The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-27
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
AP War Aralyst

desperate NAIL attemp to IS.
cape a closing Allied trap south O,
Rome are disclosed in SURRENDER
of massive Mount Cairo. Just mort.
OF Canssino. That 6,0OO-foot neal
was the dominant central factor
in the whole German TRANSFORM.
sular front in Italy. Its loss i'm.
plies that the enemy may bsva
abandoned hope of further defe,sa
of Rome.
The cutting edge of the Allied
attack, however, is the Fifth
army lunge beyond captured Cis.
terna On the left center of The ~.
to within gun range of main NJ
road and rail communications ~
the Sacco valley. American can
ture of Corr On the ctest of ~,
low saddle between the Aha,
hills on the north and the Lenin;
to the south has rendered the nosi
ton of all enemy forces be}oy
that point critical.
German broadcasts tell
sWarms Of Allied tanks pmu~ir,
through the Cisteraa gap to BIT,
its defenders. The blow if dr;ver
home to Valmontone, less tIsr
eight miles distant, would cut tbo
Via Asllina and main Rome.
Naples railway at that point an
miles in the rear of German div,
sions still guarding the entra,c.
to the Sacco valley. There arc M
natural obstacles to ball an i'm,
mediate Allied armored swee,
through the gap. And there !,
every evidence that the Germans
have failed to muster reinforce.
ments to meet the grave danoe.
and of being cut in two.
Enemy Pays Price
The enemy is paying a heayy
and increasing price for his fail.
ure to block Fifth amy iunc.
ton across the oontine plm
Press advices give eye witness
evidence that the Germans left in
such haste that road demolitioys
were inadequate even to DELAY
seriously concentration of Fifth
army armor and troops for the
deadly thrust across the Cister2a
gap. 1t seems obvious that lis
commander, General Mark Clark,
has mustered all the power at his
command in thai section with well
warranted hope of ending tie
battle for Rome in the upper Sac.
CO valley into which his forces
are now deploying.
For it is now only German
troops south of he Cisterna break.
through that are threatened by
that Allied forward surge. The
last potential enemy defense line
below Rome keyed to the Albaa
hills less than Is miles from the
city is menaced by Allied encircle-
ment from the southeast to match
the drive up the coastal flank by
British Fifth army elements.
A Fifth army turn northward
once it reaches the center OF the
Sacco valley in the VaImon'one
area would set it On the way either
to Rome direct or to bypass it to
the east and strike at TivoI Or
the Rome PeScara highway.
Small Chance For Nazis
There would be small chance
Of German stand anywhere
south of Rome.
General Alexander, Allied field
commander, apparently is rush
ing northward across the Pontine
plain to redouble the power of his
attack il the most critical Cis-
terna-Valmontone sector as well
as to deal with a possible German
desperate counter attack attempt
when - and if - reinforcemenN
from the north reach the scene,
Allied air scouts, however, re-
port Chaotic" conditions along all
Nazi communication lines, ha-as,'
ed by Allied massed air power.
There has been no certain i3di-
cation yet of a general German
rout in italy. The escape from
the Pontine plain was made skill
fully. The danger of compe!s
| disa ster ie still nreser1t hou-ever,