Evening star., 1941-08-24
British General Finds
Russians al Front
Full Of Fight
Gen. Mason -Muetorlone
Pruises Soldiers
And Air Force
BY HENRY e. CASSIDY,
Associated Press War CORRESPONDENT

MOSCOW, Aug. 23.-Red Army
forces on the central front are full
Of fight and are fighting we'll" 1t.
Gen. r. N. Mason -Macfarlane, head
OF the British military mission to
Moscow, said today on returning
from the front where he watched
operations in the direction of Smo-
aensk,
The general said he witnessed a
Russian counterattack against the
Germans and declared the Soviet
division he watched was well
trained and a first class formation"
He added that Cooperation OF all
arms of the air force was most
efficient"
Accompanied by Col. Eric Greer,
British military attache, Gen. Ma
SON -Macfarlane spent day at the
front and was escorted by an aide
of Soviet Marshal Semeon Timo-
shenko.
"I saw the division still in the
process of carrying out a successful
nttack which started "a hours be-
fore" he said. THE previous day
they advanced about Is kilometers
(about 10 miles,"
Field Battery Smashed.
Describing how a German field
battery was captured by the Rus
slams, he said their guns were RAM
med by Russian tanks and smashed.
Only one German gun was left in
tact"
IN front OF It," he added, was
a Russian tank with the turret
blown in. The Russians already
had buried the crew of the tank
gust beside It.
There were q large number OF
Russian tanks In the area I visited.
and I saw more Russian planes
In the sky than German.
THE Russians were using some
German guns against the enemy
by turning them around"
While he was watching the opera
tions, the general said, there was
sporadic shelling while the Germans
attempted to dive-bomb the spear
head of the Russian attack.
Very Good Relations.
"The men looked very ft," he
went on. There were very good
relations all-around.
Everywhere I got the impression
Of a very deep-rooted and universal
hatred of what they called the
Fascist
The British oficer said he was
particularly impressed with the
smooth way all Soviet rear organi-
cations were running. These in
cluded truck and horse transport,
field kitchens and supplies.
Civilians were working hard on
the harvest right up to the battery
position of this area" he said. "A
large proportion of the harvest
already is cut"
Throughout his trip. Gen. Mason
Macfarlane asserted. he did not
see a single sign Of a refugee.
In the forward areas near the
front he saw several uniformed girls,
including nurse. telegraphist,
0rlVcI anu CieIk.
Terrain Very Striking.
He described the nurse as "an
extraordinary type" who had spent
the day before getting the wounded
out of trouble under heavy fire"
The general related that his guide
was q political commissar who spent
his time at the forefront of the
battle and was on extremely good
terms with every one"
He pictured the battle area terrain
rs very striking with broad fields
and large patches of scrub up to 10
feet high and some forests.
"Once you get of the main roads"
the general said, you either are
driving in q binding cloud of dust
or, after 1t starts raining, sliding
about op a good imitation OF mar
2,1alade.'
He summed up the trip as most
heartening."