The Wilmington morning star., 1942-07-14
Interpreting
The War
Caucasus Isolation Is Grin
Possibility As Nozis Wids,
Wedge To The Soutbsoa

With widening Ezz. -e-
ing southesstwa-o t.-o..- III
defenses toward tae C5.-
and lower VolEz. c.-~-.,z -
ton Of the Caucasus t.
Of Russia within days c. 4a.,. -
grim possibility. 1
/ Moscow admission - =
char, just east ot ne d. - .
miles southeast OF Vo-c-ez
been lost defines ire t-c-. :. ~
sector. A similar ar-c.~,a-.-;; -;
Of Russian evacua-o. c: IT,.
ansk on the Doce:s. ..1
southwest Of BoEuc5a.. c3----
the picture.
1t indicates tia: the 5.-se.,-
the gigantic Nazi ot.e-s,a
definitely shifted now t.
ward TO southeas.war6. :. -.
able objective is 70 throw " F,'..
forces back behind the O3-.".'--4
Lne clear 10 the Caspian s.. -.
completing the isola.sc. Q: ,-sr.
casus and its defenders.
! The Lisicharsk-Boguchs- s,-..
eastern face Of the Naz. we65a 49, y.
responds exactly 10 the ga,eWsv ~. !.
tween the Donetz and the 7e-
While Russian lines from Vo-o-s7,
southwark down the Don 10 g--
car appear TO be holding. the rr.s-.
OF Red forces IN the lover Do~s,,
basin and west Of Roscov is g-og
ing perilous.
A Nazi push through the Dore.,
Don gateway 10 StaNgrad and =.
lower Volga would cut then NJ.
completely. 4 vast Russian re>ras,
On the south flank TO aver. mas
encirclement may ALREADY be !,
progress. That is the irr1Ijcs.oo
oi Russian surrender Of Lis;c5ans,
Just south OF that Donez ,op,
Les the industrial heart Of +ba
lower Do1etz basin with its web N
railroads interconnect;ng such i'm.
po-tant cities as SlavyarsE, Ba.h.
nut, Lugansk and many lesser cen.
ters. With German forces con7iro
down the Donetz eas: Of his lines
in the Slavyansk sec.o., Marsha
Tinoshenko may already be with.
drawing on wide front south and
west OF Lisichans!;. He has usenL
need for shortening and straigh,en.
ing his line from Ros.ov northward
across the Done:z.Don gateway II
his armies are no. 10 be cut apar
clear to the Volga.
The main Russian hope Of avert
ing German break-through to the
Don-Volga line, however. must lie
in second-front possibilities, mt
Anglo-Anerican, but Russian "sec
ond 'front.' major operations from
the north against the Orel-Vorno
nezh flank Of the German position
1t is more than questionable that
even an Anglo-American attemp.n
cross the English channel 10 u
wade the continent could now L.
velop in time to take pressure ..
the Russians in the Don.Doru
area.
Moscow has said little of develop
ments north and northwest of VMo
nezh. Berlin reports continuous
but futile Russian attacks in tia!
area. 1t seems clear, however.
that despite the availability Of
web of inside communication lines
leading out south and soethwest.
ward from the Moscow hub, the
Red armies of the center have not
yet been able to muster strength
1or heavy counter blows at the
north flank of the Nazi drive,
1t is difficult to conceive Of any
other Russian move ttat could ease
pressure on Timoshenko. Nazl re-
ports from occupied France. other
wise unsupported, tell OF German
advance eastward along the coast
of the sea of Azov, aimed directly
at Rostov. If that has not yet DE-
veloped, it is to be expected as IS
a German thrust from the Crlmea
via Kerch strait to take RostoV anc
the lower Don line in the rear be-
fore retreating Russian forces even
reach it.
That the grand strategy involved
in the Nazi attack is aimed al
establishing a front along the Don
and lower Volga to the Caspian sea
thus amputating the Caucasus 10.
subsequent conquest, seems now
virtually certain.