Evening star., 1943-03-01
BY HENRY &. CASSIDY,
Issociat ted Press Staff Correspondent.

BY HENRY c. CASSIDY,
Associated Press STAFF Correspondent.
NEW YORK, March 1.-Joseph
Stain, who started his career as a
soldier at Tsaritsyn and has won his
finest victory at the same city, now
called Stalingrad, is going on from
there.
can say with confidence that
he is already planning personally
the future campaign which he is
sure will lead, come what may, to
the eventual, complete defeat Of
Germany.
This does not mean that I am
confidante Of Stain. knowing his
secret plans, hopes and aspirations
Very few persons are that. and they
are his marshals or members of his
politburo.
But, after living with the Russian
people throughout the 20 months of
their war. can say what they well
know. that Stain is their leader, in
military as we'll as state matters, in
fact as we'll as in name, and is plot
ting already the downfall of their
enemies.
Really Runs Army.
This Is one of the first questions
people have asked me since my re-
turn to the United States on leave
is Stain really running the Red
Army?
The answer is, emphatically, yes.
It is only since the victory at
Stalingrad that Stain has assumed
formally the title supreme COM
mander in chief" He used it pub
licly for the first time January 25
In an order to his troops, congratu
lating them on their achievements
But, for months before that, in
his Kremlin. he was sitting at the
conference table of his second-story
Office with his general staff, drafting
the outlines of the tremendous oper-
ations. telephoning to his generals
In the field and overseeing their
victories.
He is not an armchair strategist.
He went to Tsaritsyn in June.
1918, as civilian, commiSsar of
food for Southern Russia, during
the civil war He found a military
situation bordering on the catas-
trophic, and plunged into his first
military venture, becoming chief of
the revolutionary military council
there. He won the battle of
Tsaritsyn.
Studied Military Affairs.
IN Tho voorc hofara Tho o~oco,,%
war he remained keen student of
military affairs He amazed visitors
by his knowledge of technical sub
jects.
Once, while talking with Lord
Beaverbrook he casually corrected
the British former Minister of Air
craft Production in specifications of
British planes which they were dis
cussingH
When the war came to Russia, he
took over promptly the Commissariat
Of Defense, and became, once more.
a soldier.
As sort of symbol of that action.
he made one minute change in his
customary unadorned costume of
khaki tunic, breeches and black
boots. just above the. visor of his
cap. he affixed the tiny red enamel
star, surmounted with the gold
hammer and sickle, OF the Red
Army man. 3-tss~
During the first great battle, be-
Tore Moscow, he kept In close touch
with the front. I know of at least
two cases in which he telephoned
an Army commander, said curtly,
Report your situation" and then
gave equally curt orders to cope
with the situation.
In the period preceding the battle
OF Stalingrad, he made in advance
several necessarily discreet but nev-
erthless clear mentions to visitors
OF plans for a great counteroffen-
sive. These plans he made himself,
with the help of his general staff.
Heads Conference Table.
How he works can only be as
sumed, since no outsider has ever
been in on such deliberations, but
on the basis of scattered indications,
1t is not difficult to make a COM
posite picture:
He sits at the head of his confer
ence table. At the sides are the
members of his "Stavka," or gen.
eral staff. It's members, whose
names have been made known, are
Marshals K. Y. Voroshilov, G. K.
Zhukov and N. N. Voronov and
Gems. A. M. Vasilevsky, A. A. Novikov
and F. J. Falaleyev. A number of
other officers also attend the
deliberations.
They hear full, up-to- the minute
reports on the military situation,
brought in by a modern teletype
system directly from the COM
manders on the fronts. Members OF