| Show Antwerp J ti Warsaw Hold Key IKey fo to Quick Reich Fall By John M. M Hightower J fe WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Oct 19 The P-The The possibility of victory in Eur pc this year will very J largely be de decided by the speed with w h allied U iU armies can turn u. u to their own n use the two g great neat w h U iU can u. u r strategic keys to Hitler's fortress for- for Stress tress Germany the Germany the Dutch port i city of Antwerp and PoI Polands Poland's ands and's I devastated capital Warsaw Full use of at the unloading facilities fa- fa of at Antwerp could solve much of t. t the the western front supply I problem find and nd support a crushing thrust Into the reich over the hottest horte t best route to Berlin 5 Antwerp is in allied hands but butI I enemy guns still still- dominate its approaches approaches ap ap- ap barring the way to ship ship- ping Clearing those approaches conceded by military men here to ato be one of the top-priority top jobs jobson jobsen on en cn the western front I Unless they arc are cleared very promptly it appears highly Improbable improbable able that the allies alUes can muster full dull en-emy's en strength against all the en en- kemys mys vulnerable points for multiple mul- mul tiple blows this fall This would sharply limit what appears to be the grand strategy for tor a n 1944 victory in Europe Europe- final Europe final twin offensives by the Rus- Rus in the east and the Anglo Anglo- American allied forces in the west before winter closes In I To this grand grans strategy many of the present operations are coni contributing con con- i I only Indirectly in that I they 1 maintain pressure on the thee enemy e hemy 2 con continue nue to wear down his forces 3 deprive him of the moral support s of his satellites find and 4 str straighten lines especially especial especial- ly Iy y on the the soviet front for the grand push The main trend of Russian Russian front front events and their significance nce in inthe inthe the the broad picture of the war warI war war- I ott often ten n. n obscure can an now be reported report- report ed d on high authority as having de- de eloped In this manner The Russian summer summer- camp campaign aign paralleled the Anglo-American Anglo Invasion in- in of Normandy and contributed contrib contrib- much uch to its success The cam cam- campaign cam cam- re reached ched its most advanced joint in the suburbs of Warsaw at the end of July The Germans Germans' Shad had d determined to hold the city n and counterattacks drove the Rus Rus- Russians Russians Russians out toward the middle of September the Russians made another limited try in the Warsaw area and again th they y suffered a a. setback or or as some authorities now call it a n mild defeat Thus they were stalled on the central front as as their high command apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap had realized from the time of the July reverse and required required re re- much reorganization and supply of forces which presumably presumably ably is still going on Meanwhile they undertook their I cleanup campaigns in the Baltic and Balkan areas In those it is t frankly recognized by officials here that soviet mi military Interest in maintaining some kind of pressure pressure pres pres- sure lure on the Germans coincided with soviet political interests especially especially es es- in the Balkans The Balkan Balkan Balkan Bal Bal- kan campaign which has lias been advanced advanced advanced ad ad- at relatively light cost became became became be be- came one of or opportunity as first Romania then Bulgaria and finally finally finally final final- ly Hungary fell from the Hitler fringe like overripe apples These events put the emphasis on n political rather than military m measures measures of Russia and promptly many inquiries here as to whether the Russians had suddenly put aside their hope of beating Hitler this year to concentrate on establishing establishing lishing their power in the Balkans The political profit accruing to drive is Russia from the Balkans freely admitted by officials here but DUt there is no information to bear beart t out nut ut the view that they have for forthe forthe forthe the time forsaken primary military objectives On On the contrary it Is expected that after fter adequate at preparations for or a scale grand assault the allied armies on the eastern front will join with those on the west in a major unlimited campaign to defeat defeat de- de feat eat Hitler this tills year But to do so they must take talce Warsaw The convergence of transportation tion lion lines according to competent military opinion here such is-such is such that they hey can not afford to leave the battered city in German hands The first capital taken by Hitler in his drive to conquer Europe remains In n his last months one of the keys to his defeat |
