Evening star., 1941-11-26
German Assaults
On Moscow Declared
Fiercesf Of Drive
Tanks Rushed in Effort
To Widen Breach in
Defenders Front
By EUGENE PETROy.

North American Newspaper Alliance
MOSCOW, Via Kuibyshev, Nov
26.-The offensive the Germans have
been waging for eight days exceeds
in intensity everything that preceded
it and this time they are making 9
desperate effort to seize Moscow.
The pressure on the Russian
troops grows flercer every hour
Having broken the front ct one
point, the Germans fling their tanks
into the breach in an effort to widen
it. They are endeavoring to encircle
Moscow, cut off the capital from the
country and compel it to capitulate.
I have spent the last five days on
the Mozhaisk and Volokolamsk
fronts, where Moscow is being de-
Tended from a direct blow at its
heart.
I found the front had changed
even more than Moscow. The west
ern front, which I had got to know
SO we'll in August and September on
the eve of the stern, sangulnary
battle for the capital-that strong
and I would say rather reckless
front-no longer existed. But not
because it had been destroyed, as
the German general staff proclaimed
in it's boaStful manner The men re-
manned the same, except Tor the
dead. There were the same roads.
the same forests, the same log cabn
villages. the same tanks, the same
stupefying odor of gasoline mingled
with burning wood-the odor OF
modern Warfare-the same bullet
pierced helmets, the same. stlff
corpses with bent knees and the
same burnt motor vehicles at the
sides of the roads.
Tanks Painted White.
Then it was autumn. Now fierce,
piercing, unusually early winter had
begun. The bare forests were COW
cred with hoarfrost. The trees
looked like expensive, dellcately
worked silver. Every tWig stood out
distinctly. The earth had become as
hard as wood, weather ideal for
large scale tank operations. In
weather like this tanks can move on
any terrain. And the Germans have
taken advantage of this to launch
their new and vigorous offensive
against Moscow.
But not only the weather has
changed Tanks have been adapted
to it and painted white. Red Army
soldiers and officers are clad in
warm fur caps of pale blue and in
padded sheepskin sleeveless coats
that keep the body wonderfully
warm beneath great coats.
It does not get light before 7
o'clock and by in the evening 1t
Is dark. The fighting day is sort
and consequently intense. Another
reason why the front has changed
is because it has drawn closer to
Moscow. Some days our men de-
Tending Moscow knew that there was
still a long stretch of territory be-
hind them and that If the Germans
were not driven back today they
would be tomorrow. Now Moscow
Is lust behind their backs and the
Germans must be stopped, here and
now.
It would be no exaggeration to say
that there is not a single Red Army
man at the front who believes Mos
COW will fall. Our troops are well
armed. They have tanks and splen-
did artillery, machine guns, auto
matte rifles and trench mortars.
But if it comes to it, the Russians
will strangle the Germans with their
bare hands for behind them is the
Russian peoples most precious pos
session-Moscow.
Germans Testing Front.
It is the opinion here that the
Germans now are convinced that
an attempt to capture Moscow by
frontal attack along the roads con-
verging on Moscow would be ex-
tremely difficult and fraught with
colossal losses. To judge by the
course Of the present fighting, the
Germans, in my opinion, are at
tempting general development Of
Moscow from the f1anks.
AS always the Germans are prob
ing for weak spots at the junction
points between big formations. AS
always they are trying to go around
wherever they encounter strong re-
sistance and they resort to one
maneuver after another.
They have somewhat changed
their tactics. They make just as
abundant use of tanks as ever but
they no longer operate in groups
numbering thousands of tanks but
in small groups of about 10 to 100
tanks.
I was astonished to learn that on
the Volokolamsk sector the Germans
have brought into action African
tank corps. transferred from the
Libyan front. They did it so hastily
that they did not even stop to re-
paint the tanks in order to adapt
their color to the Russian winter.
The tanks are still camouflaged for
conditions in the Libyan desert.