The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-01

The War
BY K1RKE L. SIMPSON
Associated Press War an.,,

Swedish observers discern
grave new danger to Naz war u
dustries as well as to reeljng co
man troops in northern Russo =.
Red army spearncads Stab c,o,.-
to the narrow Narva escape bat,.
on the coastal flank Of the Bu,
sian-Estonian border.
They foresee return of Russia.
still powerful Baltic battle fleet r.
menace Germany's main source
high-grade iron ore. 1t was mi
marily to safeguard that vital Wa.
resource that the Nazis oyerron
Norway and isolated Sweden Az.
serious interruption to the tram.
Baltic traffic of Sweden ore wonIs
deal a mortal blow to German
steel making capacity. Swedish
iron is even more essential to N.
Nazi war machine than Rumaniss
petroleum. Both are endangered b~
Russian advances on the Baltic AMI
Balck sea TANKS
The Russian Baltic fleet. I'm,
holed-up in the eastern end of hs
Gulf of Finland, now is free n
range westward under close.m
land-based air protection. It's re-
emergency in the Baltic proper to
prey on German traffic with Swe,
den is an obvious possibility. This
threat must tend to divert Nazi
U-boats from the Atlantic to The
Baltic, even at the sacrifice a,
pressure on Allied Atlantic SUNNY
lines and on the lend-lease conyoy
routes through the Artic for Rms.
STA.
There is too much at stake in
the Baltic for Germany to risk
loss of control. Except for the air
it is the only connecting link with
Finland, already wavering as a
war partner, and with German
north Atlantic outposts in Norway
German occupation Of Norway
and Denmark sealed off the Baltic
as German lake so far as Allied
sea power was concerned.
With the Russian Baltic fleet bot.
tied up Nazi traffic in the Baltic
had little to fear.
Swedish advices suggest that the
Russians might crash on westward
along the south shore of the Gulf
of Finland into Estonia clear 10
Baltiski at the western end of the
Gulf.
The Moscow announcement that
Russia forces had smashed into
the suburbs of Kingisepp within
eight miles of the Estonian border
greatly strengthened this POSSIBLE.
ty. Kingisepp is about 10 miles east
of Narva and not far to the west
of this old fortress city is Baltski.
Backed by Russian air power
based in northwestern Estonia, the
Red Baltic fleet would represent
threat to all German Baltic traf-
fic, even to Baltic coast industrial
centers in Germany itself hereto.
fore only readable by Allied long
range bombers from Britain.
Developments on the north Rus
sian battle fronts lend color to this
speculation. So far the Russian Of
fensive westward across the Baltic
coastal plain toward Narva has
been driven home with greater
power and speed than is its COM
panion attack west of Lake linen.
The Russians are currently in
position to turn southwark down
the east shore of Lake PeipuS to-
w ward Psk0v, souther gateway to
There is direct road and rail
connection between Narva and
Pskov, far in the rear of the Ger
man forces attempting to get out
of the Volkhov bulge Or facing the
Russia Volkhov army west OF
Lake linen.
With the fall of Narva. Russian
purposes should become clearer II
they drive on westward into ESton'
ia Swedish fears that the Baltic
is again to become battle grona
are apt to be realized. A stunning
blow on that most vulnerable %'
IL could rhsul