Evening star., 1941-11-21
Kuibyshev Observers
Speak More and More
Offspring Offensive
Critical Period Seen
With kozi Conquests
Still Unoreonized
By A. r. STEELE,
Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.

Chicago Daily News.
KUIBYSHEV. Nov. 21-More and
more talk is heard among military
observers here of spring Often
sive'-not by, but against Adolf
Hitler! And not from one point in
Russia. alone but from several dl-
rections around Nazified Europe!
This. of course, is a hope with
many ifs" attached. These mill
tary observers take the view that
next spring will be a critical period
In this second World War. Hitler
cannot hope, by that time, to have
organized his conquests or to have
recouped substantially the gigantic
drain in man power and materials
Of his Russian campaign.
Nor can Der Fuehrer be expected,
BY that time, to be drawing any
large returns from his territorial
acquisitions of the past five months.
1t is necessary, therefore, accord
ing to this view, for all anti-AXis
forces to take combined offensive
action against Hitler in the early
months of next year. or precious
opportunity may be lost. For If
Hitler is given time to consolidate
his gains. extended prolonsation OF
the war is inevitable.
There is no doubt that thoughts
Hke these are running through the
minds of those Britons and Amerl-
cans who promised and are now
teeking to implement maximum as
sistance to Russia, and with all
possible speed. But the ifs on
which these possibilities hang are
numerous and formidable-stamina
and morale of the Red Army, rigors
OF cold weather, stage of Russian
industry, extent of Allied material
aid, a companion British offensive.
Weeks Gained at Rostov.
From the valley of the Don
coal mining and industrial prize OF
the first magnitude-comes new
testimony of the grim effort of the
Russians to remove or lay waste
anything and everything which the
Germans might be able to utilize
as means of Strengthening their
military economy.
The stubborn stand OF Marshal
Semeon Timoshenko's armies in
that area is making possible the
transference to the rear OF many
Thousands of tons Of vital equipment.
But that which cannot be moved
and lies in imminent danger OF cap
ture is being Systematically wrecked.
I'VE are leaving nothing for the
invaders" writes a Russian CORE
spondent. Mines. factories, power
stations and railway bridges are
being blown up. When the Germans
reached collieries they coveted, they
found them blazing ruins"
BY stalling the Nazi Army outside
industrialized Rostov-on-Don. the
Russians have gained weeks instead
Of days in which to dismantle and
transfer machine tools and other
primary machinery which could not
have been otherwise replaced for
many months. if at all This GER
tainly Is one of the most significant
results, too, of the prolonged and
continuing Soviet resistance at Mos
COW and Leningrad.
Time May Be Decisive Factor.
For this reason alone. time now
may prove in the long run to have
been one of the decisive factors of
the war. The great migration OF
factory equipment from the front
10 the deep rear proceeds unabatedly
over every east-west railway and
from all three sectors of the ex-
tended Russo German battle area.
Most of the stuff is going to the
Urals and beyond, but there are
stories about transplanted factories
resuming work In the Volga Basin.
It is quite impossible to make
even good guess on the total guam
tity OF equipment shifted from
Western Russia to the interior. In
point of tonnage, the figure must be
impressive. Whether. however, the
amount moved represents small
or sizable percentage of the aggre-
gate machinery formerly operating
In the war areas. is very difficult to
say. 1t is obvious that much had to
be left behind or be destroyed be-
cause of great bulk or lack Of time.
But even If the percentage is
modest one, it must be assumed that
the equipment transferred is Of the
most essential nature. Certainly
defense machinery, such as machine
tools, aircraft-manufacturing equip
ment, automobile works and NUM-
tions plants are getting precedence.
Therefore. the importance Of mass
transportation to Russia's war ef-
fort is considerably greater even
than the volume indicates.
With military urgency accelerat-
ing the speed OF removal. quite
number Of the transferred plants
already are functioning in their new
locations. In some cases. no more
than a few weeks have elapsed from
the time Of dismantling at the old
sites to the resumption of opera
lions at the new. OF course, such
cases are exceptional
Merged With Existing Plant.
With good organization. close CO.
operation of the military, and high
pressure labor, the job OF tearing
down and rebuilding can be pushed
through at rapid speed, but the
transport problem usually is the de-
termining factor 1t is problem
that is taxing the capacity Of the
Soviet railroads. Whenever feasible,
uprooted factory equipment is
merged with an existing plant of
q similar nature deep in the rear,