Evening star., 1943-08-28
Russion Army Gaining
Near Historic PoItuvu
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

Once more the vast plains between the
rivers Dnieper and Donetz are the scene
of decisive battle. Here, in the year l709,
the armies of the Russian Gar, Peter
the Great, shattered an invasion of
Russia by the great Swedish warrior
king Charles XII, and established Russia
in firm place among the ranks of the
great powers. Here in February, 1s43
desperate German counter-attack
checked the great Russian winter Often
siye almost within sight of the Dnieper
and saved the German army of the
Donetz from what seemed certain en-
circlement and destruction
Here today, another great Russian Of
fensive is rolling on toward the Dnieper
with the same strategic objectives as the
offensive of last February-to reach and
cut the crossings of the Dnieper and
thus drive steel wedge between the
German troops in the bend of the Donetz
and their sources of reinforcement and
supply.
This time the Russians are swinging
in a wider arc than they did last Febru-
airy. At that time, their left flank
Dnepropetrovsk. Today their left flank
is west of the Vorskla and is directed
on Poltava.
One cannot help rejecting on the feel
ings of the Russian soldiers as they
crossed the Vorskla and swung south
ward into Zenkov and on toward
Poltava. 1t was by just such maneuver
and almost exactly on the same ground
that the army of Peter the Great crossed
the Vorskla on June rs, 1909, and COM
PEELED the Swedes, who were besieging
Poltava, to turn and meet the Russian
army in the open field.
The Swedes were veteran troops and
they were we'll equipped but they were
heavily outnumbered and the Russians.
just as they are today were greatly
superior In artillery. Against these ad-
vantages Swedish valor and discipline
spent themselves in vain The army
of Charles XII was utterly routed and
thrown back against the Dnieper, where
its remnants were compelled to sur
render.
A somewhat similar fate may befall
the German defenders of Poltava In
this campaign If the Russians continue
to gain in their drive down the west
bank of the Vorskla toward the Dnieper.
The Russian report Of the capture of
kotelva, which had already been re-
ported in Russian hands several days
ago, makes 1t clear that terrific battle
Of attack and counterattack has been
raging for several days in all this area
north and northeast of Poltava, and
suggests very strongly that the final
advantage is going in favor of the
Russians.
Other Russian advances on the Donetz
front hint at the possibility that the
Germans may have at last decided to
withdraw from the entire Donetz salient
and that what they are now doing is
flghting series Of desperate rear
guard actions on the Donetz front it.
self, while making their main defensive
effort in the area of Poltava in order
to protect their communications while
Withdrawing the bulk of their forces
from the endangered salient, It is, how
ever, too early to be certain that such
a German withdrawal Is now in progress.
This withdrawal is one of the two
courses open to the Germans, the other
being counterattack in force such as
that OF last February. When that stroke
fell, the Russians had already in their
hands all of the main railway functions
southeast of Poltava with the exception
OF the key junction of Sitelnikovo. They
were only about five miles from that
point, and If they had taken 1t and held
it, the fate of the German Donetz army
would have been sealed
But the Russians were badly over
extended their advance armored and
motored elements had outrun their COM
munications and could not be adequately
supported when the German counter
attack swept down through Poltava in
what proved to be irresistible force.
This time the Russians appear to be
in much greater force and to have their
whole offensive much more closely con.
solidated. The chances are that the
Germans must withdraw from the whole
OF the Donetz salient, or, falling to do
so, that they now stand once more on
the brink OF great military disaster.
Copyright, 1913 by New York Tribune. 1nc)