The Wilmington morning star., 1945-02-24
interpreting
The War
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON,
Associated Press w ."N


III me au long awaited main attack s' y,
way in great strength. 10 under
~, The re official q a Allied report ~.
5 me U. s. First and Ninth Arm mat
had gone into action aIon nr'iiIes
Roer river line confirmed c;err, me
begun. 's'Se mad
The Nazi reports had heo,
specific to doubt their substart tOo
accuracy despite the rigid I' n
sorship that withheld immed Gstl.
official word from General Eiss soe
hower's headquarters. ''''
All other circumstances iro,,,
ing the ruinous and sustained ~,
attack on German communicsti an
Keys, had pointed for DAVIS IN on
impending joint Russian.Allied a. ~
tort to smash in both cas-, and
west walls Of the Nazi deteoss
lines simultaneously and below
spring comes,
The Berlin reports placed tbe
scene of operations on the Ans
can First and Ninth Army fronts
between Duren and Roermond
That Roer river sector covers all
approach roads to Cologne and to
the southern erd Of the Coloyns
plain. The Canadian attack tbat
overran Kleve and penetrated 10
the German Rhine opposite En-.
merlch has already swept the nor.
them end OF the plain clear q,
the foe. 1t seemed possible that >
converging pincer move to mop.up
the whole left bank Of the Rhine
from Cologne to Emmerich might
be developing as the first element
in Eisenhower's plan OF action.
There was a hint in German ac
counts, however that the core Of
Field Marshal Montgomery's Bri-
fish and British Empire wing +
Eisenhower's line. the British Sec.
ond Army, might have been shifted
northward to stike anew at the
Emmerich-Arnhen gateway to The
Hanoverian plain Of northwestern
Germany. Pending official Allied
word on operations, that still is
conjecture. 1t is clear, however,
that Allied Headquarters withheld
any announcement even after Ger
man disclosure tha the battle Of
the Roer had beg ln because it
still hoped to achlev some ele-
ment of surprise.
And there are Distinct and grow.
ing possibilities in the south on
the fronts of the American Third
and Seventh Arm es that could
rival broad AMI deep break.
through along the Hper in decisive
effect. Patton's TIL I'D Army vet.
Grams are closing in ln an extreme
ly critical sector 4 Nazi trans
Rhine defenses.
In the Moselle Valley in The
Trier sector and nothward on a
broad front they are, within close
striking distance OF the great mill.
tary highway that lilks the Saar
basin and Cologne pain defense
system west of the Rhine. II they
can cut it, the two license Sec
tors would be split apart.
Up to now, the Third Army drive
has had the appearance primarily
of a diversion offensive, designed
to take weight off the front Of the
First and Ninth ArmiesEn prepare
ton for the presumed al tack along
the Roer. Pattons men have MADE
better speed than was to be ex'
pected.
The attack there is beginning TO
be a very definite threat TO the
Middle Rhine in the Koblenz SEC
tor. American seizure OF the mill
tary highway which is the man
communications feeder for the
whole Siegfried Line defense Sys-
lem from the Karlsruhe corner 70
Bonn lust above Cologne would
critically impair Naz ability 10
make any prolonged stand ,, any
,,,es+ If the middle Rhine,