The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-13
Interpreting
The War
BY IVES GALLAGHER
Associated Press War
CORRESPONDENT

Correspondent
LONDON, May 10 Up tn.
ful-scale Allied offensive mountad
by Gen. Sir Harold Alexa7de~ !.
Italy today frightened invasio -,
hopes on this soldier-fined isIand
with everyone viewing it as nrs'
liminary blow to an assault nm ~.
European fortress from the wes.
AS Gen. Alexander drew nre.
cious German troops into n.
and death struggle in Italy, Cen
Dwight D. Eisenhower preuared
a blow from here to bring tbs
Nazis to their knees.
The position was likened 70 tb,.
of a boxer deliviag a one.tw,
punch at his opponent. Alexa,der
now is hitting Hitler with N.
"one" punch: Eisenhower is ex.
pected to deliver the crusbi1,
two" while Stain delivers
swift and mighty kick from he
rear, before many weeks pass
Ground gains-which can be ev
2ected to be very slow-a-e M,
considered important in Italv H.
main thing is to engage as MANY
German troops as possible and n
lnfllct the greatest possible at
triton on the enemy. Every Nazi
soldiers killed in Italy means ono
less to deal with along the west.
wall.
There is nothing in Italy the Al.
lies need greatly at this stage NJ
the war. A drive north would at.
ford some advance fighter fields
for escort missions over the Aims
but with the present long-range
gasoline tanks. these are NOT cnn.
side-ed important. At the same
time, the capture Of large Italian
cities such as Rome would mean a
big burden on the Allies of feeding
and supplying civilians at the
most critical stage OF the war.
Gen. Alexander has had three
months to reg1oup his forces and
to build up sufficient supplies and
there is no doubt in Allied mill.
tary minds that the present often
sive will succeed where the
otheres failed. If it is successful,
1t can drain off reserves which
could be used against the Allies
/ II the west. If it fails, Hitler
could feel free to move troops
from Italy to France in an effort
to repel the next Allied thrust.
1 Any grand-scale operation in Il.
ally, as suggested by the joint as
saul of the Fifth and Eighth Ann.
les, would be certain to have ar
effect on Hitler's westwall defens.
es similar to the bottling up Of
German African defenses by Mont
gomery's assault on the Ell Ale
nein line in the autumn Of 194l
while Eisenhower landed troops II
North Africa.
The new assault was started
with much better chance OF sue
cess than last winters abortive at
tacks. Improved spring weather
will be in the Allies favor, be
cause overwhelming air SUPERIOR
ty can be used every day.
Slow progress on land was ex
pec+ed as the Germans prepared
to defend the rugged country hill
!. by hill, gully by gully. 1t is ex
pected that Allied as well as Ge-
man casualties will be high II thi'
type of fighting, which is mainly
confined to infantry, but the Allie:
can afford high costs - the Ge-
mans cannot.
The Germans have had time Il
prepare a series Of defensive pc
sitions up the Italian boot, but a
the same time they have beer
Withdrawing some Of their cracl
units. such as the first parachute
division, to the west, and they
should have fewer veteran divis
} ions to meet the new assault.
: The Nazis are known to hav'
been moving troops from the Ital
ian front to the westwall il
France. This offensive should stor
the flow, and perhaps even re
:. verse it.. Gen. Alexander's ain
. may be to entangle as many Ger
+ mans as possible in the Italiar
fighting as a part of vast pla-
+ by Britain, the United States aac
!. Russia to bleed the German wa;
M ochiro white