Evening star., 1942-08-30
By MAI. GEORGE
FIELDING ELIOT.

The battle for Statngrad is nov
fully joined, with the Germans
hammering at the city from two
main directions-from the west, by
means of their bridgehead on the
east band of the Don--now firmly
established-and from the south
along the Stalingrad-Rostov rail-
way
The German commander charged
with carrying out this operation
Field Marshal Gen. Fedor Won Book
has the reputation OF being COM
pletely -blooded and ruthless in
smashing through to his objectives
regardless of the cost in lives OF
materiel. He is fully justifying this
reputation now; but, indeed, he can
do nothing else. The Germans are
committed to the capture of Stain
grad, cost what it may. for If this
German offensive were to break
down short of its goal it would be
nothing less than disaster for the
whole German cause.
Marshal Won Book therefore has
no choice but to continue driving
ahead, to continue putting in fresh
divisions as he withdraws broken
ones to be reconstructed and refitted,
until one of two things happens:
Either Stalingrad falls, or the Ger
man Army and the German supply
system crack under the strain.
Supply Greatest Problem.
AS to the strain on the army
itself. that needs little comment.
There is a limit to human endur-
ance. as the Germans found out
before Moscow last year. When
that limit will be reached before
Stalingrad, it is idle to try to pre-
dict; at all events the weather con-
ditions are not so severe as in the
last phases of the Moscow cam
paign, for winter is still some weeks
away.
But the strain on the supply sys-
tenn is far greater than 1t was before
Moscow. The Russians have esti-
mated that in the bend of the Don
alone, So German divisions are en-
gagged. Probably Marshal Won Book
has at his disposal not less than 80
to 80 divisions all told, or something
In the neighborhood OF Is corps.
An american corps in combat, on
offensive against an enemy in a
fortified position, must receive 4,089
tons of supplies and ammunition
daily exclusive of gasoline and oil.
A fair allowance Of gasoline and oil
for 4 corps engaged in combat is
10000 gallons per day.
100000 Tons a Day.
Thus Marshal Won Books supply
system must, on this basis, deliver
to his fighting units not less than
100000 tons of supplies every day,
plus 10000 gallons of gasoline and
oil. This takes no account OF army
troops or CHG troops, nor OF the
higher demands Of armored divi-
sions, nor Of the requirements Of the
air force, nor OF the needs Of the
supply system itself up to the corps
refilNng points.
This vast tonnage must be de-
uvereu, not from weu-Stocked de-
post close behind the lines, but
from Germany itself. It must be
hauled by German railways to the
points where the break Of gauge
occurs and then transferred to Rus
sian broad gauge lines. insofar d
Russian locomotives and cars are
available; In any case, at some
point, perhaps hundreds Of miles
distant from the corps and divi-
sional refllling points, 1t must be
transferred again to motor trucks
or to animal-drawn transport.
The number Of trucks required
to keep these supplies moving over
the dirt roads Of Russia, day in and
day out, to feed the Unsuitable NAV
OF the great battle, must rise to
astronomical proportions. The ca
pacity Of the available railways in