Show oday y Italy Drive Will Keep Nazi Troops From Invasion Zone I B By De Mackenzie Associated Press War ar Analyst The are doing some frenzied guessing when they say that the powerful allied offensive in Italy is the opening of Day D-Day but one wouldn't dispute the somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what more cautious prognostication tion over the German controlled Paris radio that the lithe gong has sounded for the curtain to rise rise rise- i if in fact it has Y not of already risen In short Paris radio thinks that the Italian upheaval is intimately related to the invasion of western Europe Europe and and that's a logical conclusion conclusion con con- Only Thursday this column column column col col- col- col pointed out that allied bombing and other preparations for Day D-Day are slipping rapidly to toward toward toward to- to ward their peak and expressed the view that there would be action action ac ac- ac- ac tion on all fronts including Italy where there arc arc signs of allied operations to support D Day Coordinate Moves Droves However while I d think we may expect coordinated allied opera opera- bons in all European theaters in 1 support of the great amphibious invasion of France yet that doesn't necessarily mean that all theaters will come Into action at atthe I the same time The various blows I Ion Ion j jon on on the Russian front in Italy and at numerous points in western western western west west- ern Europe might Europe might be Inaugurated at different times Thus while all the indications are that the big allied drive against the Gustav line is calculated to support the invasion of France its beginning doesn't Ipso facto mean that Day D-Day actually has lUls ar ar- ar- ar rived We Vc shall avoid frayed nerves if we eve take things in stride and let actual developments speak for Cor themselves As I pointed out Thursday the Germans undoubtedly have been expecting the offensive in Italy This presumably accounted for their withdrawal earlier this week in the Palena Palen a sector to straighten their Jin line so as to make it more easily defensible Powerful Attack The attack by the American and British armies is described as as' as the most powerful allied assault yet made in the Mediterranean the the- ater That isn't surprising since there have been indications for a considerable time that the allies were getting set there for something something something some some- thing big It wouldn't be strange by the way to see the Anzio beachhead beachhead beachhead beach beach- head boil up shortly This new offensive will serve a double purpose Its It's calculated to keep Hitler from removing troops from Italy to the invasion areas of western Europe and perhaps even compel him to rush reinforcements reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments to Italy and to finish up the uncompleted job of clearing the Italian peninsula of the enemy up to Rome Meantime the American and British bombing of the French invasion invasion invasion in in- coast has reached an unprecedented unprecedented unprecedented un un- and terrifying pitch The jar far from detonating allied bombs Thursday night was felt by Britain as far inland as London The Russians have been rushing preparations to undertake new vast offensives and have been signaling signaling signaling sig sig- sig- sig that they are about ready to strike Here again the red offensives offensives offensives of of- wont won't necessarily synchronize synchronize synchronize nize exactly with the Day D-Day inva inva- sion They may come before the western assault or a bit after it starts However we can be sure that both sides of the European continent soon will be blazin blazing to together together together to- to gether thus putting Hitler under terrific pressure from all aU directions a a position impossible for him to defend indefinitely |