The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-15
The War On Many Fronts
BY LOUIS F. KEEMLE Limited Press War EditOr)

Allied air power was turned loose on the southern Italian front to- day, signifying the start of a viz orous effort to break the deadlock both at Casino and on the Anzio beachhead.
 The reluctant decision to bom- bard the ancient Benedictine mon- aStery on Monte Casino was talk en only after the Germans had turned the religious shrine into a stronghold which effectively held up the advance on Rome in that sector.
 On the Russian front. the Red Army sealed the doom of the Ger man remnants caught in the Cher kasi pocket with the capture of Korsun, their remaining strong point. Baltic forces pressed stead fly on Pskov, the railway hub at the entrance to Latvia and south ern Esthonia.
 The air offensive against vest ern Europe was pressed with re- newed bomher-fighter sweeps over the French invasion coast. Mean while Finnish efforts to get out of the war continued in Stockholm.
 The war against Japan was in- tensified with devastating attack on Eniwetok atoll, weSternmoSt ot the Marshall Islands, by the oc- cupation of Rooke Island between New Guinea and New Britain, and by sweeping aerial blows at Jap anese bases along the coast of the China Sea.
 The intensity of the Allied air offensive suggests that the turn ing point i ntne bitterly-contested west coast area below Rome may be approaching.
 The bad weather which made AL lied operations sporadic for the last ten days apparently has lifted and planes of all types from heavy bombers to fighters are in action not only on the battle fronts, but on the supply and communications lines immediately to the rear and on railroad points in central and northern Italy through which troops and supplies are funneled tc the Rome area.
 Two Developments
 In the wake of the aerial attacks two developments may be looked for. One is a determined Fifth Army drive, after Monte Casino has been knocked out, past Casino into the Liri Valley to join forces witt the beachhead divisions.
 The other is that the beachheaC Army, providing that continued ia. vorable weather permits full use ot air superiority, may be able to re. gain the initiative and smash tht strong positions which the German. have had time to set up in the hill. along the Appian Way. To prevent the junction of these forces, which would measurably ad. vance the prospects for Allied oc- cupation of Rome, Hitler may bt forced to draw even more heavily on his precious reserves in northern Italy and southern France.
 That does not fit in with hi strategic plans. Allied observers be. lieve Hitler already has sent more forces into southern Italy than tt had intended to.
 Apparently Hitler took a chance on being able to throw the Allie back into the sea fro mthe Anzit beachhead, which would have pro vided him with victory even nor, important psychologically than mili tarily. The opportunity seems tt have slipped from his grasp by req son of Allied sea and air superior ity.
 Hitler could and did send il enough infantry, artillery, tanks ant mobile units to give him reasonable hope of being able to achieve hi object. The warships and plane! he could not match, and that is tht factor which seems likely to turn thu ! fide