Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-04-13
BEHIND
The NEWS
-ByP Paul
Mafon


grand assault on Europe.
II should not be called a
second front. This is an obso-
lete misnomer the Russians
furnished more than year ago.
Since then, the Italian second
front has been opened, and the
third air front over Germany
has become important.
While no one outside knows
or should kHow-the plans
for the grand assault, the best
unofficial military analysts
naturally have made geographic
cal surveys with the following
interesting results;
The Russian drive into Ro-
mania plainly calls for an
Anglo American invasion of
Yugoslavia to cut across the
Balkans and meet the oncoming
Russians. This would isolate
Bulgaria, Greece and southern
Yugoslavia if it could be
launched in sufficient strength
to bring success.
Second most strategic point
for the grand assault would be
a power drive through the
Netherlands straight into Ger
many. An ideal plan would
call for simultaneous invasionS
of northern France around lie
Havre Gained up the Seine
at Paris) and invasion of the
sou thern coast of France
(Garonne and Rhone Valleys.
WITH such program the
w grand assault would be in a
position TO follow the success
full Russian tactics and switch
attacks from one front TO an
other, thus straining the Ger
man defense line to the utmost
and preventing concentration OF
enemy effort.
The great difficulty with such
a scheme, however, is that these
fronts are not contiguous and
different routes of supplies and
reserves would have to be main
tanned for each Independently.
Four separate tremendous ac-
cumulations of power would be
required. The Nazis are supposed
to have 675.0 900 men in France.
In their current nominations,
nearly all the analysts have
abandoned interest in the Nor
wegian and Danish avenues into
Europe. Norway, after capture,
would not bring military advan-
tageS commensurate with the
effort of conquest, and Denmark
is farther from the heart OF
Germany than the Netherlands.
These conclusions may not at
all guide the military high COM
mand, which must be concerned
with the problem of resources
as much as ideal strategy. But
they do represent the Summa-
ton of discussions now current
among authorities, particularly
in military magazines.
NOV, as to the actual condi-
~ ton on the present German
fighting front. their defeat on
the southern end of the Russian
line has been more serious than
the maps show. They have no
more ground to sell. Also in
their latest retreats. they have
failed for the first time to gain
enough time to prepare their
positions.
The Nazis tried to dig in from
Iasi to the Black Sea on a fairly
good line. But, as this was y
written, Iasi was half surround
ed and in danger of falling.
Nothing suggested an ability to
hold it, yet less than 200 miles
in the rear was the valued
Ploesti oil fields.
Similarly northward around
Lwow (where they have been
holding a little better) their
backs were up against that
vital rail center, and its sub
sequent Galician oil field and
the shale which the Germans
have been crushing for their
lubricants. Thus, for the first
time also the Reds were APP
preaching vital Navi military
resources instead Of merely re-
capturing their own.
This Balkan development
seems 10 call for Turkey to
come into the war, but the
Turks are afraid of what Ger
man bombing might do 70 their
cities $, particularly Istanbul.
While hopes that they would
act at the proper time were
once high here, now that the
proper time has arrived, few
authorities who know the situa-
ton are hopeful.
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