The Wilmington morning star., 1944-10-10

The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War Anal.

tAiS elemer,
probably have joined hand, .,'
Of Aachen as this is writt.. IVY
form a hangman's knot IL, q
lethal moose worked about the t,''
German community of any 81.
tactical or strategic import.,,'
to fall to Allied OR Russian ,r,.' WV
Its fall within hours seemss
sured. With Aachen taken Nv
sault or sealed off to wi1e,
the vine, the time was at han, y
the whole weight of Allied nar ~
to fall upon the foe through hwy nnsss
gateways to Germany and ssa
once and for all the danger N
winter stalemate in the West
There was little intimator
front line advices of Allied IN
mediate moves to exploit the isos
ton or capture of Aachen. WV
the pincer grip on the ruined e..
man fortress city full set, Frs
Army troops were in a positn,
to drive deeper eastward tow.,s
the Rhine, or to swing snar,ls
northWestWard up the flat land,
west Of the river, taking enen,
fixed defenses along the Dutrs.
German frontier to Kleve md
Emmerich in flank and rear y
they advanced.
Which ever direction the Aned
can break-through effort takes IA
yond the Aachen breach, howsyr
it is clear that primary obies
tive must be to give thanking SUN
port to the British Second Arm,
now heavily massed in the Mimi
gen-Arnhem pocket between In,
lesser Rhine and the WAL and
south Of the WAL against the Am
m-Emmerich gateway to tn,
north German plain. The chanu
to crack or turn the whole Nst
Rhine position, east as well az
west of the river, before wine
sets in looks brighter there tha,
elsewhere.
Field Marshal Montgomery o.
viously has been widening lid
operating theater and improvn,
his communication lines in Hi,
land for that purpose. Clearn,
Of the western Schelde Estua7
route to Antwerp appeared Liked!
through a surprise landing Of hl
Canadian army on the southern
bank. That landing also SNAPPED
shut a trap on Nazi garrim
escape matches from the sched.
islands that form the northen
side of the water way.
Use of Antwerp and its road
rail and canal system to supp!
his forces would greatly simpli!
Montgomery's problem in loosn!
a hammer strike against Maj
troops now guarding the LESSEE
Rhine front without benefit Of fix
ed permanent works to aid them
Every hour of delay gives them
opportunity to dig in deeper a.
we'll as narrows the time margin
until winter weather forecl@s
major operations in the north.
Virtual isolation Of Aachen BY
American troops spelled DANCE
for the Nazis in the west, ad
Russian crossing of the lisa rW
in southeastern Hungary, was Al
even more ominous developmsl'
for the Germans. 1t brought Ru'
sian spearheads beyond the Las
natural obstacle on the road "
Budapest. Some Nazi reports NJ
dictated Red army patrols We''
within little more than 50 miles \
the city.
West of the lisa, there are u
Vulnerable small lakes and mu'1
marshy ground. Nazi-Hungarq
failure to hold the river line unI
der the circumstances indicate
critical weakness.
Beyond the lisa the HungafaA
plain provides ideal terrain at tfl
season for Russian CosssA
cavalry, living off the country Y
for fast-moving light tank column
stabbing into enemy rear COM
munications. Nor can BERN
ignore the possibility that Russo !,
preaching Of the lisa line m y.
topp1e the last wavering sa'eIs
state left in Hitler's once tofnp
able Axis house-of-cards In sour
eastern Europe.