The Wilmington morning star., 1944-06-02
Interpreting
The War
BY KlRKE L. SIMPSON
AP War AnaIvA

The last Nazi defense line South
of Rome showed signs Of e..,,'
crumbling as infIjtrating Ane,io,s
troops caught their first dist.,.
daylight glimpse of the Ftorr,I
City. Vivid eyewitness press =.
counts of the bold manelver +,..
placed them in the rear Of ero,,,,,
lines left little doubt that the W.,
atrl-Lanuvio sector OF the punctnr.
ed German Is mile-1ront from w.,
montone to the sea must soon I'm
Its collapse would do mora tb,,
expose Rome to Allied invistrnont
or occupation. 1t would unhinao
the whole German position acrosa
the Italian peninsula. SkilIf1Iv -.
the Nazi commanders appear ~
have pulled most Of Their troons
out Of the Lepini hills south of tbo
Sacco between converging laws ot
tie Allied set trap, the bulk Of +bo
German Tenth army is still in
grave danger.
Indicated Nazi success in with.
drawing from the Lepini hills far
the final phase of the retreat I'M
the Sacco without loss Of mora
than rear guard elements NAV
have lessened Allied chances q,
dealing a crushing blow to the foe,
but it has not wholly relieved tha
German situation. 1t means that
Lieut.. General Clark, Fifth army
commander, now is able to con.
centrate the whole strength of his
Allied force for quick exploitation
of a break in the Valmontone.to.
the-sea line at any point.
His French right wing is ALREADY
pushing northWard toward Valmon.
tone up the Carpi5nto by-road IN
strike the Via Casilina east of Val.
montone, outflanking the last lie.
PM peak above American held
Corr in its stride. The Fifth armv
front is shortening with every rear.
ward stride of the foe up the Sacco
valley. The means for a massed
power blow to take Valmontone by
assault or pinch it off and lunge
on northeastWard is now or soon
will be available to the Fifth armv
commander.
Valmontone still seems the crit,
cal key not to the investment Or
capture of Rome; but to Allied
hopes of smashing a major portion
Of the Nazi army in Italy in the
field before it can escape north.
ward up the peninsula. Cut off
from the north and pinned against
the huge bulk Of the all but track
less Simouruini ridge that sapa.
rates the Sacco valley from the
upper Liri, German forces falling
back up the Sacco could still be
trapped. The very silence of Allied
headquarters as to the immediate
situation on the Valmontone flank
of the northern front may be signi-
ficant of events in the making
Fifth army fracturing of the Al
ban hills sector to reach the crest
of the 3,000-foot ridge that forms
the southeastern element of the eX'
tinct volcano, plus German failure
to dislodge that infiltrating Amer
can force promptly must result in
evacuation of both Valatri and La
nuvio and expose the vulnerable
Valmontone valley anchorage to
Allied development. 1t would force
upon an enemy already battered
by prolonged retreat further i'm
mediate and desperate race for
safety north of Rome over minor
and indirect roads harried night
and day by Allied planes.
The capture Of Rome would be
an important Allied success for a
variety of reasons. As the broad
Allied strategic concept in Europe
is beginning to unfold, however
the crushing of enemy divisions in
the field would be of even greater
importance since it must force dis
patch of additional German troops
from other sectors at the moment
that Russian and Allied major at
| tacks from the east and Wee,t even
possibly in southern France, are
about to be launched.