The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-03-22
The Wor On MonyFronts
By LOUIS F. KEEMLE United Press War EditOr)

The Red armies rolled forward in Poland and Bessarabia today while Adolf Hitler strove to tighten his grip on the Balkan satellite states to defend his fortress" along and behind the Carpathian Noun tainS.
 The Russians were advancing so rapidly it appeared the Germans were centering their efforts on eX- tricating-Berlin calls it disengag- ing"-as many as possible of their forces without attempting a costly stand along the Dniester. Prut or anywhere short of the Carpathian foothills.
 The Soviet spearheads bit deeply into the fluid line in the north and center. In Poland they were within 35 miles of the rail network center of Lwow and in Bessarabia had penetrated beyond the Dniester to within 20 miles of the Prut, pre- war border of Rumania.
 In the south the Germans still occupied a big wedge along the Lower Dniester and Bug rivers. ex- tending east of the Bug in the Per- vomaisk area. The problem of ex- tricating these forces reasonably in- tact grew as the Russians severed or threatened to sever all the rail lines behind them except those leading into southern Rumania.
 The second Ukrainian army be- gan disrupting communications in Bessarabia when it cut the rail line above Balti, three-way junc- tion where the line connecting with the Lwow-O Odessa railway in the Ukraine branches north and west to Cernauti. Rumania, and south ward to JaSSy.
 In Poland the first Ukrainian army was closing in on Lwow, whose fall would eliminate the direct Ger man route to the southeast and force the enemy to rely on the line through Hungary and western Ru- mania.
 As a result, after occupying Hun- gary, Hitler was reported to be taking over key points in Rumania and Bulgaria. Whether he had line up the forces necessary for complete military occupation of those countries was not evident in roundabout dispatches from neutral capitals, the only sources of in- formation. It appeared likely, how ever, that he would attempt full control of communications and vital services.
 Ankara Report
 Ankara reported the arrival of one German infantry and four pam ger divisions in Rumania from Hun- gary and said the Germans had taken over radio, telephone and tele- graph communications in Bulgaria. There apparently was no well-or- ganized opposition to the Germans in Hungary. Stockholm reported fighting between Hungarian and Ru- manian troops along the border, in- dicating division among the satel- lites themselves.
 While momentous events transpir- ed in southeastern Europe. the dead lock on the Casino front in Italy continued. German and Allied troops battled each other to stand still in CaSSino and the Germans strengthened their positions in the hills.
 The air offensive against the con- tinent was maintained when Allied heavy bombers attacked western Germany and medium bombers pounded northern France and coastal objectives.
 American Flying Fortresses and Liberators attacked targets in the Berlin district with fighter escort in "very great strength" it was announced in London. The stress on the size of the fighter escort indicated another challenge to the luftWaffe to give battle.