The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-19
American, British Aid Must Speed Up Fast
Continued from Page D

through or around Turkey to cut of the middle eastern United States supply line to Russia had now be- come a real one.
 Informants said the Germans now held or imminently threatened enough industrial territory to make 1t certain Russian industry could not supply the weapons which the Red army and air force must have.
 It was realized here that any American and British weapons which reach Russia within the next few months could be only of moral value, so far as the real supply prob- lem was concerned, because months were needed to get sufficient vol- ume flowing.
 Spring Campaign Is Issue
 But on what could be done with In the next six months to ensure a steady, big scale flow of finished weapons to Russia, for use In the spring campaign, depended the pres- ent course of the war, informants said.
 The view taken here was con- structive, not defeatist.
 Sources which are unimpeach- able are convinced that Russia is going to fight on, from the Caucasus the Urals or wherever else the Ger man armies may drive to.
 According to these sources, who know as much about the true state of things In the Soviet Union as Russian secretiveness permits, there is not the slightest tendency in Rus- sia toward Q separate peace with Germany.
 Tn the first place, they say, the Red army has not yet been defeated. Tn the second place, they assert, 1t would be suicide for the present re- zine to enter such peace.
 Even If the threat to Kharkov and the. Donets and Don basins de- velops beyond the present point an informant said, "it will not af- feet Russia's ability to maintain very large army in the field"
 It was pointed out that the Ger mans already were at the edge of the Donets coal basin after crossing the Dnlepeg rtVeTs N
 More Losses Are Serious
 Informants admitted that the loss of Kharkov and the Rostov area al the mouth of the Don would be serious. But the losses already sus- tained in the western Ukraine had seriously affected Donets production 1t was added, and Russia had big new industrial developments in the Ural Mountains and in western Si. beria beyond them.
 By their loss of the territory west of the Dnieper the Russians already had lost considerable Do' nets production" an informant ex. plained.
 "For example, the Krivoi Rog iron fields, which furnished more thar half Russia's iron production, hae gone and had caused @ shortage ol raw materials for the Donets coa field steel plants.
 "The aluminium plant ct Xaphor' ozhe also must be written of ai must the manganese deposits.
 "The big loss in the Donets woult be coal, although Russia has grea coal fields in central Asia. OtheI plants in the basin make agricul tural machinery, and in addition there are considerable shipbuildinl facilities in coastal towns" The highly placed informant! who have made their opinion avail l able take the long range view of th' war.
 Russia Suffered Heavily
 They say Russia has suffered tre' mendous losses in men and weapons } especially tanks and airplanes. } They believe Great Britain ma! try to make raids on the European continent, across the English chan nel, within the next few months bu } an attempt at a full scale invasion is impossible.
 l It Is up to Britain and America , they say, to send to Russia ever, weapon possible, including man! ; they need themselves, because Rus sia is now the fighting front, witf more losses to come but with winter . In sight and spring campaign II prospect.
 They say that failure to supply Russia may alter the course of thu war and certainly must prolong i for a year or more, at the possible cost of millions of lives and the cer' , tain cost of billions of dollars.
 On the constructive side they say that Germany has suffered tremen. dous losses in the Russian cam paign.
 It was estimated authoritatively yesterday that up to Sept. Ger. many had lost 100000 men iT killed, wounded and missing agains 3,OOOO00 for Russia.
 It is possible, informants said to- day, that Germany may never re- cover even quantitative superiorit. in the air. They believe she has los qualitative superiority.
 Britain Cannot Invade
 If Britain could invade the con tinent, informants say, the who'll picture might change now. German forces might be divided and who'll ., nations fired with hope. But Brit ain cannot. A shrewd neutral Officl said:
 Britain is like a man who ha been thrown out of Q saloon int the gutter four times. He begins [. think very seriously about the ad visibility of going in for the Siftl tllne."
 This does not rule out the pos slbliity of raids on the continent But informants agree that the bIi thing is the production Of weapons with Russia getting first choice. For that reason the coming Mos COW conference on aid to Russia with 1T. Ayerell Hartman repre- ] senslng the United States, and Lors BeaveTbrook representing Britain