Evening star., 1942-10-15
Third OF a series.)
BY LELAND STOWE,
ny ~AAAND 0AOVI5
War Correspondent Of The Star and
Chicago Daily News,

war Correspondent OF The Star and
Chicago Daily News.
WITH THE RED ARMY ON THE
RzHEV FRONT. - We had vodka
for breakfast and then I met the
lieutenant colonel from Hell's Elbow.
However often and shamefully I
may initiate the gopher when bombs
or shells sound like they have my
name engraved on them,. let it still
be recorded that, once at least, 7
found the courage to down a full
glass Of vodka before breakfast.
Kindly forget to mention the fur
ther fact that I failed Regimental
Commissar Pavlov completely when
he insisted that my appetite would
be much better on two glasses than
on oneD Anyway, even at 1880 i'll
the morning, 1t would be a shriv-
eled soul, ineed, who wouldn't drink
toast to the ofacer who COM
manded Hell's Elbow.
1t. Col. Polevoi Is one Of the out
standing heroes Of Capt. Emma's
outfit. When we sat down to break
fast In the headquarters dugout, the
lieutenant colonel had just come
back from night in Hell's Elbow,
across the Volga. I strongly suspect
that Guard Col. Shafranov had
called him back just so I could see
what kind Of commander his 'front.'
line troops have. The colonel has
plenty Of reason to be proud
Made Desperate Thrust.
Above and below Rzhev, the Volga
twists and bends. One of these
sharp little hairpins is Hell's Elbow.
It is about mile and one half wide
and only little deeper than that
but it is in the German-held bank
of the Volga and, as such. was a
nasty advance position for the
Nazi's fire. More than a month ago,
1t. Col. Polevoi led his men across
the Volga and in a desperate thrust
they drove the Nazis out of Hell's
Elbow.
But that was only the beginning
In this narrow rectangle, the Rus
sian attacking troops had absolutely
no cover except German trenches
and dugouts which were all facing
the wrong way. They had to dig In
themselves, even as they fought
their way to the base OF the elbow
and then the Nazis' fierce and per-
sistent counterattacks began. The
Germans poured artillery shells,
mortars and bombs onto the narrow
strip Of land held by Red Army SOL
diers. They did 1t for days and then
for weeks.
On one of the most terrible days,
Nazi bombers made more than 600
flights over Hells Elbow in "a hours.
They concentrated terrific artillery
fire and then sent in tanks and in
fantry in recurrent waves. To any
rational-minded outsider-you re-
member how it was not rational for
the Poles, Norwegians, Greeks or
Yugoslavs to f1ght?-it would have
seemed that the little band on Hells
Elbow was certainly doomed. Our
men never gave up yard of SOIL"
Guard Col. Shafranov said with the
phantom Of smile.
Features Are Sharp.
From the first moment had been
struck by 1t. Col. Polevoi's face.
The nose, the cheekbones, the jaw,
all were sharp: AS if chiseled out of
granite. 1t was a slightly haggard
face, but his gray-blue eyes held
you whenever he spoke. He is a
Ukrainian in his late 30s. He looks
like blade of Toledo steel which
war. the implacable grindstone, has
whetted down to the narrowest,
keenest edge imaginable.
But with all that and with more
than 600 bombers in one day, how
could your men possibly hold the
Elbow" I asked him. 1t. Col. Pole