The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-04-14
interpreting
The ar
BY KlRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War Anal,

Associated Press War AnalvS
Nazi hopes of hating tho %
sian four-army Ukrainian Inv wv"
naut at the Galati gap entran SsV'
the Danubian plain in Ron3.a
are reflected in an otser~ pla
gloomy summary of the Ea9 +r.
military situation broadcast ~, ,' vi
authorized spokesman for the c VIZ
man high command, Lieut NJ 0s''
Kurt, Dittmar. 'V'
His analysis as picked H.
American radio listening y "
tends to confirm the impreSss sss
that the decisive battle of '' =. a
opening Red army Balkan inv., ~'
campaign will come along W
mile stretch of the lower Sjret ~ :"
err between Galati and the o.. NV
pathian foothills west of Teor.'
The whole weight of the Rues S.,,
attack from the north and nor. 1
east is focused down the prpt ~, ,
Siret valleys on that vital segm r'a
Of the German defenses in s0n.
eastern Romania.
Dittmar vigorously chaIlpro,,
what appear to be rumors cprro..
in Germany that Romania sr5
Bulgaria are to be left to their fs,a
He reported "stiffened" Nazi :.
sistance west of the Prut althon,.
admitting the difficulties of ests i4
fishing ga firmly connected and
| continuous front line" in the fan.
of the spreading Russian pressurs
The lower Siret line is the W,
tural barrier against which IN,
Russian plunge into the Balksr,
via the Danube valley must crash
in time. Red forces stand within
$50 miles of Galati now They ara
in a position to push down bos
banks of the Prut and Siret. Tbe-,
is no other defense position Of am,
notable strength above the Gahf
bend of the Danube although ,As
Galati-Tecuci line has the maxim,
of a powerful road-block front IA
guard the entrance to the Danubs
valley and the main Romanian nil
wells.
The elbow of the juncture Of ha
Carpathians and the Transylvana
Alps, known as the Bereczki range
| juts southeastward to within les
than 40 miles of Galati. 1t is 4
| twisted range of small ridges an:
occasional peaks.
l 1t will take heavy fighting h
clear them of a determined enc
my. Those rugged hills west d
the Siret strongly bolster the LEFT
flank of the Galati-Tecuci defena
position.
| 1t seems obvious that Russian
plans call for quick CLEANUP IN
the Crimea in order to concea.
trate at least three of the -four
massive Ukrainian armies for tie
Balkan invasion drive. 1t could
have another meaning, however,
suggested by the Russian air Oom'
bardment of Constanta, chief Rn
mania Black Sea port.
Once the Nazis have been role!
back behind the Danube-Galati GAP
line as the German military con-
mentator expects they will be
leap = frog operations along t'
coast to gain a foothold in real
of the lower Danube should be p0
sible. An attempt to turn the @.
flank of that line might prove ea
costly than frontal attack
Russian bombers marrying Con-
stanta also were ominously Close
to Bulgaria. They tended TO serve
notice on Bulgaria that Russla'
Bulgarian peace in the midst d
war is on it's most precarious loot
ing. Dittmar's reference TO Bl'
garia is the first time it has been
mentioned by any German author
ity in weeks. His reinsurance ts'
Bulgaria will not be left to its taa
by the Nazis is significant Of Ger
man recognition of a possible Bl'
garian retreat from the war "
escape a clash with Russia II l&