Evening star., 1942-02-02
Heavy Snow Slows
Russian Advance,
But Drive Continues
Germans Remain in
Warm Houses in Fear
Of GuerriIIos
BY EUGENE PETROv,
Correspondent Of The Star and

MOSCOW, Fe0. (By WlreleSS).-
The cold, heavy blanket known IN
Russia as 1.-THE Epiphany Frost" has
settled over the western front.
In the early morning frosty fog
Of pale pink hue hangs over cities,
towns, forests and the front lines. An
immense sun rises in the east and
the whole day long one car look at
1t directly without squirting.
Thick, heavy smoke, like clots OF
cotton, rises from the chimneys OF
dugouts and small houses which
survived in the front area. The
transformation Of gaseous and
liquid substances into solids takes
place practically before the eyes.
Breath forms an icy crust along
the edge of turned-up collars on
sneepskin coats Those unfortunates
who wear mustaches are adorned
with two rather beautiful but heavy
icicles hanging under their noses.
War in such weather Is difficult.
The Germans complain of the frost
They always complain about some
thing when matters are not to their
liking. Formerly they complained
that the Russian population was un-
willing to understand them; that
they could find no traitors; then
they complained about the guerr1llas
who stood in their way and then
about the Russian troops who did not
surrender but for some reason con-
tinued fighting.
Red Army Well Equipped.
The Russians do not complain
about the weather although 1t Is no
warmer on their side of the front
than on the German side. The Red
Army is we'll equipped for winter.
But one must bear in mind that
titanic efforts are required to turn
German centers of resistance. That
means to advance, not along high
vays. but across fields and forests
vaist-deep and sometimes breast
deep in snow, carrying automatic
rifles and a heavy pack; to make
very long marches and then 60 lnto
action without a rest.
One should bear in mind that very
often the men cannot even make a
fire because the smoke or flames
would reveal their presence.
The Germans have it much easier.
They are on the defensive and have
warm peasant houses. 1t Is very
difficult to dislodge them, not so
much because Of their stanchness as
because of their fear to leave their
rA1d 6n1dC
In a village west OF MozhalSk, .
woman told me that the Germans
billeted in her house burnt her fur
niture in the stove rather than 60
to the forest to get flrewood. Tney
were afraid of guerrillas.
Offensive Continues.
The offensive which started with
the routing of the Germans near
Moscow is still going on. As far as I
can remember, history knows OF no
other instance of such long and
continuous offensive-it has been
going on close to two months. And
vet an offensive at this time means
operating in heavy frost and very
stubborn resistance.
Strange as 1t may seem after the
loud German complaints, this frost
hinders the advancing Russians
much more than the retreating Ger.
mans. The roads are mined ana
protected by centers Of resistance
and of the roads deep snow slows
the advance.
There is no place to get warm and
still men are advancing. Their l1ber-
alton impulse is so great that no
words adequately can describe 1t.
In faraway America it might seem
that the Russian offensive is some
what slow. although it is steady. This
is a perfectly natural delusion based
on a lack of familiarity with the
Russian theater of war in winter.
In truth. however, the speed OF
the offensive under the circum-
stances Is dazzling. Only here IN
Moscow and at the front can one
correctly apraise what it means to
cover 200 klometers Q25 niles IN
woods and fields covered with deep
snow.
The last time visited the front
I travelled along the Minsk highway,
which resembles in width q good
American road. While we were
passing the rear areas, the road
was swept perfectly clean. Snow
sweepers rolled back and forth day
and night. Road signs were fault
less.
Were 1t not for the frost and a
few German planes in the sky.
1t would have been a pleasant
promenade. But things change
when you come to a village where
the front line was just few days
ago. Beyond 1t is no-man's-land.
1t has been no-man's-land for three
whole months. Here you could not
ride and we continued on foot.
Walking keeps you warm in this Bit
ter weather.
Wall Of Snow Bars Path.
We saw soldiers OF labor battalions
clearing the road and sappers at
work some distance ahead. We