Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-02
18th OF a Series.)
BY LELAND STOWE,

by LELAND SIOWE,
Foreign Correspondent of The Star ant
Chicago Daily News.
WITH THE RED ARMY ON THF
RzHEV FRONT.-"For this winter
our soldiers have much fear" Wal
Prisoner Kurt Decker of the 87th
German Infantry Division sale
to me.
"They think there will be another
big Russian attack like last year
The morale of the German soldiers
Is not like it was last year. 1t is
much lower and they all know how
terrible the Russian winter will be. u
A very large proportion of the
Nazi prisoners on this front make
the same confession as Under Officer
Kurt Decker. Already it is biting
cold at night here and as the fangs
Of frost strike deeper and deeper,
the specter of another Russian win
ter, with its paralyzing heaps of
snow, it's billiards. and subzero
temperatures haunts the minds of
Hitler's besieged divisions on the
Stalingrad and central fronts. For
IL months now they have been held
at bay or pushed back.
Gen. Winter Is Reds Ally.
German soldiers know that all of
winters snowdrifts and Arctic frosts
did not keep the Red Army from
striking extensively and striking sue
cessfully last year. They also know
that their mechanical weapons,
their tanks and planes were often
immobilied and of little use once
winter had really clamped down.
And they know how their comrades,
often inadequately shod and clothed,
suffered in the trenches and dugouts
In other words, Hitler's conquer
ing legions" have learned the bitter
lesson that Napoleon's grand army
once learned and no speeches made
by De Fuehrer can make them
forget these devastating realities.
But on the Russian side of the
front, one encounters not the Slight
est dread of the months Of icy hell
that lie ahead Where their win
ter Is concerned, the Russians are
Spartans and today they look on
winter as mighty ally which every
where tends to equalize their
strength with that of the invaders,
or to give them a definite advantage.
Everywhere they have yet fought
In the war, the German infantry
has relied on the heavy support of
tanks and planes. 1t has only been
through unceasing use Of these two
arms that the Nazis have succeeded
in reaching the Don in their great
midsummer offensive.
Nazis Like "Softened" Foe.
Everywhere along the front Red
Army officers testimony is the
same. The German soldiers do not
like to fight without tanks and
bombers paving the way. Yet,
within a month the entire front
will be deep in snow and then the
activities of the Germans tanks
and planes will be severely Grip
pied. The German soldiers know
perfectly we'll what that fact spells
for them-and SO do the Russians.
During last winter the Germans
had great trouble with their fuel,
especially for airplanes when the
temperatures fell to 10 below zero
or lower. Whether the Germans
have been able to improve the
quality of their plane fuel for win
ter use remains to be seen. But in
any case the Russians have been
flying planes under polar conditions
for years and despite the coolest
winter in 60 years, they kept their
aviation functioning with great eff
fectiveness throughout the Finish
war.
So this second winter of the
Russo-German war comes with the
Red Army uncruShed and mistaken
in confidence and fighting spirit. 1t
also comes now with Russia's gen.
eral commanders completely familiar
with the Germans methods OF
Waging war and with certain vul-
nerabilities in German tactics.
Thus, almost every Russian soldier
faces winter with the conviction in
his heart that this iS tho time tn