The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-06
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War A.

Return of Allied bombers ~
attack on Romanian and Hung ~ me
communication hubs suggests ts ION
the first major blow of tha ;n r4a'
grated Russian Allied canna;1n
on the continent may fall aaa G,sn
the Danube delta Galati CnS
There could be good reason bo op
military and political to the roinda .
of Russian and Allied leadprsb;s
alike in making a break-t,ronap
drive by joint ground-air operati ,,S'.
at that point a preliminary for thS
main east-West assault planned ~,
Teheran. d.
The Italy based Allied air attack
hammering repeatedly at Bid
pest, Bucharest and Ploesti makes
it doubtful that the Nazi war mo-
chine even now is drawing anv
substantial flow of highest ava
ton fuel and lubricants from Re-
mania. 1t is even possible that tbo
reluctance of Nazi fighter planes
to take the air in the west against
Anglo American bombing fleets
from Britain is traceable in some
degree to dwindling reserves in
both categories.
If the Nazis have discovered
satisfactory synthetic lubricant
there has been no suggestion of #
from Allied experts. Lacking that
rigid conservation of high test
plane engine oil may be an added
factor in keeping Nazi fighters
grounded so frequently while Al.
lied bomber fleets roam continen.
tai skies at will.
1t is not to be doubted that the
Germans long ago foresaw the
necessity of storing up oil and gaso.
line from Romanian fields against
the possibility that now faces them.
That is the LOGS of the whole Dan.
ube and Siret valleys, on the slopes
of which the wells lie, to the Rus.
sian or Allied air SCATTERING to pipa
lines and the oil-barge traffic Oil
the Danube.
While there may be considerable
stocks of all categories in storage
in Germany, actual losc of the
fields, nevertheless, would be a
heavy blow. Sooner or later in Rus
sian hands some of the wells could
be brought back to serve Allied
war machines and aid in stepping
up the final attack in the south
and southeast no matter what de-
molition the Germans executed in
Romania in preparation for their
evacuation.
The political results throughout
the Balkans of a Russian incur
sion into the Danube valley also
appears to urge intensive action
in Romania either in advance of
the Allied invasion assaults from
the west and indicated main Rus
cian drive from tn e east some
where along the LWoW Brest
Litovsk line, or closely synchro-
nized with those impending master
blows. There is always possibility
of Bulgarian collapse as a Nazi
satellite not at war with Russia
The e f e c t on Turkeys future
course in that event cannot be
overlooked for at some point in the
months ahead, the Turks are 60
ing to desert their neutrality stand
in order to insure themselves a
seat at the peace table on the VIC
tors side.
Russian penetration of the Dan
ube valley via the Galati gate
would virtually cut Bulgaria off
from Germany, except for round
about approaches. Nazi ability to
keep Bulgaria, normally slanted TO-
ward Russia in racial ties and pop
ular sentiment, in line by force
would be questionable. And Bull
garian detection would begin the
final crack-up of the fragile Axis
structure in the Balkans. It cannot
be doubted that Teheran commit
ments look to that end.