Evening star., 1943-09-15
Bryunsk-und Beyond


Inc German evacuation of Bry-
ansk marks another major stage in
the triumphant westward sweep of
tne Red armies which has continued
unbroken for a full two months. A
vital rail and road center, Bryansk
was one of the two pivots in the
German defense system on the CEN
trail segment Of the eastern front,
the other being Smolensk, some $50
miles to the northWeStward. But
the fall OF Bryansk imperils Smo-
lensk, already under Russian pres
sure from the east along the Moscow
rail and road trunk lines, and also
from the northward by the deep
Russian salient gained a year ago
and tipped by the stronghold of
Vellkie Luki. The logical expecta-
ton is threefold pincer operation
against Smolensk, which, if sue
ceSsful, would give the Russians con-
troll OF the upper Dnieper River and
would also imperil the north-south
rail trunk line which is the Germans
only lateral communications link on
their entire front from Leningrad to
klev. Once that strategic spinal
column is cut, the Germans may
have no alternative but to clear out
OF all Northern and Central Russia.
Meanwhile, the picture in the south
is equally bright for the Red arms.
Soviet columns are smashing forward
all along the line, cutting key points
In the German communications sys-
tenn in the Ukraine. Only in the
Poltava sector do the Germans ap-
pear to be putting up stubborn
defense. Elsewhere, they seem to be
retiring as rapidly as possible in
what looks like general retreat to
the Dnieper. But the Red spear
heads press them so closely that this
complicated maneuver is bound to
entail large losses of men and equip
ment unless the Russian advance is
slowed up by the autumn rains, which
Such is the general strategic pic
ture on the eastern front. The Ger
mans have clearly lost any chance
OF launching a counteroffensive in
Russia and will henceforth be re-
duced to the permanent defensive.
This implies that the German high
command will be concerned with the
best defensive measures, no matter
how much territory it may have to
surrender in the process Sweeping
retirements will at least gain the
Germans precious time. Besides the
climatic showdown due to the immi-
nent autumn rains, the Russians will
have to restore all captured railways
to their broad gauge, a lengthy en-
gineering task.
However. such factors merely de-
lay the Red advance and postpone
the German necessity for again
standing up to the Russian offensive.
Where the German high command
intends to make that stand Is the
vital question, for the moment un-
answerable by foreign observers.
Yet II current dispatches from Eu-
ropean sources reporting whole
sale shift of German reserves from
the eastern front to France, Italy
and the Balkans are correct start
ling yistas are disclosed This would
logically entail German retirement
from virtually the whole of Russia,
which might have political as we'll
as military consequences On the
other hand, it would mean an in
tensification of Anglo-American diff
f1culties in the strategic task of
attacking Western and Southern
Europe. The whole character of the
war against Germany would thereby
be transformed.
OF course, this has led us into the
field OF speculation concerning de-
velopments which may never come
to pass. Yet the sweeping German
| retirements in Russia are concrete
realities which undoubtedly betoken
a basic underlying trend. Only the
| magnitude and nature of that trend
| still remain undiScloSed