The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-05
Interpreting
The War
By HAMILTON w. FARON

Dark days are ahead for Axis
forces Keeling under a week Of
powerful thrusts of Allied might
on all the worlds war fronts.
From the Donets Basin area
where the valiant Russian armies
are surging steadily forward,
through the Mediterranean where
Italy now is beng invaded, to the
far Pacific where Navy planes
blasted Japan's Marcus island
base, the week just closed piled
troubles upon troubles for the
Axis.
And more disasters are COM
ing, possibly very soon. This is
particularly true in the southern
European sector where every in
dication points to new invasion
moves spearheaded by American
troops.
Would Force Breaches
Those landings, if carried out,
would force new breaches in the
already penetrated outer defenses
of the fortress OF Europe, broken
first by the British and Canadian
invasion at the foot of the Italian
boot. Possibilities are strong that
the American troops may land
farther up the boot, thanking Axis
forces retreating before the drive
of the British and Canadian ar
mics. German troops in Italy can
be expected to fight bitterly, par
ticularly in the north, to keep air
fields out of Allied hands as long
as possible.
The invasion of Italy, which
still might be expanded to include
landings in southern France,
Crete, or Greece, of course was
bad news for the Axis.
But Hitler was hit really hard
in the Donets area. There the Rus
sian armies drove the Germans
out of Taganrog, the southern an
Choir for their front, and the Nazis
have started a ''disenga cement
movement that already has moved
their lines far back toward an
ultimate stand along the Dnieper
river.
Closer to home for the Germans,
the might of Allied air power has
been demonstrated time and again
with pounding of German indus
trial centers cimaxed by devas-
tating commandments of Berlin.
That staggering damage has been
caused is evident from the weight
of bombs dumped on the Nazi CAP
ital, estimated by the Raj as
greater than the total of the long
months of aerial bombardment Of
London by the German air force.
Underground movements added
to the Nazi problem in Europe,
topped by the uprising in Den
mark, once regarded as the quiet
est of the Axis occupied countries
In the Pacific the battering con-
tlnued against Japan with a car
rler task force assault on the enc
my's Marcus island base, possibly
portending mighty offensive by
sea. However, IT'S full significance
remains in doubt pending disclo-
sure of details. The Japanese fell
back also in the Solomons, with
drawing from Santa Isabel island
and their important Rekata Bay
sea plane base. Allied troops con-
tlnued a drive to knock out Sala-
maua on New Guinea and bomb
ing planes pounded other Japa-
nese bases throughout the south
and southwest Pacific areas.
One reason for the setbacks for
the Japanese was disclosed by
Navy Secretary Knox in report
ing that more than one third of
Japan's cargo tonnage-highly
important in supplying outlying
bases-had been destroyed by AL
lied forces. More destruction of
Japanese shipping is coming, prin-
clpally from rowing American SUBJ
marines beating relentlessly at the
enemy supply lines.
Herman Gerdes and D. H. NC
Glaughton.