The Wilmington morning star., 1944-05-23
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
AP War ANALYST

French and American nrono, =,
the Fifth army are stabbing al ken
points on the right flank of n.
German defense line below Row.
lending support to apparent ev
pectations at Allied headouar+or,
in Italy that the Nazi southern
front - which has now broadaros
to about 80 miles will soon ro11
lapse.
This widening of the front b.,
forced into the fray all Nazi 70.
serves below Rome. Allied obsar
walton shows II Nazi division d.
ployed in the south or posted abon,
the Anzio beachhead. They hav.
not only a longer line to cove ~
the south, but a more difficult fer.
rain to defend with every step
backward.
That means heavier troops cor.
centrations along the whole south.
ern front. Re-inforcements for any
critical point where Allied breaL.
through is threatened can be oh.
tanned only by weakening some
other nearby section of the de.
Tense line. This is apparently what
happened when an American pa.
troll entered Terra Gina on the coast
only to withdraw when German
armored unit reshed to that
sector from the north.
Nazis Must Fall Back
1t appears obvious that. lackino
Immediately available reserves
the Nazis must fall back without
delay on the coastal flank or risl,
entrapment of stable part
of their forces on that sector
American troops on the slopes Of
the Ausoni hills north of the town
are in position to cut off not only
the Terracina garrison, but enemy
troops holding the coastal hump
beyond it at the south end of the
Pontine Marshes.
The Germans flooded the
marshes weeks ago in expecta ion
of Allied attacks to effect
junction with the Anzio beach
head. hey probably also have de-
stroyed key points in the App;na
Way, the trunk highway across the
marsh lands from Terrachina to
Rome. The Rome-Naples railroad
which parallels the road inshore
runs above the flood line but pass
es through several tunnels under
spurs of the Ausoni and Lepini
hills which have been or could be
blocked against an Allied advance.
It is clear that the Terracina-
Circea-Hump position is already
uatenable for the foe. Al American
break-through north of Terracina
in any depth would trap units of
his right flank between the flood
ed marshes and sea where they
could be wiped out by Allied naval
gunfire. Nazi withdrawal from that
positions to be expected.
junction OF FOTCeS
The inevitable result will be a
junction of the two wings of " e
Anzio beachhead forces and those
holding the left on the Allied line
in the south. While the main road
and rail connectios across the re-
manning score or SO miles separat-
ing them may not be available
and, in any case, would be COM
manded by enemy guns on the
Lepini hills, there is a coastal road
from Anzio. 1t runs down the ma
tural beach causeway along the
sea edge of the Pontine marshes
to the Greco hump and then 10
Terracina.
1t is a minor road, shown on
only large scale maps, VIII Il
would be under close cover of Al
lied naval guns and whole distance
and remote from enemy fire. In
Allied possession, it would permit
quick shutting Of forces in either
direction foS attack on selected
Nazi defense keys. and add i'm
measurably to the strain on enemy
communications and reserves 10
meet a constantly widening front.