The Wilmington morning star., 1943-10-10
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War A.,

lne close u an october week thar
saw even Adolf Hitler adIn;+ tla'
rising defeatism in German ' S
fair to determine the locale Of s@ .t
real Nazi stand in Italy aoa;n We
hard-charging Anglo-Americ551,| '' "A,
lies and might also affect tbe +a an
ing OF long awaited revolt in ', +5
Balkans against Nazi rule VIC
BY every sign the Nazi high oo..
mand is under extreme and or Y,.l'
ing pressure to reshift all avaiIa1"
reserves estaward against VIZ
many-fronted Soviet juggernan'
and do it now or face the uIti,,,1.'
disaster of complete retreat fron,
Russia. ''''
The Dnieper line and its ~,
longation to the Baltic already +.
badly punctured by Russian ma,
ter offensive gaining instead Of Ios
ing power despite torrential rsm.
and seas of mud. If it is 10 be bor5
at all, every Nazi division NOT al
solutely necessary elsewhere is M,
gently needed in Russia. And n.
only Nazi source of heavy otc..
reinforcements for the east must no
Italy and the Balkans.
Aided BY Allies
The Russian summer drive IN +bo
Dnieper unquestionably was aided
Importantly by the Allied attacs
in Italy. This forced withdrawal Of
Nazi strategic reserves from thn
| east to cope only with advanc;ng
British and American armies HIT
with an Italian capitalization that
left the Balkans seething with anti.
Nazi attacks.
In addition to the estimated n
to 25 Nazi divisions thrown into
Italy largely from east front re.
serves, probably as many or moro
are lid-sitting in the Balkans and
| Greece. This diversion of force,
must in some measure explain ibc
Soviet drive to the Dnieper and
beyond.
Recall eastward of some Of the
divisions in Italy and the Balkans
is highly probable. The bulk Of the
German forces in Russia is worn
by it's vast retreat its morale M
questionably lowered by that con.
tinual ack-tracking and by the
fact that for substantially year
there have been no victories TO
hearten the army or the German
home front.
With the need of troops to rein
force the Russian front patent TO
the most casual observer. it seems
clear that only the shortest and
/ least vulnerable front in Italy can
be Nazi held.
And that front is not on the Vol
turno river which the Allies nov
are crossing, or even on the Rome
Axis, but north of that on the Est
ruscan line or back to the Pc.
Even without specific coordina
ton through joint staff planning
the Allied offensive in Italy, threat
from Britain and the Russian driv
clearly are cornplementing eac
other. They are compelling the 70
to shift his reserves back and fort
and to waste many divisions in pt
Icing the turbulent Balkans an
Greece as well as France, the 10y
countries and Norway.
Fulfillment of the Allied threat
new strokes is not far off. 1t
portended in French-American o
cupation of Corsica. There hS
been specific pledge from highe'
Allied authority of ross-cfannf
operations against the continent Il
due course. Almost hourly the
grim necessity of shortening lhe
front is being forced on the loc
| dIIu GVGIy 1OOC llC 1e'4A' 49, a.,
where brings that much closer Vn'
deadly air attack upon his war Il
dustries and upon obviously owe
trained war nerves of the Gernla
public.
A month short Of quarter cei
fury ago, those war nerves crache
under a lesser strain. There, ca
be small comfort in Nazidom no
at the close approach Of anothf
anniversary of the surrender
1918. Rumor runs fast IN neuif'
Europe of German umder-coEt
dickering without Hitler sancno
for peace somewhere, anyWhef'
to ease the growing strain. 1t ma
be knowledge of that which pronP
ed Hitler's gloomy summons 10 u
German nation that arms aloA
would not assure victory, only III
will of the people to fight 1t ovN
the bitter end.
-V-