Evening star., 1941-11-20

How near are the Germans to the
vital oil sources OF the Soviet
Caucasus? In the light OF reports
that Nazi troops are knocking at
its gates some of the strategic
geographic factors concerning the
huge land bridge between the Black
and the Caspian Seas need descrip-
ton.
The Caucasus Isthmus should be
considered as two separate natural
regions. the open steppe country Of
the North Caucasus, and the broken
mountainous areas OF the Trans
caucasus. Forming a broad boun-
Diary line between the two, the lofty
ranges of the greater Caucasus
Mountains extend for 1000 miles
from sea to sea
In the North Caucasus, which oc-
cupies roughly two-thirds of the
isthmus, the oil fields near Maikop
and Grozny are potentially first
in line for any German advance
from the west. Maikop is only about
ITS miles from the nearest point on
the Crimean Peninsula; Grozny is
300 miles farther to the southeast.
In 1910, these districts produced an
estimated 10000 barrels of pc
troleum, or more than 10 per cent
OF the Soviet Unions entire supply.
Transcaucasus More Important.
Far more important. however, are
Russia's Oil deposits in the Trans
caucasus, which last year contri-
buted to the national supply more
than l60 600 900 barrels OF petro-
leum. The leading fields at Baku
are situated on the Caspian Sea at
the southeast shore of the lsthmus
They are some $50 airline miles
southeast of the narrow Strait of
the Caucasus Isthmus
The distance from Kerch to Baku
is greater than that across the
isthmus from west 70 east at its
widest point, an apparent paradox
explained by the physical forma-
tion of the region. On map. the
land of the Caucasus appears TO
have been pulled eastward on the
bias.
1t is across this bias stretch Of
the isthmus, moreover, that the
Great Caucasus extends in one Of
the worlds most formidable noun
tain barriers.
Rising to snow-capped peaks
more than 1900 and $4,000 feet
high, the Greater Caucasus forms
a wild and rugged area of innum-
cradle broken spurs. dead-end VAL
leys, vast glacier fields. and deep
rocky gorges. While it is some
times called the Caucasian Alps. "
its heights include half dozen or
more peaks higher than Mont Blanc,
Western Europe's tallest mountain.
Few Passes Over Mountains.
Beginning in the foothills near
the threatened Strait OF
Keroh, the Caucasus Mountain,
grow steadily higher toward the
central portion. where the giant
Elborus rises 1910 feet At the
eastern end, the mountains back
becomes gradually broader and
( lower. although the hills overlook
ing the Caspian coast provide some
/ sheltering heights west of the Baku
Peninsula.
There are relatively few passes
! leading over the Greater Caucasus
whose width ranges between 60 and
l30 miles. In the central areas only
two roads over the mountains are
reported passable for wheeled traf-
! fic. One of them is the famous
Georgian Military Highway.
The main transportation routes
of the Caucasus Isthmus lie paral-
lei with the mountains. On both
sides of the Greater Caucasus, rail-
ways and oil pipe lines run from
Baku toward the northwest. South
of the southern lines-following the
Kura and Rion River valleys tc
the Black Sea port of Batumi Bat.
um)-is found still more mountain.
Gus country in the high tablelano
of the Lesser Caucasus, reached
only by the encircling mountains
that guard the approaches from
Turkey and Iran.