Evening star., 1941-10-19

Two facts about Soviet Russia are out
standing as the fourth month of the
German invasion of that country draws
to a close. The first of these is the
quality of the resistance with which the
Russians have met an all-out NaA at
tack. The second is the steadily in
creasing extent to which the German
onslaught has crippled Soviet economy,
thereby making continued resistance
progressively more difficult.
Those who regard Communism as
essentially inefficient have been sur
prised by Russia's relative success in
defending her territory against the mill
tary perfection of German mechanical
warfare. The bravery Of the individual
Russian soldier is traditional, but SO also
is the slipShod character of Russian
government. In the present war, how
ever, the Soviet regime has demonstrated
a productive capacity, power OF large
scale organization, and above all
popular morale which has forced many
people to revise their impressions OF
Communism as workable economic
system.
On the other hand, this revelation OF
Russian strength has tended to produce
an optimism as excessive as was the
pessimiSm which ruled on June %, when
the German legions rolled across the
border. Because Moscow was not cap
tured in a month many have tacitly
assumed that it would not be captured
at all. Unfortunately, there are sources
of weakness in that very concentration
of industrial power which for a time
made Russian resistance surprisingly
strong
Hitler Would Grant Peace.
Since Hitler, on october 2, ordered his
armies ito smash the enemy in the
East" Russia has experienced terrible
losses The capture or dislocation OF
industrial structure during the past two
weeks has been more serious than that
achieved by Germany during the sum-
mer months. 1t is true that Russia still
has important manufacturing centers
well to the east of the farthest German
advance. But they do not compare in
productivity with the area already cap
tured. isolated or under attack.
Russias power of resistance is still far
from exhausted. 1t remains comparable
with that which the United States would
have if the New England, New York,
Great Lakes and Pennsylvania areas
were in enemy hands. Only small
percentage of the gigantic area of Rus
sia is actually conquered. But in that
area is most Of the industrial strength
which has SO far permitted Russia to
fight a mechanical war on fairly even
terms with Germany.
Under the circumstances it is not sur
prising that rumors of the possibility OF
a separate peace between Russia and
Germany are beginning to circulate.
Such a peace, if it left Russia too Grip
pied to renew hostilities, would probably
be promptly granted by Hitler. He has
nothing to gain by pounding ever deeper
into the interior of the vast country.
separate peace, however, would un-
doubtedly result in the permanent sub
lection to Germany Of the granary Of
the Ukraine, the mineral wealth of the
Donets Basin and the oil of the Cau-
casus, in addition to the Baltic and
Black Sea ports. Deprived of these re-
sources Russia would have scarcely
more industrial future than a larger
Poland. So Stain may well decide to
fight on. even though Russia's ability
to take the offensive will henceforth be
largely conditioned by the extent to
which British and American supplies
can replace the industrial productivity
which has been lost.
Conquest Consolidated.
The tragedy is that if Germany can
complete the conquest of these vital
areas it will make little difference, from
the Nazi viewpoint, whether Russia con-
cludes a separate peace or continues to
fight a defensive war from the line of
the Volga or the Urals. In either case
the Germans will be able to exploit their
important conquests in Russia and
thereby increase their competence to
resist the present Anglo-American siege
tactics. This purpose is indicated by the
speed with which the NaZis are extend
ing civil rule to occupied Russian terri
tory, and altering the railway gauge
therein conform with that of Western
Europe
The events of the last two weeks in
Russia may therefore mark an important
transition in the character of the war.
1t seems not unlikely to settle down into
a struggle of indefinite duration between
sea power and land power with neither
of the agonists-Great Britain on