The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-09
The War On Many Fronts
BY LOUIS r. KEENlLE Limited Press War Edit0e)

 struck again at the continent to- day. keeping alive the sustained air offensive against Germany which has developed Into an unparalleled campaign of destruction.
 The pattern of the offensive ape peared to have brcadened, combining into steady operations various ob. jectives which hitherto had been tackled only from time to time. Some of the chief aims of the com. bined British and American Ar Forces, operating by day and night, emerged as follows:
 l. To destroy the German Luft- waffe's fighting strength by engag- ing 1t in the air.
 2. To knock out Its source of rec plenishment by wrecking factories and assembly plants on the ground, thus assuring that once the Luft- waffes strength is destroyed, 1t will remain destroyed.
 3. To cripple other essential sources of German war production and the communications system.
 1. To obliterate Berlin as the nerve center of the Naxi war system and national production.
 Yesterdays daylight attack by nearly 2,O0O American bombers and fighters on Berlin advanced to some extent all of these aims, particular" ly the first and fourth.
 The Luftwaffe was forced into massed action in defense of Q vital target and lost heavily. American fighters destroyed 83 enemy planes and the bombers got 42 for a total of l25.
 Mondays Attack
 In Mondays attack, American bombers got @ Nazi planes and the fighters 83 for 0 total of 176, which was estimated to be about one-half of Germany's faltering monthly production rate. U. s. losses were 38 bombers and l6 fighters, as against 68 and II on Monday.
 The campaign presumably Is to continue at full blast despite the cost, on the obvious ground that Allied strength can stand the losses, while Germany cannot.
 The latest assault on Berlin also scored heavily by almost obliterat- ing the Erkner ball bearing plant outside Berlin, Germany's chief re- nfaining source of that essential component of airplanes and other war machines.
 The unprecedented number of in- cendiary bombs dropped set great fires from end to end of the capital, and speculation was revived on whether the capital might not have to be abandoned, which would be a telling stroke at German morale.
 The assault on Berlin was only one of Germany's major worries. On the Russian front, determined Ger man counter attacks appeared in- capable of halting the great Red Army drive in the Ukraine. Mar shal Gregory K. Zhukov's forces ex- tended their grip on the Lwow- Odessa railway to a 33-mile stretch They imminently threatened the junction of Proskurov, whose loss would deprive the Germans of their last communications link into the southern Ukraine except through Rumania. The eventual result was expected to be a forced German rec treat across the Dniester.
 In Italy
 In Italy. the Germans were re- pulsed in two attacks on the Ando beachhead and Allied war planes ranging unhampered by weather oG much enemy opposition, ravaged their ground lines and rear com municatiolS. The Germans still ap- peared to be preparing for c third major effort to storm the beach, head, however.
 On the diplomatic front, it was hinted in Stockholm that an in- portant development was pending in Finlands efforts to arrange an arniistice with Russia. It also was reported that unrest and war wear iness was growing in Bulgaria More troops were said to have been called up to check pro-Allied glier- rilla activities.
 Tn London, Prime Minister Churchill replied to questions about the proposed transfer to Italian warships to Russia with a state- ment implying 1t might be psot- poned. perhaps until after the war.
 In the Pacific, American Marines on New Britain extended their grip on Willaumez Peninsula, cutting 1t in kw0 and advancinW against Gkiff Japanese opposition on Talasea. TO miles from Rabaul. Our ground forces also repulsed Japanese at. tempts Co land on Los Negros In tho Admiralty Islands, and advanced closer to Madang on the New