Evening star., 1941-08-16
War Crisis in Russia

~ NOSSVO
Moscow's acknowledgment of the
1all OF Smolensk, coupled with other
admissions and discreet silences in
the official communiques, indicates
that the trend is turning against
Russia, not merely in the Ukraine
put on other sectors of the vast
battlefront. A large Russian force
is Isolated in Estonia, except by
sea. A German armored spearhead
threatens to cut the Leningrad-
MOSCOW railway and highroad. Kiev
seems to be in danger of encircle-
ment. But these unfavorable situa-
lions are overshadowed by the ei-
gantic struggle in the Ukraine.
Making allowances for exaggerated
German claims, the position of the
Russia armies in that region must
be grave if not desperate. London
frankly admits this to be the case.
Inc Axis armies there, estimated to
NUMBER over million Germans.
MagyarS, RumanianS, Slovaks and
even Italians, seem to be advancing
steadily eastward toward the great
bend OF the river Dnieper, threaten
ing to cut off the Russian armies
massed along the Black Sea coast in
defense OF the three vital port cities
OF Odessa, Njkolaiev and Kherson.
Once the Germans reach and
establish themselves along the lower
Dnleper, retreat for those trapped
Russian armies will be almost i'm
possible. The Dnieper in its lower
reaches widens almost into an estu-
ary, an effective barrier to retreatinp
troops harried by mass Stuka bomb
Ing assaults. Escape by sea is equally
dlf1cult, since the nearest port city
with rail connections is Sevastopol
on the Crimean Peninsula, almost
200 miles from the Ukrainian ports.
Even If shipping were adequate, the
operation would be much harder
than that of Dunkerque. which was a
short run across the English Chan
mel.
IhlS does not mean that the
trapped Russians might not put up a
prolonged and costly defense. Odessa.
especially, is shielded by lakes and
rivers which render approach diff
cult. Yet, once isolated, the reduc-
ton of this entire coastal region
should be merely matter of time.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the
Russian forces still unencircled pre-
sumably would have to retreat across
the Dnieper in order to avoid q
similar fate. The Germans then not
only would possess the Western
Ukraine and Russias best Black Sea
ports, but also would have estab-
hshed an excellent defense line
along the Dnieper against possible
counterattacks while they concen-
trated on objectives farther north,
especially Moscow and Leningrad.
II the Germans win their Ukrain-
Poisi Az Will 20 lar toward
answering the question posed since
the start OF the RuSso-German War.
Berlin has contended from the first
that German strategy aimed less at
territory than at the destruction of
the Russian armies. Once they were
sufficiently weakened, the territory
could be occupied. The Russian high
command elected to meet the Ger
mans near the frontier and slug il
out, instead of fighting delaying
actions and retreating far into
Russia's illimitable interior.
The upshot has been a titanic
struggle, with vast losses of men and
materiel on both sides. The Germans
have claimed that the Russians
would weaken first, owing especially
to their inability to replace eouip-
ment and maintain adequate COM
munications. The reverses suffered
by Russia's southern armies NAV in
dicate that the magnificent Soviet
defense at last is bending under the
strain. Yet even these armies SEEM
ingly are not broken. The supreme
test is therefore still to come.