Evening star., 1943-02-11
Sees Possible Failure
Of German Morale
Military Writer Argues
Thot Sudden Fall Of Forts
May Mean Vast Collapse
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

There is something mysterious about
the sudden fall of Kursk and Belgorod.
Kursk is one of the great ring fortresses
which held out all last winter under
terrific Russian attack, being at one
time totally surrounded. Belgorod is
also a vitality important link in the Ger
man defensive system. of only slightly
less Importance than Kursk and it. too,
resisted every attack last winter. Now
these two places fall on successive DAYS
without, apparently, any serious attempt
to defend them.
The answer may of course be failure
of morale in the German army assigned
to the defense of this sector The Rus
slams have been making every effort to
break German morale, including such
stunts as dropping thousands of photo
graphs over the German lines showing
Field Marshal Paulus and his generals
as Russian captives. But if there is
failure of German morale, it appears to
be local since the German position on
the lower Donets and at Rostov are still
being stoutly defended
Another explanation is that the Kursk
areas has been unwisely denuded of
troops in an endeavor to bolster up the
German position farther south SO that
the commanding general did not have
the electives with which to defend the
fortress. But even so, If he were ordered
to make a last ditch defense it would
seem that he need not have yielded on
the first day.
Still another explanation would be
that general German withdrawal is in
progress. This withdrawal might be to
the line Of the Dnieper; 1t might be even
farther back, in an endeavor to shorten
the lines OF communication and prepare
for protracted defensive war. Should
this be the case We should expect to see
the early abandonment of Orel, the next
German fortress to the north OF Kursk,
which now becomes dangerously exposed
and we should expect also to see the
German lines on the lower Donets aban-
doned as soon as the garrisons Of Rostov,
Stalino and Voroshilovgrad have been
evacuated.
AS to this last possibility, special note
should be taken of the Russian opera
tlons in the Kramatersk sector. It is
here that the Russians are exploiting the
break-through on the middle Donets
which has been carried out by the group
OF armies commanded by Col. Gen.
Vatutin. AS Gen. Vatutin is making
1T
Kramatorsk, as seems to be indicated by
the midday communique of this date.
1t Is undoubtedly with the purpose of
cutting off the German troops still hold
ing Rostov and the curve of the lower
Donets before they can be withdrawn.
1t is evident that the Germans are
frantically trying to prevent this by the
fact that they are violently counter
attacking with heavy armored elements,
and on the outcome of this particular
fight the fate Of very considerable
number Of German troops may we'll
depend.
Indeed as previously observed in these
articles should Gen. Vatutin succeed in
beating off these German counter
the railway bridges in the big bend of
Dnleper and thus cut off not only the
DonetsRostov area but also all the
German troops in the Crimea.
Before pushing on so far, however. it
would seem likely that the Russians will
give some attention to the railway net
centering at Kharkov. Only few days
~
could be thinking at present in terms of
capturing Kharkov: yet now they are
advancing on this city from three direc-
tlons-north, east and southeast-and il
1t Is no more stoutly defended than
Kursk and Belgorod. its fall may be
imminent.
Russian possession of Kharkov would
make successful German counter
attack on large scale against Gen.
Vatutln's right f1ank--the danger which
must be constantly in the minds of the
Russian High Command-almost impos-
sible.
Meanwhile in the Caucasus the Ger
mans appear to be making stand on the
semi-circle of railway beginning at
Akhtari on the Sea of Azov and swinging
around through Timoshevkaya and
Krasnodar to Novorossisk on the Black
Sea. The Russian advance in the Cau-
casus has been so rapid that it may now
take little time for them to bring up
troops and supplies for an assault on
these German positions.
II this railway semi-circle is broken.
however, the German situation will be
serious one as 1t will be difficult for
the various German units to give each
other mutual support, This would espe-
claIly be the case If Krasnodar, which is
the key to the entire region, were to fall
into Russian hands
tcopyrisht. 1943, New York Tribune, Incl
Congressmen Warned Against
Concessions to Labor Leaders.
To the Editor OF The Star: