The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-21
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKEe L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War Analyst

1ASSVCAdCCu IICSS war ASSAJ ~
There are startling limitations
in the war news that the German
retreat into Rumania may be
headed for the Carpathian noun
tains-Danube Delta line, virtually
abandoning Nazi troops in the Cri-
mea end of. Odessa region to their
fate.
With the Dniester River Rus
sian crossed on a wide front in
the center and Red forces al
ready firmly gripping positions
in the Carpathian foothills in
southern Poland, there seems no
other short, naturally strong line
available for a Nazi stand in the
south.
The Dniester break through
virtually undermines both the
Prut and Siret river positions in
Rumania proper as potential de-
Tense fronts.
Nazi seizure of complete control
in all Hungary, reported from An
kara color to this theory. Buda-
pest is the focal point for all rail
and road connections leading to
the passes of the Carpathians and
of the Pennsylvania Alps. Wheth-
err brewing revolt against Nazism
in Hungary is also involved or
not, military necessity could well
explain the German move.
Russian spearheads in Bessara-
bia are closing in on Balti junction
through the gap in the Dniester
line. Baths fall would cut the
only northern escape route for
German forces still in the Dniester-
Bug trap driving them southwark
toward Odessa.
Beyond Balti lies the Iasi Prut
crossing on the OdessaTiraspol-
Iasi railroad, the only other west
ward escape hatch from Odessa.
Its garrison and other Nazi troops
being herded toward it by Rus
sian pressure from the north and
CoSt al oil OCL u dpD0o.
There is no reason to expect
any better prepared Nazi defense
on the Prut or even the Siret
than Russia met on the Dniester.
The Germans failed even to blow
up Dniester bridges or destroy
Nniester ferries behind them, or
to defend the western bank of the
river. There is no other line of
equal natural strength for defense
in central Rumania short of the
towering Carpathians on the west
flank of the Siret valley.
Southwark to the Black Sea
coast of Rumania, however, the
Danube delta offers strong bar
rier to continued Russian west
ward sweep. It is toward some
such last-ditch defense front for
his badly shaken eastern Balkan
flank that Hitler's armies routed
from the Ukraine seem to be stag
gering.
That would mean abandonment
of all eastern Rumanian from the
Polish-Rumanian border to the
Black Sea to the Russians, how
ever. 1t could mean Russian en-
trapment of the bulk of Nazi
forces still in the Ukraine and in
southeastern Rumania against the
Black Sea to stand, siege in Odes-
sa or attempt sea borne es-
cape.
Or even graver possible men
ace to the German war effort, is
the increasing threat to Nazi
prime high grade oil resources in
Rumania. The Russian break
through over the Dniester has
brought the front within little over
200 miles of Ploesti, main oil re-
filming center in Rumania. Red
troops are even closer to the Ru-
oil fields themselves on
the eastern flank of the Carpath-
ians.
That those oil fields and install
lations are of even greater strate-
gic and tactical value in Russian
eyes than the prospect of annihi-
lating thousands Of Nazi troops in
the Dniester-Bug trap goes with
out saying. Stains victorious le-
gions are within sight of dealing
their Nazi foes a most paralyzing
war economy blow, very possibly
with the immediate help of Allied
bombers based in Italy.