Evening star., 1942-12-13
Holds Control
Russian Marshal Sticks
When Others Fall
Continued From Page BID


the Order of the Red Star.
His present position is nearly that CT
Gen. Marshall and Admiral William D.
Leahy combined. AS chief of the gen.
eral staff, he is Russia's opposite number
to Gen. Marshall. AS vice commisSars
for national defense, he Is Premier Sta
Inns personal adviser on overall strategy,
an Office resembling that Of Admiral
Leahy as Chief of Staff to President
Roosevelt
Marshals Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov
and Gen. Mikhail Frunze are ofhcially
recognized as the creators of the modern
Red Army, the strength of which, DEM
onstrated during two years of ferocious
battle, has astounded the whole world,
including Adolf Hitler himself, accord.
ing to his own candid acknowledged
1t is no too much to say that thus fer
World War II has been chiefly a Ger
man-Russian war. Beheld from the pc--
Spective of that front. with the magnl-
tude Of its operations and the hundreds
of divisions engaged, the campaign in
North Africa shrinks into sideshow,.
while the combats in New Guinea and
Gaudalcanal appear as microscopic
skirmishes.
Experts everywhere, including the
German high command, were convinced
in the summer Of l941 that Russia would
be shattered as a military power within
three months. But Stain had taken
alarm as soon as Hitler came to power,
and in 1884 began a drastic reorganiza-
tion of the Red Army The program was
based on a colossal expansion of armor,
aviation and self supporting artillery.
The underlying principles Of Soviet
military policy appear to have been laid
down by Shaposhnikov in his classic
three-volume work. Brain of the Army"
which was published in 1929. The Rus
sian government froWns on the export
! of technical war books by its nationals,
but it may be gathered from scattered
references that the author proposed
strategy utilizing his country's peculiar
manpower. The Soviets, he argued,
could afford to trade space for time,
and could boldly engage Germany in an
all-out war of attrition.
Defensive Tactics. .-
Both tactics are of a defensive nature,
and it is in this department that the
Red Army has displayed an immortal
| tenacity In his book, Shaposhnikov did
not fail to preach the superior virtues Of
offensive, which he sought to practice in
last winters campaign and the attack
now in progress. But students consider
the chief weakness of the Russian gen.
eral staff to be its inability as yet to
mount a strategically successful offen-
sive.
1t may be taken for granted that Sha-
poshnikov had part in contriving the
system Of defense in depth which was
Russia's answer to the blitzkrieg, and
which the Germans and japanese are
doubtless copying as rampant for their
European and Pacific "fortresses" The
Soviet general staff was responsible for
the fact, extremely annoying to the
Germans, that Red Army forces caught
inside the loop of Nazi armored columns
did not surrender. as had been the ritual
in other countries. but went on fighting
and even sailed out to surround the en-
circlers
Russias beginnings of the war with
Finland, under Vo-oshilov's command,
were so disastrous that Stain was later
credited with using second-rate equip
ment and troops in order to deceive
Hitler. The facts appear to be that the
quality of Finlands equipment and SOL
diers we're underestimated, and that
Helsingfors was expected to collapse be-
fore 'flfth-column' movement led by
Kuusinen
| Shaposhnikov was convinced at last
that 1t would be necessary to make
direct break of the Mannerheim Line,
and called in his favorite general, Timo-
shenko, to replace Voroshilov A replica
of the Mannerheim Line was built in
Russia and shock troops were rehearsed
in storming it. Then the real attack was
launched and the war was over in few
weeks. For the first and only time,
modern fortified system had been
cracked by frontal assault In reward
for this victory Shaposhnikov was named
marshal and decorated with the Order
! Of Lenin.
In August, 1910. he obtained leave to
resign as chief of staff on the ground of
ill-health. He underwent a serious op-
GRAFTON and remained in retirement until
November. 194l, when Budenny's errors
lost the Ukraine. In this crisis Stain
for the third time made Shaposhnikov
chief Of the general staff. His return to
power was signalized by dramatic
change from defensive to offensive, and
by the long tortures inflicted on the
German Army by winter and incessant
! Russian assaults.
Gets Second Award
The n1arshal's 60th birthday. on Oc-
tober last, was celebrated with naticn-
wide observance. He was honored with
a second award of the Order of Lenin,
the highest Russian decoration, in recog-
milton of his 40 years of military service.
Americans newly returned from Mos
cow describe the marshal as a dignitarv
OF feet inches, with sturdy shoulders,
rugged frame, dark eyes and swarthy,
heavy features. He has retained the
courtly manners of patrician of the
old regime and is always notably we'll
dressed. 1t is said, however, that of late
he has begun to show some effects of
his protracted labors and of age and
poor health. But his fabulous memory
Is unimpaired, and he can quote Clause
| witz Napoleon, Caesar and Robert E.
Lee with equal facility His favorite
pastimes are chess and poetry.
A man of nine lives, ShaposhniEov
| probably o,7es his long immunity to tie