Evening star., 1941-12-11
Germony's Winter Abb

developments in the RusSo-G German
war have been crowded off the front
pages of our papers by the even more
sensational happenings Of the Amer
ican-Japanese war. Were we still at
peace, dispatches from Berlin and
Moscow would win streaming head
lines and extensive comment.
The first of these impressive dis
patches is a declaration from the
Berlin military spokesman that win
ter has stopped the German armies
short of Moscow and that the capture
of the Soviet capital is not expected
before next spring. In similar vein,
Helsinki, the capital of Finland,
reports a climatic stalemate before
Leningrad. All up and down the
2,000-mile front from the Arctic to
the Black Sea, the Axis forces are
described by their own spokesmen as
digging in" to spare their troops
from weather so severe that "the oil
freezes in motorized vehicles, while
officers and soldiers trying to take
cover simply freeze to the ground"
The inference is that even the pro-
jected campaign to retake Rostov
and invade the relatively mild
Caucasus with it's precious oil fields
has been abandoned for the winter
season.
Are we to take such statements at
their face value? And, if so, what
does it mean in other theaters of
war? Maxim Litvinoff, Soviet Rus
sia's newly arrived Ambassador in
Washington, is inclined to be skepti-
cal, saying in a recent interview:
you cannot trust anything coming
from Berlin. 1t may be a trick"
However, the Russians do not seem
to be disposed to 60 into winter quar-
tiers. They are officially reported,
not only as having launched vigorous
counteroffensives around Moscow,
but also to have recrossed the Straits
Of Kerch in the Eastern Crimea at
the very moment when the garrison
Of besieged Sevastopol, at the west
ern end of that same peninsula, is
making a similar attack on the Ger
man lines. In both cases they are
said to have found the German
forces depleted, presumably to boil
ster the threatened German retreat
from nearby Taganrog, which is still
being pressed by Timoshenko'S tanks
and massed cavalry.
All this opens up a fascinating
field for speculation. If the Wehr-
macht has really called a winter halt
in Russia, it is unthinkable that
Germany's military power will not
be used elsewhere during the winter
months ahead; because the German
high command knows that it has no
time to waste. Will the Wehrmacht
deliver powerful blows in the Medi-
terranean, at Turkey for a dash at
Syria and the Near East, or perhaps
into North Africa both to relieve
Libya and to occupy Dakar in con-
nection with war with America,
which now is fact? Any or all
these alternatives may soon come to
pass.
Equally intriguing are Russia's
possible moves. Assuming that Ger
many has abandoned its great
offensive until spring, will the Soviet
high command play the same game?
If it does, and If winter stalemate
descends upon its European front,
will Russia join the A. B. c. D. powers
in waging vigorous war against ia
pan? Thus far, the Soviet Govern
ment has made no sign, and the
non-aggression treaty with Japan
continues in full effect. Logically, it
would seem golden opportunity for
Russia to help clean up its potential
menace in the Far East. Yet it may
be that recent Russian victories in
Europe have been gained only by
depicting its Siberian armies below
the danger point against a japanese
assault. Until the situation clarifies,
therefore, it will remain one of tan
talizing speculation.