The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-10-26

ANOTHER RUSSIAN WINTER
The strategic situation of Sovie.
Russia improves as the tatetul sum
mer of 1912 Vasscs and the idh
storms commence. Tile inyad!n7
Nazi hordes must prepare them
selves for winter.
Although the Red armies have
suffered serious losses IN men, ua
terial. and territory none Of Oh.
Axis yictorie, have been OF Dc.
cisive nature The present hattJa
line m European Russia is not dis
ad1antageou to the armed force.
OF Joseph Stain.
In the lar north. though inStalla.
tions at Murmansk have been most
seriously bombed, it is still held.
Archangel is operating as re
ceiving port for material sent in BY
Britain and the United States. IL
spite Of much desperate fighting,
the Nazis have not been able u
make a real dent in the defenses
surrounding Leningrad, and that
city is able to maintain the Russian
meet on the EdlJlC sea.
An the railroads from the north
which bring lend-lease equipment
10 Moscow and Central Russia are
operating. The Red armies are
very close 10 the great communl-
cation center OF Smolensk. II might
easily be recsptured from the Axis
this winter The Voronezh sector
on the Don River has been the
scene OF a successful Red army ad-
vance.
The loss OF the great productive
areas OF the Ukraine and portions
OF the Caucasus plains cannot b
minimized. Nevertheless, the
armies OF Hitler have been unable
10 push the Soviets from the Black
Sea They have been stopped
Just south OF Novorossisk. Thu
NaZi advance in the Caucasus has
been more or less hnger-shap-
ed north OF the mountains to-
wards Grozny. but the oil in the
vicinity OF this latter city is still
Soviet held rs is that near Baku.
The Nazis made a great mistake
in not aiming their original drive
al Astrakhan rather than Stain
grad Even il they entirely cap
ture this latter city It only sewers
Volga communications from the
south; winter and ice do this any
way. However, had they been able
10 capture Astrakhan they would
have not only cut the Folga. but
obtained Their al-important foot.
hold on the Caspian Sea. Without
this. the Axis has no hope OF inter
ference with our more than import
ant supply line from The Persian
Gulf via the Caspian Sea 10 intef
Tor Russia
Actually. the manner in which
the Red armies have conducted
their summers hghtng amounts 10
a complete victory. Every retire
ment has been inch by inch. Never
have they lot control nor have
they lost any location which caused
them 70 ue decisiyely defeated.
Throughout. stain has had 20 main
tain very strong forces in Asiatic
Russia, particularly Siberia. to be
prepared for any possible Japa-
nese attack
80 one has any positive infor-
nation about the armed forces Of
Russia. bur it is probable their land
armies. including trained reserves.
originally totJllea between Is and
90 million men Whatever the mum
Der, they are now skilled veterans
OF war Without doubt divisions
from Asiatic Russia have bsen con
stantly interchanged with those
fighting in European Ru, -ia The
supreme command and staff are
probably now unequalled in the
world. and their knowledge is from
actual fighting Regardless OF
losses which. without doubt. have
been terrific the Russian replace
ments must have been largely
youths who have become OF mill
tsry age.
As 10 war industries again no
outsider has ANY accurate informd-
ton, but W note that in a book
Just published. called Soviet Asia.
1t is claimed that for - years past
Russia has been developing indus
tries east % the TRIAL Mountain
II is sad that war industrie-
there have reached the point which
indicates that Soviet Asia = equir-
ped 10 ke - Russia hghting indef-
nifely tn work Vas originally
started in an icipatlou Of conditio-s
such as ara n effect today. At
frst the aim was merely TO make
Asiatic Russia self-suflicient Now
u is being made the base OF SUP
plies for Oh European front as well
as the source Of ammunition and
war matsia for ali anti-Axis
armies IN asia This must. at least
10 certain -sNtent, include China
Premier Stain recently said in
effect thai I.Lssia was In a posi-
ton 10 withstand and continue this
war longer than any Of his Axis
enemies, "a 'icularly Germany II
would appear that his remarks are
correct