Evening star., 1941-10-25
Russia Changes Generals

Russia Changes Generals
The meaning of Dictator Joseph
Stalin's triple shift in the Russian
high command Is not yet clear Per-
haps it has several meanings, de-
pendent on the personalities and
performances of the three army
heads involved. The one relative
marshals hitherto entrusted with
headship of the main Russian Army
groups is to have front-line jobs.
Timoshenko, Voroshiloy, Budyenny-
all three have been summarily re-
moved from the fighting fronts
This does not look especially prom
Using, either for their personal
prospects or for the general military
situation. Such sweeping changes
in the high command are not made
at a supremely critical moment if
things are going at all well. How
ever, the marshals seem to be di-
versely affected. Timoshenko is
reported officially to have been
transferred to the southern area,
where he is to reorganize Budyenny's
shattered armies. incidentally, Ti-
moShenko is Ukrainian, SO he will
have charge of his home territory.
Marshal Voroshilov. hitherto COM
mander of the armies in and about
Leningrad, is to be commissioned to
form a new reserve army at an un-
specified point
Even more uncertain is the new
post of Budyenny. This former top
sergeant in the CZariSt cavalry, with
his handlebar muStache and his
fondnesS for ballet ladies, has been
popular hero ever since his bril-
liant record in the civil wars and
the campaign against Poland shortly
thereafter. But this dashing cavalry
leader has been no match for Ger
man specialists In an age of mecha-
nized warfare. He has suffered a
series of disasters, and his southern
armies have been pushed back clear
across the Ukraine, and today are
badly split. The Germans and their
allies have cut off the Crimean pen
insula and now stand at the very
gates of those two vital southern
cities, KharhoV and ROStOv- -on-DOn.
Kharkov is the Detroit of Russia, the
center Of its heavy equipment indus
try. Rostov is the gateway to plains
and steppes which extend to the lower
Volga River and the mountain wall
of the Caucasus. From both economic
and military points OF view, the
loss of those two key cities would be
a greater blow than the fall of
Moscow, the Soviet capital. And
unless the Russians can stage major
comeback in the south. it is difficult
to see how their loss can be long
postponed.
Meanwhile, the defense of Moscow
has been entrusted to General Greg
ory Zhukov, chief of the Russian
general staff He is supposed to be
good soldier with an adequate grasp
of strategic problems, as his staff
position would indicate. The defense
of Moscow is indeed a complicated
task. Under the Soviet regime, Rus
sia's historic capital has expanded
into a huge sprawling metropolis
with much industry and over four
million inhabitants. 1t has no nat
ural defenses, like Leningrads
marshes or the lakes which so long
held back the besiegers of Odessa,
but Moscow is surrounded by a ring
of permanent Notifications in depth
which the Germans have not yet
reached except at one or two points.
The first blasts of winter, bowling
down out of the north and bringing
snow and bitter cold, are helping to
impede the German advance. But
the real winter season is nearly a
month away Early November usu-
ally sees a spell of mild weather
akin to our Indian summer. Mean
while, the German war machine
seems to be rolling forward slowly in
face of continuous dogged resistance.
It remains to be seen what Zhukov
can do
III.