The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-08-20
Interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War Analvs.

The war that Hitler made ~,
come to German soil in The F,..
by land as well as air-this cr1
cial August weekend and it WV,
moving swiftly toward a climss
in the west.
Faced with possibilities of dis,,
ter, Nazi home front cheer lo.d
ers preached the strange doctrin.
of retreat to victory, Seekino IA
lull Geman public opinion apains,
ever mounting military reversas
Vague promises of new armies and
new weapons rolled off the Inns y,
Nazi spokesman. Distorted Won
sions of battles still RAGING !,
towns and cities which for dar.
have been held by the Russian,
or Allies filled the German ain
No mention was made OF the in
ternal revolt in France against fl.
German conquerors that is rippma
French soil loose from Maj contraI
even before Allied liberation ~.
mics reach the scene.
Kuow Fate
To German troops reeling back.
ward in East Prussia under Rms.
sian blows, to shattered remnant,
of the once powerful Nazi Seventh
army in northwestern France IN
survivors of stunned German car.
risons in southern Fance. and
most of all perhaps, to THE men
of Vichy' and h sir satellite
French collaborationists these Ma
ri outgivings must have brougbs
sardonic laughter. They know the
fate awaiting them with a Ger.
man flight from France.
And it was for that Nazi broad.
casters were preparing the Ger.
man people. 1t was already in
progress west of the Seine as thew
spoke, 1t was no less impending in
the south as the Allied riviera
beachhead expanded against still
meagre opposition, and as French
underground armies leaped from
cover to pounce upon isolated enc.
my detachments.
The full scope and effect of that
French uprising in response to the
long delayed call to arms is yet to
be assessed Only snap shot
glimpses of its operations are yet
revealed. However, it has an OBJ.
vious definite relationship to Allied
grand strategy. It is a potential
factor of Supreme importance in
Fastening a German retreat into
the old battle grounds of World
War One in northeastern France,
American columns hammering
up the Loire above Orleans on the
right flank of EisehoWer's battle
line and the nearest prongS Of
Patch's Mediterranean invasion az
my curling swiftly about Toulon
are still nearly 400 miles apart
In between them, however, all
through the mountains that flank
the Rhone Valley from the Swiss
frontier to the sea French patriots
are busy hopping up German con-
troll centers.
Traced on the map these French
uprisings tend toward linking up
Allied operations theaters in tn
North and the South. They seem
most effective and powerful in the
region east of Lyon in the upper
Rhone valley and virtually mid
way between the two nearest ap-
preaching Allied wings. That they
are forcing diversion of German
troops and also exposing German
communications to ground sabo-
tage as well as Allied air marrying
is unquestionable.
The gathering momentum OF the
French internal uprising bids fair
to help turn the German occupa'
ton in most of France into Ger
man entraprnent before enemy
garrison forces i'll equipped for
fast movement can effect their eS'
cape.
With the final Allied clean up
of the Seventh army west of the
Seine and it cannot be long de-
position to throw tremendous pow
err by land and air southeastern
through or around Paris to reach
the upper Rhone and effect juno
ton with Patch's Franco Amer-
can troops in the South