The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-16
interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMpso,
Associated Press War Ana,

Speeded by effective ATi a,yS
support a Red Army tidal wa1 an
power, the Nazis admit has i've r;r Of
7o-mile-wide gap thr t,us ripped G.S
man inner defenses. o. osF'
1t bids fair to become The .,...
est and most decisive bresktbST reah
of the war in Europe. "'Vusa
Official Russian contirm..,.
was lacking immediately bn t-'t s
both Berlin and Moscow w lion mUm
broadeasts, however. indic lame
that Marshal Konev's First 1T ssas
ian Army had stormed its ~ n a.a'
swiftly through relatively to way
Nazi resistance to within 81 n'nl
or less OF British and Ame ,,oss
bombed Dresden or the left ~ i'
The Russians also enveloned '' ne
Nelsse river bastion Of Fire. uie
the center, While on the ripbt ~ III
established contact with w T'.y
russian comrades west of the Odsr
In effect the latest Russian ss
vance gave Soviet armies , avs
tually straight front more Than VA ,so
miles long reaching from Gor Cor Nv
road and rail center 45 miles sss,
OF Dresden, to the head nj tb
Stettln estuary where the od 4,s
flows into the Baltic, On tbe Ist,
this line not only outflanks the o tI''
bend east of Berlin, last ranr.I
barrier guarding the city, hnt u
across the Neisse in the center .ns
rounding its headwaters in the Gov 1
litz area farther south. With w.
Neisse line preached, there is ' NO
other moated position defendins
the plains of Saxony east Of III
Elbe. viz
1t is not yet clear whether MAJ.
shall Konev's forward sween 10
tween the north flank of the Suds
ten mountains and the Oder bend
is aimed at Berlin or the begin
nlng OF 9 sweep into the central
PLAIN OF Germany that would Al
but isolate Berlin and all northern
Germany. His most recent pressure
has been northward to iron out
Nazi held bulge along the Oder on
the flank of White Russian srmie,
that have stood for days within IN
miles or less of Berlin.
With that threat removed and
sufficient time to bring up men
and supplies, it seems certain that
Marshal Zhukov's White Russian
forces are about ready to resume
their frontal attack from the east
There remain no vulnerable Rms.
sian salients of any more than
local consequence along the whole
Russian main attack front So far
as it can be traced.
The massive Allied air attack
on Cottbus, prime road and rail
hub hardly dozen miles west Of
Russian invested Furst in the cen.
ter of Konev's most active wins
again demonstrates close tactical
and strategic Indignation of Rus.
sian-Allied operations. Those Al,
lied bombers may well have been
within sight of Russian ground
forces fording the Neisse above
and below Furst. The thunder n
their bomb blasts certainly was
music in Russian ears,
To match Russian success, Al.
lied troops have reached the Rhine
opposite Emmerich in the west
Field Marshal Montgomery's
troops now have both portals Of the
Arnhem-Emmerich gateway to the
flat plains of northeastern Ger
many under their guns. They all
but crashed through there months
ago in the bold air borne attempt
to seize the Anthem bridge. The
possibility of a new and more
powerful effort to break across the
lower Rhine and out into the Han
overian plain is too real 10 be
ignored by the Nazis. 1t is tending
even now to sap away Nazi re-
serves from the still dormant and
flood bound Roer and Mas Sec
tors in the center.