The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1941-07-10
D
By Communicates

By COMMUNICATES
Following the first couple Of weeks
OF the Russo-German war some wag
OF the airwaves referred to the con-
f1ct as an ordeal-for the public
by communicates.
In the absence Of any possible
direct war correspondence, that is
exactly what it developed into, ever
frightening communiques by both
sides. so much at variance that the
public could do little but guess.
AS the German columns advanced
Premier Josef Stain urged upon his
people a policy of "scorched earth"
to be coupled with universal guer-
rilla warfare. He warned of the
grave danger" Of the Nazi Sue
cesses and acknowledged the for
ward movement Of German troops.
He asked his people to destroy ev-
erything that might be Of value to
Germany if it could not be saved be-
hind the r%etreating Soviet columns.
Only at certain points did the
reports Of the two high commands
coincide, and these were so excep-
tional that they we're more to be hon.
ored by their absence than their
presence.
Speaking Of an important town on
the southern front, the Germans
said. I'VE captured Lwow," and the
Russians said, I'VE left Lwow."
And even in that point of coinci-
dence there was a variance which
left much to guesswork.
Yet from the very names of
places it was possible to take a
map and see a picture of the Ger
man plan emerging, though it was
impossible by the same token to pic
ture the Russian defense.
The picture was that of a giant
clutching hand, with the wrist to the
north and the fingers outstretched-
though which way the joints of the
fingers would f1ex themselves could
not be foreseen.
Three fingers were stretching
toward Moscow and Leningrad, and
two were extending southwark into
the rich Ukraine. Two or three of
these five shafts showed signs that
they might form pincer movements,
shipping off and surrounding bodies
Of Red troops here and there along
the battlefront.
Already the Germans had claimed
n such ucce east Of Bialystok,
stating that 100, 900 Russian soldiers
had participated in a mass surren-
der, and that everywhere the Rus
SLAMS were IN the run.
The Red communicates stated hat
their lines were holding intact, and
that at some points the Russians
we're fighting far behind the most
outstretched German points, and
that some of these actions might
work out badly for the invaders.
Yet, military observers pointed
out, such occurrences were Of the
very nature of the Nazi blitz tech
nique, and that in France, in Greece
and on other fronts. including the
town of Tobruk in northern Africa,
groups of defending troops often
were left behind in the swift ad-
vance, later to be encircled.
The Greek army of the east was
trapped in just such a way, and
though it held out and fought for
considerable time. it was forced to
surrender in the end.
1t was impossible, however, to see
Just what the Russians were accom-
plishing in their defense, for the
town name" reports showed IN
tinued German advances, and the
capture en- route Of important
points.
Riga, Latvia, an important Rus
sian naval base, was reported
taken; Minsk. the so-called gateway
to Moscow. was said to be surround
ed; and one of the Nazi fingers"
had shot past Minsk on the north
to Smolensk, and on the south to
the Bobruisk sector, thus tending
to bear out the German contention
that Minsk. II not already taken.
was doomed. Also that the Nazi
legions could be said, at least tech
nically, to be two-thirds Of the way
from their starting point to the
capital Of the Soviet.