Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-06
Reds Show
Why Allies
Will Win War
Have Ability TO Adapt
" Tactics TO Terrain
By PAUL MALLON


best current example OF why
the United Nations are going to
win the war.
The Russians held Sevastopol
for more than a month against
one of the most vicious attacks
ever launched by the Nazis. The
way they did il was, in general,
the same way they have held
Hitler back in Russia for more
than year. Their method is
a combination Of two things:
ABILITY TO adapt their
weapons and tactics to natural
defenses, and
2-The tenacity to die rather
than to give up.
Sevastopol is built among
rocky cliffs and is protected
from the land side by a semi
circle of hills. The Nazis had to
fight their way over these hills
and through the narrow passes.
The hills were honeycombed
with heavy Russian artillery.
pill boxes and machine gun
nests; the valleys were cut up
with deep ditch tank traps.
1t took the Germans, even
with their unlimited manpower,
empower and airpower, more
than a month to hammer their
way in. They finally did II by
absolutely pulverizing Russian
defense with some OF the big
gest mobile siege guns ever built.
Rumors say these guns were
more than 20 inch ones, far
bigger than the biggest guns on
battleships.
yield MARSHAL FRITZ
L ERICH Won MANNSTEIN
had 20 to 25 divisions available
for the attack on Sevastopol,
more than 100000 men, but he
could only use three divisions
at time in the narrow ap-
proacfes to the fortress.
He fought three divisions until
they were exhausted or too
depleted to fight. Then he with
drew those divisions and put in
three more and so on.
All the time the Germans
were pulverizing the Russian
fixed defenses with their over
sized siege guns, firing at al
most point blank range. The
conclusion from the shells of
these guns alone is said to be
almost enough to put the ordi-
nary soldier out of action.
Every Russian defender in
his pillbox or behind his rock,
stayed there until the end.
The city itself, honeycombed
with underground shelters and
munitions factories carved out
Of the soft rock. was finally
pulverized after the Nazis fought
close enough TO shell it with
their heavy artillery. The Rus
slams still fought as the rock
crumbled over them.
While the Russian land armies
are the only ones which have
been able to stand up against
Hitler's TOUCHES so far, the
Chinese alone have shown the
ability to hold out against the
laps.
The main difference between
Russian and Chinese resistance
TO the Axis is that the Rus
slams are fairly well equipped
with all modern weapons of war,
while the Chinese have nothing
but small arms which they make
themselves. The Chinese have
practically no artillery, few
planes.
WE WERE just beginning to
w get the Chinese equipped
with the tools of war they needed
when the Burma Road closed.
Now there is no practical way
of getting help to them, although
they are fighting on.
The Russians defend in depth.
They let the concentrated Ger
man drives 60 through and close
in behind and chew up the
armored thrusts. This has forced
Hitler to adopt a shorter, inch
ing attack.
The Chinese have not the
heavy weapons to stop the we'll
equipped Jap troops, but they
close in behind the same way,
using guerilla tactics by which
they are taking heavy toll of the
Japs.
When Chinese army is licked
il dissolves into thin air. The
soldiers become peasants and
farmers. Then they become
guerrillas and the fighting behind
the lines goes on.
The Chinese. in using this de-
Tense. have of necessity had TO
give up much territory, as have
the Russians. The Japs have
now captured every air base in
the so-called invasion area in
Eastern China-Chekiang Prov
ince. They have also occupied
the railways in this area. They
have made themselves secure
from air attack from this area,
but they have not licked the
Chinese.
The Japs probably will not try
10 continue their drive west into
China. Their spearheads Of
attack could go through, but the
Chinese would flow in behind
them, continue guerilla warfare
and hamper their communica-