Evening star., 1942-11-04
(20th OF Series.)
BY LELAND STOWE,

WITH ldE HED ARMY ON 11E
RZHEV FRONT.-When you've
spent even one week in front sectors
with the Red Army, it becomes much
clearer why Russia's armed forces,
after is months of ruthless and
savage combat. are still holding,
foiling and bleeding Germany's
mightiest war machine of modern
times.
This Red Army has many things
which any first-class army must
have. It has q large cadre of pro-
fessional officers who have had long,
rigid training in their military
tasks. It has artillerymen of excep-
long established Russian tradition.
It has tank corps and aviation tech
nicians and officers who for years,
spurred by the menace of Hitler's
Wehrmacht and Hitler's Luftwaffe,
have concentrated on developing
and improving the military use Of
tanks and airplanes to the utmost.
Alert Leadership.
This Red Army has leadership.
It is forward thinking and on Its
toes. It has the modern spirit.
Where the French Army left of IN
1918 and was still sitting complac-
emily in May, 1910. the Army of the
Soviet Union merely began. 1t had
serious handicaps and its makers
never had available that wealth OF
already perfected strategical brains
which Hitler found waiting for him
in Germany.
Nevertheless, the Russian Army
was evolved by men unhampered by
orthodox strait jackets and this
alertness and adaptability is visible
in the personalities of most ofncers
you meet at the front.
This Red Army also has soldiers-
spelled with a capital S. And it
has . very great fighting spirit.
After Is months of incessant and
most terrible punishment the length
and depth of the Rzhev front testi-
fles that the morale of the men OF
Russias troops is still astonishingly
high. In even widely separated the
aters of war, from Norway to China,
have never seen soldiers of
stronger physique or finer fighting
spirit.
My remarks here will be confined
to certain impressions and certain
facts with which these days which
have lived with the Red Army.
have provided me. They are in
no sense the conclusions Of = mil
itary expert: Simply the observa-
tions OF one who perhaps has seen
q fair share Of the Second World
War in various places and there
fore has some basis for comparison
with Spanish, Finnish. Norwegian
French, British. Greek, Chinese and
Indian troops or armies.
Well Clothed.
Some Of the truly most striking
things about the Red Army can be
easily overlooked by people abroad.
For instance, the Russian Army to-
day has good shoes and good clothes.
You might think that minor item
but 1t is almost OF inestimable i'm
portance In regard to the final out
come Of the whole war This, which
is the largest army Russia has ever
known, is also the first army in all
Russian history which was ade-
quately shod, adequately clothed and
well fed. ~ ""''Hi
History books are now full of
descriptions of the terrible plight
OF the brave Russian soldiers in the
army Of Gear Nicholas II and how
legions of them froze to death for
lack of boots and overcoats. Sto-
ries of whole Russian divisions, who
didn't have half enough rifles to go
around, were the scandal of Petro-
srad as early as 1915. Under the
Csars, the Russian soldier was al
ways miserably cared for and mis-
erably armed-yet even so, the Rus
SLAMS fought for three long, bitter
winters.
Neither in the rear nor anywhere
along the front today do you see
Russian soldiers who lack either
proper clothing or equipment. Most
OF the troops already have their
winter overcoats and they are OF
heavy, warm wool. All will soon be
issued felt boots-and they have nc
worries about this. They know the
boots are waiting for them just al
they know that they will continue
to get three square meals per day
More to Fight for.
But these are all things OF which
the Russian soldiers never before
could feel assured. In the last wal
the Russian soldiers knew that they
were getting the least and the worst
OF everything. or nothing at al
much Of the time. In this war the
Russian soldier knows that thi.
government is providing him with
the best possible equipment, fooc
and clothes.
II you weigh what these things
mean to men Of magnificent natura
courage and Of remarkable power
of endurance, you need not be sur
prised that the Red Army man i
still very far from being licked. HI
has 10000 more reasons to hold OF
and tight on now than his fathe
had in the winter Of l9l5-yet hi
father fought on through more thai
two winters after that and thel
through a civil war in addition.
For the first time in history, toe
the Russian soldier knows there ar
no graft, corruption and sticky
fingered middlemen delaying an
impeding the country's production
Of machine guns, grenades, tank
and all other weapons Even II
peacetime. for many years, the Re
Army came first but under war
impetus, the whole governmental
controlled economy of the Sovie
Union is geared solely to the Army
needs.
In the last World War, the Rus
alan soldiers worst enemies wer
at the Russian soldiers backs /
their own capital and industri,
centers. In this war there is n
graft and betrayal in the rear fc
soldiers to worry about.
Led by Young Generals.
All this explains why todays Rus