Evening star., 1942-08-30
Consumer Goods Weakest Link
In Russia's Capacity to Resist
She Can Stand Loss of More Territory, but Clothing
and Shoe Supply Is in Peril
By FeIir Morley.

It Is now just three months since the
German army turned back the abortive
Russian thrust at Kharkov and thereby
paved the way for the offensive which
has carried the troops of Marshal Won
Book deep into the Caucasus Mountains
and almost to the banks of the historic
Volga River.
Actually, it is less than two months
since the Nazi legions, having reduced
Sevastopol and thereby secured their
clockwork precision which since July
has increased Russias territorial losses
by an area larger than that of England
and Scotland combined Kharkov,
whence the drive started, is almost 400
miles due west of Stalingrad. And from
Kursk, the northern support for the
advance, it is 750 miles southeast to the
penetration now approaching the Grozny
oil fields. Even on a small-scale map of
gigantic Russia the magnitude of the
bite taken by the Germans this summer
is all too apparent.
two more months of fighting weather re-
main before the approach OF winter can
force cessation of hostilities anywhere
along the 5000 miles of curving battle
line from Lapland to the Caspian. For
this winter moreover, the Germans will
be better prepared, and the Russians less
well supplied than was the case year
ago. There is nothing gained by mini
MIXING the staggering loss of industrial,
agricultural and mineral resources which
the Soviet has suffered.
So far nothing has availed to stop, nor
even materially to check, the German
advance. Neither the gallantry of Rus
sian resistance, nor the munitions sent
by this country and Great Britain;
neither the mass bombing of German
cities, nor the threat of second front
none Of these factors have rendered Hit
ler's Russian campaign of 1912 any less
formidable than that of 1s41. So it is
not surprising that people everywhere
are asking whether the Soviet govern
ment, for all the superhuman courage
and endurance demonstrated, can be ex-
pected indefinitely to maintain a losing
struggle.
The Facts Are Grave.
Various grim facts indicate negative
answer to that position.
At Stalingrad the German troops are
something over 900 miles inside the Rus
sian frontier which they crossed on June
~. 1e41. The occupied territory contains
most OF what was, until very recently,
the economic heart of Russia. In spite
Of German Withdrawals last winter
LNningrad is still closely beleaguered and
ccunterattAcks have not removed the
latent threat to Moscow. Outside supply
lines to Russia are only precariously
maintained, whether via the Barents
Sea in the far north or over the COM
plicated Caspian route in the south
The losses Of Soviet manpower are ad-
mittedly enormous and proportionately
as disruptive to the war effort as Is the
sweeping dislocation Of both production
and transportation.
II the Russia of 1912 were the same as
the Russia of 1917 no objective and in
formed opinion would give any central
government there chance to survive
the chaos, the suffering and the contin-
ued attrition Of curtailed resources which
must be anticipated during the coming
winter months.
But Russia today is not the same a!
that OF the close of the Czarist period
The Communist regime, it Is now be.
latedly admitted, has done a marvelou,
job both OF physical organization ant
psychological preparation for the SUI
preme test which is at hand. As in tn,
case OF Nazi Germany, whose strength
and capacity have been equally subject
to strangely unintelligent discount II
this country, the hardships OF recent