Evening star., 1941-06-24
By LELAND STOWE,
Correspondent of The Star and Chicai
Daily News.

Correspondent of The Star and Chicago
Daily News.
NEW YORK. June 24.-It would
be surprising if the Russo-German
war lasted into next autumn. 1t
would not be surprising if the Nazi
war machine should occupy the
entire Ukraine, and possibly strike
through the Southern Caucasus all
the way to the Caspian Sea and
down TO the borders of Iran. within
a few weeks-perhaps within six
weeks.
This, at least, is what German
officers in the Balkans have been
supremely confident their blitZ-
kriegers would do whenever Hitlers
long planned attack upon Soviet
Russia was launched.
The chances of the fulfllment
of major part of the German
Army's offensive schedule are GER
tainly much brighter than the Rus
sian forces chances of prolonged
and skillfully directed resistance.
What Adolf Hitler obviously hopes
to do is to paralyze the Red Army
with a series of sledge-hammer
blows, seize the Ukraine and all
the northern shores of the Black
Sea if possible-and then, likely
enough, offer a relatively magnani-
nous peace to the rest of Russia,
having sliced off the Baltic states
from the SovietS for good measure
What Hitler wants and needs is a
lightning swift and devastating
campaign.
Offensive Against L. S.
In this sense Nazi Germany's
assault upon Russia is also major
psychological offensive against the
United States. Hitler needs the
vast wheat lands of the Ukraine
and the oil of Baku, and he can
also use very nicely the steel and
aluminium plants at Dneiperstroy
and Nikolaiev. Once Nazi Ger
many controlled all these resources
defeatist- minded Americans would
be shouting Whats the use?" with
a vengeance.
There is every reason to believe
that Hitler has taken the supreme
gamble of attacking Soviet Russia
quite as much for its potential value
in discouraging American aid to
Britain as for its promised spoils
in raw materials.
If Hitler can cripple Stalinist
Russia he knows that countless
Americans will look on Nazi Ger
many as the destroyer of "the Com
munist menace" and still refuse to
recognize the Nazis' brown Bolshe-
vism as the democratic worlds most
powerful enemy. Thus, a swift and
| crushing German victory over the
SovietS might possibly strengthen
the ranks of American isolationists
enormously, both from newly i'm
pressed defeatists and by the adj
herence of a wide variety of Ameri-
can anti-Communists. especially
from church circles. This is how
Hitler, Goebbels and company are
striking at American public opinion
through their Russian war.
Soviet Superior in Manpower.
AS for the military aspects OF this
campaign, predictions are danger
GUS, because the Red Army has
never faced a major adversary. The
Russian Army is definitely superior
in manpower. but in airplanes,
tanks and artillery it is certainly
inferior. Germany also enjoys tre-
mendous advantage in the quality
and experience of her general staff
and virtually all her officers.
Most of the terrain involved is
also definitely favorable to the Nazi
methods of mechanical attack. This
is why German expectations of a
decisive and relatively quick CAM
paign command serious attention.
Personally, I should not be sur
prised if the German invaders had
about all they are going after. in
Southwestern Russia within six
weeks.
| Firms May Not Fight Far.
From all reports, and also judging
by the hunger and privation which
now prevail in Finland, the Firms
have not been anxious to plunge
into another war with the Russians
A large proportion of Finland's SOL
diers are Socialists, and they know
their political freedom will be doomed