Show i. v.- v. T Behind the War News if r. r 1 Major Eliot to Says T By Major George Fielding Eliot It is difficult to believe that the Italian operations can long continue in their present form The allied armies now are advancing advancing advancing ad ad- on both sides of ot the Apennines the Eighth army on the right the Fifth on the left in what amounts to a continuous ous line across acron the peninsula from sea to sea Before this this' allied advance the Germans are slowly retiring fighting those skillful rearguard actions which they do so well This is of ot all aU possible arrangements under the circumstances the one most advantageous advantageous advantageous ad ad- to the Germans If they can do this all the way up the peninsula they will have nave gained a great deal of vatu valuable able time at the expenditure of a a. minimum of force and will have given up only Italian peninsula territory which became untenable Untenable Untenable Unten Unten- able anyway with the fall faU of Sicily Sardinia and Corsica Looking at the red and blue pins stuck in a scale large-scale map ones one's mind turns urns irresistibly to the long stretch of ot communications communications dOwn that narrow peninsula penin penin- sula the sUla-the the rail and nd road lines by which the Germans are supplied supplied supplied sup sup- plied and reinforced and by which they must Withdraw to join their comrades behind the northern mountains These Thee lines linea are exposed to attack from both sides attack from the sea and air attack based on the flanking islands or on south Italian bases The Germans have had to put more troops into south Italy to play their game Seven Seven Seven Sev Sev- en German divisions are reported reported reported re re- re- re ported on the Fifth army front alone and it does not seem likely likely likely like like- ly that there can be less than three on the Eighth army front though the Eighth army Is at present probably probably- weaker than the Fifth It hardly seems possible possible possible pos pos- sible that the Germans can be bein bein bein in a position to defend those two long coastlines against a anew anew anew new amphibious descent And then comes once more the question question question ques ques- tion that has been asked ever since Salerno where is the Seventh army Certainly the Germans are taking great risks in Ital Italy JJ know that They began ti to total ta those risks with the heavY sault ot of tho the Fifth 2 army at at S- S lerno in the hope of elf ga gain lr a a. smashing victory at the ve outset against ag the first r j Ang tn American invasion 11 of the Ore E tl continent That hat have been a 8 priceless Lei the Germans They coi gain Vc t c used it in their Political could hat hl live action to In great effect The omit offer tr rr America and B would have been p also in Russia an and d profound the Balkans The Thed cn captive poi L Pt plea pIes would have been cast SI down the satellites or et crue her Ger many correspondingly aged Victory at S Salerno en w have been worth almost risk the German high Mel cone It might care to take But fighting and h hI good denied the Germans tory Thereafter their that a 1 i in south Italy diminished Wi It has perhaps been di for them t to forces Clark has disengage clung J to J the a the like a burr Montgomery h hi pressed forward with aU alt ii V t h customary vigor an an ever hov ing threat to their flank rear Allied air airmen men t and saboteurs have damaged ft communications the f J |