The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-04-14
The War On
 MonyFronts
By LOUIS F. KEEMLE United Press War EdltOr)

The speedy reconquest of the Crimea by the Aed Armies and the Shattering Allied air offensive against Germany and It's bulwark of conquered countries dominated the European war picture today.
 In six days the Russians had re- gained four-fifths of the Crimea and were sweeping ahead from the north and east to complete the oc- cupation by capturing the Sevasto- pol naval base at the southwestern end of the peninsula.
 In six days also, great fleets of Allied war planes had dropped thou sands of tons of bombs the length and breadth of Hltler's European fortress day and night without a let-up. It was the greatest sustain ed aerial offensive in history and Q convincing demonstration of AL lied air supremacy as the hour for invasion drew nearer.
 The Red Army was within 35 miles of SevaStopol after taking Simferopol, the capital. Another column was speeding down the west coast from captured Yevpatoria and a third westward along the south coast towards Yalta and Sev- astopol.
 The speed of the advance about 30 miles a day, testified to the weak ness of the opposition. The capture of 10000 German and Romanian prisoners showed demoralization in the enemy ranks and raised a ques- ton of whether there would be @ really effective attempt to defend Sevastopol, where the Russians withstood an Axis siege of eight months in 1941-42.
 The probability seemed to be that Sevastopol would fall as easily as Odessa on the mainland. Reports from the front indicated there was not enough shipping available to the enemy for large-scale evacu- ation, even if 1t could be carried out successfully under the fire of Rus sian planes and naval units guard- ing the escape route. The enemy apparently was trying to save what 1t could with the few ships at hand.
 The Russian occupation of the Crimea offers an interesting conl- parison with the Allied campaign in Sicily last year. The Crimea and Sicily are almost exactly the same in size, just under 10000 square miles. Allied forces captured Mes sina on August IT, 1043, completing the occupation five weeks and four days after the first landing.
 Tina tapr0 iV1 ~ AIan &,x~a is not dissimilar. However, there were about three times as many of the enemy in Sicily and the resist ar1ce was far greater than 1t has been so far in the Crimea.
 AS the Crimean campaign moved to its climax, other Russian forces were engaged in exterminating the remnants of the Odessa garrison which had not escaped into BesSara- bia. These forces, in a small area between the Black Sea and the Dnestr Lagoon, were completely cut off after the Russian capture of Ovidiopol, IS miles southwest of Odessa.
 In the western air war, RAF twtn-motored mosquito bombers rounded out the sixth and greatest day of the offensive with night at- tacks on Berlin and other targets. During daylight yesterday, nearly 4,OOO bombers and fighters, mostly American, struck shattering blows In Germany. France. Belgium, Hun- gary, Yugoslavia. Italy and the Greek Island of Corfu.
 Primary targets were aircraft fac- tories essential to the existence of the Luftwaffe. and Tail communi- cation facilities. In addition, Am- erican planes shot down ll2 enemy aircraft. With the S78 enemy planes which Secretary of War StimSon announced had been shot down by our planes in the preced- ing five days, 1t made Q total Of 4oO. besides many more destroyed on the ground.
 Except for the aerial blasting of enemy rail and road communica- tions there was little action in Italy beyond exchanges of artillery fire on the front.
 Tn the Pacific. American aircraft also dominated the picture. blasting enemy bases from the northern coast Of New Guinea to the Kurile Islands. north of Japan 4.0O0 miles away. Four of the Kuriles were bombed in the third straight day of attack. Hollandia on New Guinea was hit with 322 tons of bombs and ten enemy ships were destroyed or damaged nearby.