The Wilmington morning star., 1943-08-11
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON

Disintegration of the last N
defense line in northeastern So 80
short Of the narrow base NJ +b
Messina pen nsula appeared VIC
progress last night under grira
ing, three-pronged Allied atfact,
British veterans on the right and
American shock forces on tha 1as.
were gougine through difficult tor
rain to turn both coastal flarks =.
the Cape Orlando-Randazo.p;HoSS "
monte position In the center
shoulder to = shoulder Amercon
Canadian thrust at the Rands7zo
key to that communication aro
seemed most apt to crack if =.
any moment however, and sons
the Desperately resisting foe hnrt a
ling back alo lg the whole sjciGsn
battle front.
Once the Cape Orlando Randi,
zc-Pledmonte communication cTs
tenn is broken. Nazi forces canno,
hope to make another stand sbnut
of the Taorm'na-F -Francaville. .Nova
ra-Mazarre highway which re,cb
es the north coast near San Ri;
agio. That is the base of the Ma
sma peninsula 1t also is the Iast
communication: lateral through tho
mountains of the Messina nnnin
cula from the east coast of Sicilr
20 the North Sea front. And i
would be as vulnerable to a com.
bined center drive at FrancaviIls
ss the longe' front now close to
being oreacheo at Randazo
The end OF the battle of Sicil,
! is that close, with the choice lvino
among surrender, attempted es,
cape to the Italian mainland or
being finally driven into the sea
German first line troops have
shoWn no taste for the military
adaption of asra-kiri which thus
lar has marked Japanese action
il face of choice between de.
feat and death At Stalingrad, in
Tunisia and more recently at Ore
the German army has shown its
readiness to give up when hone.
| lessly trapped. What happens AZ
Messina will throw some additional
tight on what can be expected Of
Germany when hope Of even
prolonged defensive has gone, as
ii = i'll.
J ~ S about to be tested anew
also, at Kharkov in Russia. Over.
hight Moscow advices showed
russian advo2ce to within heavy
field gun range of the sprawGng
ukrainlan industrial and rail cen
ter. at captured Slatino, 2 miles
ncrth. They told also of the tax
ing of Murafa, 30 miles or so west
of the city.
At Murafa the Red army scythe
sweeping alb ,ut Kharkov from the
orth and west is virtually on the
last western escape route from the
Nazi hedgehog bastion. Russian
, guns must already be battering
the Kharkov-Poltava supply line if
a lunging Russian armored column
is not already astride it and in
position to strike at Poltava itself
and at The lower Dnieper crossings
beyond
! Murais~ is only some IS miles
air line from Poltava. That june
ton is vital link in the Nazi
communication system for the
whole line nc:th and east of the
great southern bend of the Dniep-
or. Its fall would expose Krem-
enchug and Dnieperopetrovsk to
Russian attack from the north and
leave Knarkov and the whole enc
iny-held area south of it to Tag
anrog dependent on the Kharkov-
Crimea railroad for munitioning
or escape.
Moscow reports that Nazi re-
treat from Kharkov and the upper
Donets front beloW it is impending
appear well justified. A Russian
tap that could equal or exceed
Stating ad in the take in prisoners
and ma,eriel is closing fast on the
south end Of the German front IN
the east.