The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-24
Russian Commander Tells New War Story
(Continued from Page D

front" General Sokolovsky said.
 (One hundred kilometers is 62 miles).
 Like Verdun, But Worse
 Describing what he called the process of grinding down the Ger mans, he said:
 Tt is like that of Verdun in the last war, but 10 or even 100 times as intensive because the weapons of destruction on our side-tanks, planes and guns--are so much more powerful than the weapons used then"
 He cited as evidence the German expenditure of men and material In the Yartsevo sector northeast of Smolensk where the Russians pushed back the Germans from 6 to 9a miles on @ 60-mile front. He said five German divisions had been destroyed and that another five had their electives.
 He said that in two sectors the lost between 50 and 70 per cent of Germans had lost 42,500 men in 10 days and in one of these sectors the Russians had destroyed or captured 165 tanks, lS9 field guns and 94 mortars.
 This shows how quickly the Germans are being worn down, General SokolovSky said. "It was the stabilization of the central part of the front that made this wearing down process possible"
 Must Go No Further
 He attributed the stabilization tc the determination of officers and men that the Germans should not be permitted to advance farther to- ward Moscow, to increased produc- ton of tanks, planes and artillery to Encouragement of German offl- cers and men who were beginning to realize that they were not tn- vlncible, and to difficulties in the German rear.
 As to increased production, he said that on the central front the Russians had twice as many planes as they had one month ago.
 As to the situation in the Ger man rear, he said guerrilla fighters and the civilian population were in- creasingly active.
 Even now, only the main roads in the German rear, like the Minsk- Orsha -Smolensk highway, are un- der German control" he asserted
 Hostility of the population and the activities of guerrillas have been causing difficulties to the German supply services and infiicting severe losses in men and material.
 Every day the enemy feels this uncertainty in the rear more and more. A very large number oi troops had to be sent back from the front to maintain order.
 Won't Win Here Either
 "As the result of all these diff faculties in the central sector, the Germans decided to seek a decision at Leningrad and in the Ukraine and diverted some forces there.
 How will it end on those fronts I think 1t will end just as badly fol the Germans as 1t ended here. think that before long the Germans will come up against the same difti' culties as in the central sector.
 Gen. SokolovSky predicted that winter would increase the German difficulties.
 Bad weather already has com pelled the Germans to use horses fol artillery and supply services" ht said. With horses, the German! lose maneuverability. In 8 large number of cases tanks have beer obliged to take up defensive posi- tions. That is, they have had to bt used as pill boxes or stationary ar tillery.
 No Gas, Bad Roads "A shortage of gasoline and bat roads also are hampering the Ger mans and winter will make thing even harder for them.
 Every Russian soldier has flu