The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-10
The WorOn MonyFronts
BY LOUIS F. KEEMLE United Press War Editor

leaguered Allied beachhead below Rome reached new intensity today with tn Germans attacking in waves all along the Anzio-Nettuno coastal strip and stiffening their resistance against increased Amer ican pressure around the mountain stronghold.
 The beachhead forces, still strictly on the defensive, held of six Ger man tank and infantry assaults and managed one counter attack of their own in the Cisterna sector which gained some ground.
 It was a different story in Russia, where the Germany lines continued to crumble in the Dnieper Bend, especially on the lower reaches of the river in the Nikopol-Krivoi Rog area. The advancing Russians were within eight miles of Krivoi Rog, the highly -prized iron mountain" and began crushing it's outer defenseS. The Allied air offensive against Western Europe continued unabated as hundreds of Allied bomberS ham, mered at the fortified French ''in- vasion coast'' for the third day in the wake of scattered night attacks on industrial Western Germany. Berlin radio reported big air bat tie between American bombers and German fighters over northwestern Germany today.
 The warfare in Jugoslavia took an interesting but not particularly im- portant turn when JugoSlav sources revealed that British troops, pre- sumably small commando group, were helping partisan forces on Hvar Island, near the DalmatiaD coast
 In the Pacific, Tokyo radio re- ported that American heavy bomb CTS had attacked Wake island, north of the Kwajalein group, for the third time within ten days. American aviators, after destroying or damaging 34 planes and hitting submarine in an attack on Ra- baul, New Britain, reported that the Japanese had withdrawn all warships from that outpost base.
 The fighting in Italy apparently was nearing a climax. The inten- sity of the American assault on Cas- sino and the German resistance was such that a break on one side or the other seemed likely soon.
 If the Americans crush the Ger man defenses around Casino, they will be in a position to drive along the Via Casilina and the Liri val ley towards Rome.
 In the event of such a break, the value of the Anzio beachhead will become apparent and criticism of the Allied failure to capitalize more effectively on their surprise landing may be answered in part.
 Reasonably Confident
 The presence of a large Allied force in the 100 square miles area behind the main lines then could prove the factor that would break the German defense of Rome. That is why the Germans are attacking the position with such determina- tion. Allied military leaders seem reasonably confident that the beach head will be held and are counting strongly on air superiority to do 1t.
 Insofar as it is possible to ap- praise the situation on the Rus sian front, 1t is clear that the mid- dle and lower Dnieper the Germans have suffered the most damaging defeats since the Russian winter offensive started two months ago.
 Their lines are broken. As many as 30 divisions have either been cut to pieces or knocked out as ef- fective combat divisions. heavy casualties have been accompanied by tremendous losses of tanks, ar- tillery and material of all sorts.
 The Russians are rapidly slicing off the rail lines for German re- treat and disorderly withdrawal with even heavier losses is at least in prospect. The rapidly approach ing spring thaws which mire roads and make mechanized progress highly difficult and at times al- most impossible, may give the Germans some respite.
 If there is such a lull, it may not be great enough or long enough for the Germans to reorganize before the Russians start their summer offensive with renewed power when the ground hardens.
 Predicament
 The Germans have let themselves in for their present predicament be- cause for some time 1t has been apparent that their over-extended salient to the lower Dnieper would become untenable and was being held much too long.
 It would be, mistake to dismiss this simply as poor military judg- ment, unless the German high command is to be supposed to have lost its head completely. The exc