The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-11-17

Wiluern1ent-Such a crisis as kirk. Then, like the Britcns, [ together and checked Adolf Ei capital.
 Some day tho historians can piece together the full story of those two days and the days which followed.
 It is tho story of how the iron will of Josef Stalin was inparted to army and corps commanders, dlvi~ sAonal and Teginnental leaders, down to the hurnblest soldier; how moth- CTS and daughters shouldered picks and shovels and marched across the snow-covered plains west of Moscow to dig defenses for their soldier sons and lovers.
 Story of Interest
 This much can be told now.
 For at least Q fortnight before Hitler launched his greatest offen- sive on October second, the Soviet general staff knew that the next blow would be aimed ct Moscow.
 Each days air reconnaissance brought back news of German trans- port columns moving into the cen- tral front. Each intelligence report showed that Field Marshal Fedor Won Bock was nlasslng men and material in 6 great crescent swing ing from the Valdai hills between Moscow and Leringrad through Smolensk in the center to OTel 200 miles southwest of Moscow.
 Backing for these reports was obtained from the British intellis gence throughout the whole Rus- sian campaign has been excellent and from the Poles who have man. aged to keep the grapevine tele- graph working out of their home- land.
 The Russians, moreover, had cap- tured in late August & plan for the German offensive against Moscow which proved almost identical with the plan which was tried in Oc- tober, The August plan, part of which Is supposed to have been dic- tated personally by Hitler, was found on the body of a German staff ofYi. cer near Bryansk.
 Panxer Thrusts Begin
 It called for a series Of converg. ing Panzer thrusts at Moscow -- from the Valdal hills in the north west, from Roslavl, Bryansk and Orel in the southwest.
 AS these thrusts progress toward the capital the luftwaffe was to pound the airdromes defending Mos- COW and the Russian lines of sup- ply. When Won Books central army reached Moscow it was supposed to swing south and join forces with the army of Field Marshal 0erd Won Rundstedt in the Ukraine for a colossal pincers movement de. signed to cripple or destroy the So" v!et central and southern armies at one blow.
 The Russians frustrated the first attempt to carry out the plan in late August and early September but Hitler gave Von Book greater resources for the October offensive, Nevertheless, the Red army held firm at the start. The drive north toward Kalinln held. The thrusts rom the dense pine forests around Bryafsk and Orel were held, too, On the Soviet side everything seemed to be going well. Suddenly the Germans broke through the Russian defenseg Of Roslavl.
 Strong Forces Massed
 Here Won Book had concentrated stronger forces than the Soviet gen- erai staff had reckoned with = great masses of tanks. armored cars, artillery and motorized infantry. backed by swarms of fighter planes and bombers. Straight up the road from Ros- lavi toward Moscow the Germans pushed until they were due south of Moxhaisk. Then they turned north and burst into Mozhaisk Oct t4-iS.
 Returning from the central front 6 few weeks before, I had driven from the Mozhaisk area to Moscow. Farthur west the Russians had built strong defenses but on the roll- ing prairies between Mozhaisk and Moscow saw only a few anti-tank ditches and small defense posts.
 Moscow seemed almost in Hitler's grasp.
 Tn Moscow at noon, Oct. 18th. Foreign Commissar V. M. Molotoy summoned Laurence Steinhardt, U. s. Ambassador. and Sir Stafford Cripps, British Ambassador, to the Kremlin.
 Until then Soviet officials refused to discuss the possibility of evacu- ation with foreign diplomats and journalists. But Molotoy told the ambassadors that the diplomatic corps and some government de" partmentg would leave for Kuiby- shev that night and other depart ments would follow.
 Had Left Moscow
 Nevertheless, he emphasized, the Russians would fight for Moscow to the last ditch.
 ! left Moscow at 1:30 a. m.. Oc-