South Yorkshire Times – Saturday 29 January 1944

Pontine Portent

After Dieppe and Salerno  the successful establishment of the Pontine bridgehead constitutes a bright augury, though not, of course, an infallible precedent, for the tasks which face the Allied armies based in Britain this year. In Sicily, the British and American forces made even swifter progress in the first full scale amphibious operation in the battle for Europe. But in that case, as we are now well aware, the Germans, ill-supported by their already demoralised ally, could scarcely have had any serious ideas about driving out the invaders. The present deadly thrust for Rome is in quite a different category. It has been made against country where the Germans are in supreme command. They have had ample time to organise their defences and dispose their forces, and yet all the evidence so far available goes to show that they were caught unawares. It was a notable achievement to catch the Nazi napping in this way and General Alexander has lost no time in exploiting the opportunities thus unexpectedly provided.

The result is that our men have a firm foothold behind the main enemy line and the most furious reaction can hardly now dislodge them. The Allied air forces are given credit for the surprise thus unexpectedly achieved, having given the Luftwaffe such a shaking that for a brief but critical space of time it was unable to fulfil its function as the eyes of the ground forces. Remembering how a German convoy blundered into the Dieppe force, bringing it prematurely into action, we shall not deny a slice of good fortune, as well as good aerial patrol work in this happy consummation, but other factors enlarged the success. It | was perfectly timed, as left l hooks should be. General | Alexander caught the German | commander neatly off his balance. He had goaded his | adversary into throwing all his weight on the front foot in a heavy counter blow. The | strategy was impeccable. | It is tempting to draw | parallels between this model | operation and the landings | which will have to be made ‘ good this summer on the other side of the Channel. No one, however, will be so foolish as to assume a repetition probable in Western Europe. One factor in the Italian coup which will not be present when the grand assault is launched, is the diversion of a land front in being. This precludes the possibility of holding the enemy closely engaged at one point while carrying his coastal defences at another. All the same those conditions may develop in the course of what must obviously be a vast operation, though they cannot confer any advantage on the initial landing.

We are, nevertheless, entitled to draw encouragement from the merciful smoothness of the Pontine landings and, while cherishing no false hopes, we can be sure that this latest penetration will have done much to heighten the sense of insecurity of those whose apprehensive eyes every night probe the gloom for the grey morning shadow of retribution.