The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-06-13
Interpreting
The War

BY kiRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War .s

~ oSs war AnalySt
Just one week after their tat ,'' -,
from Britain by air and SEA NA Aui u,
forces were within sight ~ NnIed
first prime second front II ob tielr
tive, capture of the Cber 1uJec'
peninsula. ei oours
They had out guessed and 49,.
fought the Nazi foe or grol MY GuI, II.
his own choosing, long prepared 1 e.. o.
resistance to invasion. A so' NJ io'
wide gap in his coastal defensa ls
yawned. Through it Allied reser' ses
poured under blanket protection =
air and on the sea. The CberborI III
peninsula Nazi bastion was ca.
tainly doomed. Even the era .et'
hold on its greater Brittany neius
Dor, tipped by the fine port of Brea.
was gravely threatened bv ~
American infantry break thror al
20 miles deep in the center of ~.
beachhead line to the gates Of g.
10. w.
At the head of this deepest Ano,
beachhead salient west of caotmes
Cerisy Forest, Allied troops stsnS
some 3 miles from AvrancbeS Nv
the blight Of the Gulf of St. Mali
Base lines of the Normandy snd
Brittany peninsulas meet tboro
and another As miles southeast liz,
Rennes, the controlling communi
cations hub to all Brittany Anv
grave threat to it must force MAJ
commanders to weight the neces
sity of evacuation of that nenin
sula, and the threat is clearly nros
ent even now.
Nazi Position Difficult
With fall of the Normandy FORE
land, seemingly imminent. giviao
the Allies use of Cherbouro ~
speed up movement of troops and
heavy equipment to the continental
battle fronts, the situation of tbp
German garrison in Brittany will
be omlnous. 1t may be the next
Eisenhower objective, backed bv
forward air bases Just across ST
Malo gulf in Normandy. Its can.
ture would double Allied weather.
proof communication facilities in
France.
Failure of the foe to prevent land.
ings in Normandy or to seal the
first beachheads off effectively with
available reserves h as already
created an acute problem for the
German high command. Neither its
local reserves nor the first waves
of tactical reinforcements have
served to halt the Anglo American
advance through Normandy The
tone of official announcements
from Allied headquarters indicates
establishment at the relatively poor|
defensive showing of the foe up to|
date.
For there is a growing danger
to the German position in all north
western France, from the Seine to|
the Loire, to be seen in the now|
well consolidated invasion dent.|
Even Paris is menaced, with Brit
ish forces on the Allied left of lind
at encircled Caen less than lO(|
miles from the French capitol
}. German reports have COMMENDED
for days that in the south, whN
complete Nazi army debacle
fast developing in Italy, another Al |
lied army estimated at 3OOOOI
strong is standing by to strike a |
the coast of mainland Italy or fol
foothold in the Rhome valley del |
ia of France.
Fear New Blows
In the circumstances Germa
leadership dare not greatly weake
its defensive front in the south t
bolster the Normandy Brittan
front, just as it dare not pull
reserves from elsewhere on tn
Channel and North Sea coast
the continent for fear that the nal
Allied blow in the west is yet
fall at points closer to GERMANY
! Sooner or later, due to failure
repell the Allied landings in No
mandy a major decision upon re
treat in France to shorten detens
lines will be forced upon Berlin
! The enemy is already reveaI1
the weakness of over-eXtenslon
the west as his Russian front dl
closed similar fatal defects one
the Soviet army was ready to op9
it's long offensive all along the In
In Finland the Russians are no
striking with crushing force
knock that Nazi war associate
of the struggle. That is mere
fore-runner of greater Russia
blows to come against the Ge
mans, however, and possibly KEY
\ in with Allied plans to strike IN