The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-12-29

The War
By KIRKE L. SIMPSON
AsSOciateu Press War -,

Assessment of blame for AZ
Christmas season reverses s,,+e 'De
ed by American arms in Ret ssIeg'
necessarily must wait on fl7t''ra
developments, but some of tbos '.e
whom credit is Que for sten9r 9G 70
the first great wave of the ,'' Nal3
attack are known already ''A'
When names can be revoo1.,
that OF the commander of tho 49,
erican garrison at the Be, ca'lt'
r. d and rail hub town Of Ba.
togne will stand high. His nnt S@s'
you rejection of formal Ger, w.
demands for surrender of his r ,r'r,'
mand earned him place in bi.'
tory. 1t was pound to catch Ar, InS'
can public fancy as did the "q sfrl5'
us-more Japs" message nv
doomed Marines on Wake TsIanJ
There is much more than tLO o.
presently and potentially tracabIo
to that gallant American STAND &c
Bastogne. 1t was more than Sr, a.
Dol OF the high morale in Amer.
can ranks even in times of arm+a
stress and disaster. 1t marked
definite turning point in the ore.t
battle, denying the enemy uSe NJ
vital communications at a criticoi
time for him.
Bastogne may prove to be the
key to the whole Allied plan ot
counter action. Its importance in
German eyes IS clearly reflected
in front line dispatches tellino NJ
at least five Nazi divisions in tbo
siege ring about the town thronp6
which a Third Army relief column
broke
Twenty-four hours after the "a
lief of Bastogna was accomnGs5.
ed, the mile-Wide corridor still was
open. There was no indication =
was being used merely as an Is.
cape hatch to evacuate its hardy
garrison to safety. On the contra.
ry, there was more than a hint
that it was strongly lined with
men and armor on both sides and
successfully beating off German
attempts to close it There also
were certain indications that Third
Army comrades are striking sue.
Icessfully along the south side of
the Bastogne corridor and south.
east of the town along the Sure
(Sauer) river If Luxembourg 10
widen that thrust into the south.
ern face of t1e Nazi Belgian.Lux.
embourg bulge.
1t seems clear from reports that
Third Army elements now have
crossed the Sure river southeast Of
| Bastogne at four or more points
and that General Eisenhower dis
positions are based on hope Of
achieving an even more decisive
success than nipping off the head
of the German counter attack
The Sure spans some 20 miles be-
tween the Bastogne-Arlon highway
eastward to the Ourthe to which
the Nazi-Luxenbourg frontier con.
forms. The angie of northern Lux.
embourg which lies between the
two streams affords the most fav-
orable terrain for fast moving
tank action anywhere in the re.
gion. Through it, too. pass an i'm.
portant railway and highway,
The eastern end of the Naz
counter attack bulge now is mar
rowed to approximately IS miles
at its indicated Buttingen-Bours-
cheid base line near the German
border. Those are the shoulders
against which the American First
and Third Army developing pincer
thrusts from north and south seem
aimed. Progress in any depth
from either direction inevitably
must force enemy retirement to
protect his communications Or
seek escape into Germany before
it is too late.
There is 10 definite indication
yet that the foe has reversed HIM
self or given up the initiative. Bu.
his position is becoming precar-
ious as Allied counter measures
attain power along his flankS.