The Wilmington morning star., 1942-04-17
Interpreting
The War
Effect Of Laual's
Rise On War In East
Is Hard To Fotbon

Until the military meaning \.
Pierre Lavals political resurre,
ton in conquered France is cl.~
fled, its effect upon the approach
ing war crisis in Russia is diff
cult to fathom.
If Laval should turn France,
depleted and long inactive Meii
terranean fleet over to the Csr
mans, it would be a grave ba,di
cap for Russia's war partrarS
Britain and the United States :,
could not, however, greatly co,,
plicate Russia's own problem n
the near future. And it is in Rrs
sia, perhaps within the next a
days, that weather conditions viii
permit the launching of HitIer'S
new 'annihilation" offensive.
London military observers fiv
mid-May as the earliest probable
date when the oceans of mud AND
slush will dry up sufficiently for
blitzkrieg operations. Russian ad.
vices as to an early thaw FOLLOWING
the most severe winter in decades
gives the same impression.
Nor can Hitler and his generals
forget the grim time lesson thew
learned last year. The weeks thew
lost in the Balkan war in Aprii
May and June as a prelude TO The
attack on Russia proved their IN.
doing. Starting too late, their great
advance was turned into a costly
retreat when winter intervened
The NaZi high command cannot
again risk any such delay in strik.
ing at Russia. Even with French
warships and Mediterranean bases
at its disposal to alter ominouslv
the odds against the British on
that front, it would take time 10
bring them into effective play. and
there is no certainty as vet tha.
the French fleet will be available.
The first hint of winters inter.
vention in Russia found its way
into German war bulletins late las.
October. Freezing nights were Of.
ficially admitted to have forced
''breathing spell" 1t was not Until
a month later, however, that Hit.
ler, obviously at odds with his gen.
erals, gave up the effort to CON.
plete his victory" and begin his
march to the rear with surrender
of Rostov.
That seven weeks from early
October to late November was
Russia's dark hour. Turning back
to the Berlin and Moscow war buL
letins of that period, the miracle
of Russian recovery to wage
winter counter offensive that has
regained at terrible cost to the foe
more than a sixth of the Russian
territory lost in 1941, seems more
astounding even than the escaped
most of Britain's expeditio2T
force from Dunkirk.
On October 9 last, Otto Dietrica,
Nazi press chief, returning from
meeting with Hitler at his Russian
field headquarters. announced in
Berlin that ''for military purposes,
Soviet Russia is done with.
The '1ast complete Russian
armies" were locked in death trap:
at Bryansk and Vyazma, routed
in the south or cooped up in be-
sieged Leningrad by his account
1.-The British dream of two-front
war is dead" he added.
Just how premature that victory
shout was today's war news from
Russia makes crystal clear. Dan
gerously exposed German advance
posts at both Bryansk and Vyazma
are besieged, the Smolensk key to
the vital junction triangle on The
Moscow front is threatened. a
siege of Leningrad had been DEL
initely lifted. Its garrison Il On
the attack. Rostov is regained anu
the Nazi forces still Threatening
it themselves are under attack
The Kerch bridgehead from re
Crimea to the Caucasus is again
in Russian hands.
For armies rated as done iN
only six months ago, that is an
amazing comeback. 1t means MI
Ter has much of his work to 90
over again with war weary anu
wasted forces which have now tas.
ed defeat.