not know just where
the blow would fall. Its guess was
that the main thrust would be made
in Western Sicily, so heavy concen-
trations were assembled there. In
stead, the Allies Struck at the south
eastern corner of the island, OBJ
viously aiming at quick thrust for
Messina, which would have doomed
all Axis forces in Sicily at one stroke.
This bold plan very nearly sue
ceeded. Veteran divisions of the
famous British Eighth Army made a
whirlwind advance up the east coast.
Within forty eight hours they had
taken the port city of Syracuse with
its good harbor installations, thus
assuring themselves proper base for
landing heavy equipment, and day
later they had reached Augusta, we'll
on their way to Catania, the key
point in Eastern Sicily. Had Ca
tania and the adjacent Mount Etna
massif been stormed at that time,
the whole Axis position in Sicily
would have been compromised,
This threat was averted by the
quick action of the Axis high COM
mand. Leaving the bulk of the is
land to be defended as best 1t might
by wavering Italian troops, virtually
all the German units in Sicily were
rushed to man the Catania-Etna
line. The wisdom Of this move soon
became apparent. While American
forces literally romped through
Central and Western Sicily. the
British came up against stone-WaH
opposition which even Montgomery's
veterans were unable to pierce. The
German intention to hold the north
eastern tip of Sicily as long as pos
sible became clear when fresh Ger
man units were ferried or flown
across the straits Of Messina despite
a heavy toll taken by Allied air
power which controlled the skies. A
solid German-held line was estab-
lished across the neck of the island
tip which has already prolonged the
campaign to two months.
There can be scant doubt that this
delaying action was of great value
to the German cause. So long as a
large Allied army was tied up in
Sicily, a full-scale invasion of the
Italian mainland was impracticable
Had such an invasion been possible
at the moment when Mussolini and
the Fascist facade collapsed, almost
anything might have happened.
Now, the first disorganization has
been repaired by the Badoglio re-
gime, which rejects Allied demands
for immediate unconditional sur
render, and the Germans have been
given time to establish themselves
firmly in Northern Italy. The Allied
task thereby seems to have been rem
dered much more difficult.
| 1t is no reflection on the skill and
valor of the Allied invaders to say
that the German defense of North
eastern Sicily is brilliant perform
ance which is paying them big divi-
dends. And the chances appear to be
that goodly proportion of the troops
| and euuipment will be salyaped by