European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Mark Clark sizes up the Tough Job in w by Denton Scott yank staff correspondent Ith the fifth army in Mark Clark hears Italy called the forgotten he gets its a he that the germans Haven forgotten the italian the former fifth army recently promoted to commander in chief of the Allied armies in says i dislike heartily that expression there using about this front Over As Long As the fifth and eighth armies Are keeping German divisions in Italy off Eisen were shortening the for tall and quiet spoken Clark and for thousands of men under him in the fifth and eighth this is the second War Winter in he was named commander of the fifth when it was activated in january he came ashore with the fifth at Salerno the following septem Ber and made the Anzio Landing in March in May june of last when they surged North to take the Allied armies in Italy had a unaccustomed taste of fast moving most other times the men of the Allied com who have included new brazilians and swazi As Well As English and Amer have fought a heartbreaking and backbreaking Campaign of mountains and in the process they have conquered most of Italy and moved up into the peaks that guard the Valley of the but the weather and terrain they grapple with this Winter seem about the same As the weather and terrain that punished them a year Italy is the Only spot in Europe in which the Western allies have had to fight a land Campaign for two Winters it was cold outside the Green plywood about the size of four or five Wall which Clark makes his Headquarters when on the fifth army two Large logs burned slowly in a redbrick a squat leather divan stood before the fireplace and on the other Side of room was a big multicoloured two Small wooden a few rugs and a Tele phone completed the when he came the general had to Duck his a Small Black Spaniel preceded him and ran madly about the general said hed had the dog seven Mark Clarks Long face got longer when i said that generally the gis feel pretty hopeless about the stalemate on the fifth army he took up a which he fingered constantly while he and made Small Idle circles on the map near the Bologna he said i know that its mighty important that my men know what they Are fighting i try to Tell them every Chance i i want you to Tell them that i think they have accomplished an impossible Job doing what they have in these Clark int trying to kid his command that the second Winter in the apennines will be any easier than the if he this Winter in the apennines May Well be the mountains that Valley of the to Are and More rugged than those of last years More southerly Garigliano the Ger Man he Are stronger than they were in the main Factor that slowed the fifths and Vance on Clark was the movement to the fifth army front of enemy divisions from reserves and other parts of the the enemy Force at Bologna has increased from four divisions to the allies estimate that the germans have some 25 divisions in Italy in the Quality of the German forces Here com pares Clark with the Quality of the German troops on the Western he notes that the germans in Italy in clude remnants of the late marshal Rommel afrika and though some German divisions have been virtually destroyed several they have been rebuilt and Are carrying on the spirit of the original i dont count the three italian divisions which oppose Clark German divisions which have been transferred to other fronts since Cassino and Anzio have been according to the by equally Good in he rates the 1st Parachute division As one of the wehrmacht German morale in Italy May be somewhat lower than it was last but German Mark Clark Hast there Are at least two the general Why the germans have not forgotten the first is that they never give ground without a the second is the value they place on the to the to Valley is by All Odds the greatest eco nomic prize of the main italian industries Are situated there and so Are the most productive the to Region is the italian and since the germans have lost the wheat lands of the Rumania and to Means More to the wehrmacht than it Ever the to Clark is capable not Only of feeding the Germany army in Italy but of producing a surplus that can be sent the pos industries have been heavily but much machinery can probably be dismantled and shipped to the Reich to help relieve the loss of industries in Western factories that can still be operated in the Valley have a plentiful Supply of Well trained italian the to is Worth fighting and Clark sees signs that the germans will fight As tenaciously inside the Valley As they Are now fighting to keep the allies the to wont be an easy the Gen eral but i dont think anything could be rougher than these the Battle for the general int Iso lated from the rest of the War in the Fate of the to May hinge on what the russians achieve in Southeastern if the soviet drive beyond becomes menacing the wehrmacht May have to withdraw its forces from Northern Italy to avoid being whatever the general the campaigns on All the european fronts Are part of one Overall Campaign against fortress Ger each front contributes to the Success of Clark since the resources behind our campaigns on the Western and Eastern fronts Are much greater than they Are in it seems Clark that the final blows to fortress Germany will be dealt from one or both of these the Campaign in Italy will not end earlier than the other campaigns in he unless the russians do threaten Germany from the Southeast or unless the wehrmacht needs re serves so desperately for the East or West that it cannot afford to keep divisions for the in that the germans will have the Alps As an easily defendable Barrier Between the Reich and the allies in but even if the germans should want to with draw from the to and thus end the Campaign in Clark observes that they might not be Able to do the Allied air forces have been pounding away at rail lines and roads leading North from if those lines and highways Are Field marshal Albert von Kesselring men will have to stand and fight even if the Wehr Macht begins to crumble on other the future holds several the Clark holds Little except Allied equipment for the italian fighting is Superior to the the general is he maintains that Winter which was pretty inadequate last is now better than the i inspected the clothing a Long time ago and its the Best the pm can he i am confident that this Winter wont be a repetition of last As far As the men suffering the cold is our the general is constantly bring ing in better equipment whereas Little new Ger Man equipment has showed up on this German Airpower in Italy is relatively weak at though there Are some indications of a the Luftwaffe now consists of a few reconnaissance fighter bombers and Light which Are capable of Small but nazi air strength Here is no match for the were not going to sit Back and wait for de Clark were going to push the fire in the redbrick fireplace was now Al most the general in timbered his tall Frame from the Little chair he had been sitting stretched and looked toward the i took the left the Green plywood hut and walked Down a Muddy Road past re helmeted maps to a the jeep a chilled youve been gone Over an he what the hell took you so Long Raof 5