The Wilmington morning star., 1943-07-25
interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMpsa,.

it, a pattern of disastsr fsenlevs fa
axis on all fronts was w. M 'ns
panding at this weekend S' eS'
From Russia to Sicily fu.
Solomons to the Kurile islsnds md ne n,
Japan and in the Aleutiansi i0S e oi
axis was feeling the weigS. S, he
United Nation power, the Snr imn,.o Of
able will to force unconditposec tplsc, c,
surrender. The Nazi U-boat b-ronaI iona
ace in the Atlantic seemed men, men
than ever a scotched snake ItUye F
on the east Asia front tba Aven ~.
took on new life. Allied bor,ha war
ranged over Japanese bases aiOV!S IS
obvious preliminaries for 49, ns IN
combined sea-air-ground actin inaI0F
wrest Burma and its black g,i9 %
stores of oil from enemy coptroY sy,q
Allies Leap Forward
Moving with breath-taking sno0a
allied forces in western and 1pee0 e
trail Sicily leaped forward in aisa, tell,
strides. At the weekend Sia5, t5an
were well on the way to clo.risyy rtsy
most of the great Italian isI5ng
vital as a base for operate,
against the European continent .0;IS ~
self, of collapsing foe. 'l, ooI, !,
Britain's 9th army veterans
the east flank still were mee4Un WI
bitter Nazi resistance on tbs .s =,
tania sector-and there wers ~ w
ports that the American 7tb armr
its heavy fighting done in the ws,
was moving toward Catania ~
give the British hand.
Out of reported Hitler.NIussoI,i
conferences came no word of con
ISOLATION for Italians that gresto,
German intervention yet migtt
save them from allied venpeance
BY every report from Euronpan
listening posts II Duce pleaded in
vain for help. Hitler could rnl
spare the men, nor the pianos
from Russia or his bonb.blasteJ
home front to rescue his Italian
accomplice. There were rumorS
indeed, that he had Offered Mus.
solini only the doubtful consoIs.
ton of refuge in Austria II the
war-sick Italian people tuned
upon him. And from Spain came
dispatches saying Italians demon,
strated in the streets Of Italys
great cities, shouting peace"
British naval guns and bombs
began feeling out the Italian main.
land itself in an area of possible
crucial significance.
Crotone Under Fire
A brief sea attack put Crotone
at the eastern portal of the Gulf
of laramie, between the toe and
heel of the Italian mainland boot
under fire. London speculation
was that the raid was to cripple
the roundabout rail transportatm
system for reinforcements bound
to Sicily. That may be true, but
there are other possible explana'
tons.
Across the gulf, in the depth Of
which still turks part of Italgs
scattered and ineffective sea pow.
er, lies Apulia, the heel pro-
vince of Italy. From Apulia's eaSt.
ern shore it is less than 50 miles
to Albania and the Greek PENN.
sula. In allied hands Apulia would
be of incalcuable value in press.
ing an air attack to pave the way
for a surge across the easter
Mediterranean to knock at The
Aegean postern gate of the MAJ
fortress of Europe.
Allied seizure of airfields in Ap
liza would place heavy bomber
within 600 miles of the RumaniaH
oil fields. Those fields are the
Achilles heel of the whole German
war effort. And ApuGa is vulner-
able.
A recent National Geographic
bulletin describes that flat ahd
indefensible southeast corner ol
Italy as a Thirsty land, "s'el
was sold by the barrel like VINE
until the completion in lSSS Of
vast 1000 mile aqueduct sySIeiu
to feed nearly 200 reservoirs. lha'
life-giving water distribution S9a,
tenn is an inviting targed aillea
bombers have not yet assalleo
perhaps for humanitarian reason,
From the italian heel province
allied air power could carry iol.
ward a long swift stride agslas'
Italy, the Greek peninsula, Autr
attic and Aegean shipping ana even even
against Germany's war fac'oils4
south and east of Berlin or agdln1i
Berlin itself. This latter "oo-
supplement the air RAIDS no" d., e~l
ried out against Berlin from Div
ish bases. l
But most of all, from Apuls
bases, big bombers could Il t'Py. py
easily to the Ploesti center ol nv W.
manian oil sources in mass mass ar p+
tacks calculated to blast them 9,. o1
Of action and leave Hitler's who-s
mechanical war machlhe s''p''
for fuel and lubricating OILS, ..a
A crushing air blow al flo''s s,
and it's oil wells and pipelines p',., Ps.
haps would do more 10 help nr1 N
sia destroy the German army l.,ss IL
her front and shorten the s'russs ~,
in E,,rone than any other DIV