Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-16
Eliot Declares StoIino
Is Key to New Events
Says Capture Would Trop
Germon Armies Dependent
On Khorkov RoiIwoy
By Maj. George Fielding Eliot.

The fall of Rostoy and Voroshilovgrad
in a single day is being described in the
press as the greatest Russian victory
since the destruction of the Staiingrad
army.
From the military point OF view, this
Is not exactly the case. AS previously
stated in these articles, it has been APP
parent ever since the Russian break
through on the Middle Donets to Kram-
atorsk that the Rostov-Vor oshilovgrad
sector would have to be evacuated by the
Germans. the only question being
whether they would make up their minds
to do so in time to get away with the
bulk of the army that had been holding
Rostov and the line Of the Lower Donets
from Voroshilovgrad to the junction of
that river with the Don.
The real key point Is now Stalino,
where Stockholm reports mot always
wholly reliable in the past) have it that
street fighting is actually taking place.
II the Russians capture Stalino, they
have cut the last rail line connecting the
Rostov-Donets area with the German
armies in the Kharkov sector and such
Of the Rostov- Donets troops as have not
already passed through to the westward
may be considered as trapped; this
would include the garrison Of the Ger
man strong point of Taganrog on the
Sea OF Azov. In other words 1t is at
stalino that the Russians are trying to
draw the string at the mouth Of the
sack what happens at the bottom Of
the sack-Rostov and Voroshilovgrad-
does not matter very much any more.
The Russian push against Stalino is
still impeded by the desperate resistance
OF the German garrison at Slavyansk,
which is denying the Russians the
use Of an important railroad north OF
Stalino.
Meanwhile, the Russians are still try
ing to close the mouth OF an even larger
sack-a super sack. so to speak, contain
ing within itself the smaller sack already
mentioned which would be finally
closed If the Russian armies were able
to reach the railway bridges at the great
bend of the Dnieper River.
To the closing Of the super sack the
great fortress city Of Kharkov stands in
much the same relation as the strong
point OF Slavyansk stands to the closing
of the small sack at Stalino. AS long as
Kharkov holds out, the Russians cannot
make full use Of the rail and road COM
munications which are so important to
them in developing their striking power
farther south.
1t must never be forgotten that the
farther the Russians go the more diff
cult their supply problems become;
Russians armies like any others require
a tremendous flow of munitions, supplies
and achievements in order to maintain
the scale of effort required for offensive
operations.
It cannot be repeated too often that in
this whole South Russian theater of war,
supply in winter is almost entirely de-
pendent on the railways; the rivers are
frozen, and so Is the Sea Of Azov, ruling
out water transport OF any kind; the
good roads are few in number and for
the most part unequal to the demands
of heavy military traffic, though move
ment on them is not altogether impos-
sible.
It Is the railway which must do by far
the greater part of the task Of supplying
armies in this area. reserving truck
movements for the short hauls from rail-
heads to distributing points The rail-
heads must follow along behind the
advancing armies, with engineers busy
at work repairing the damage done by
the enemy and keeping the actual opera
ton OF trains pushed as far to the front
as conditions of military security permit
AS the Russians penetrate ever more
deeply into territory which has previ-
ously been occupied by the Germans
they encounter a new complication from
the fact that the Germans have changed
the gauge of some of the Russian rail-
ways from the Russian broad gauge
Is IT, to the German standard gauge
a 81 In. 1t is not likely that the
Germans have been able so to alter the
whole Of the complicated rail net OF the
Donets Basin but they have probably
changed the gauge of some of the trunk
lines.
The Russians are dependent almost
entirely upon their own locomotives ana
rolling stock and can use the standard
gauge lines only by means of the undam-
aged locomotives and rolling stock which
they are able to capture from the Ger
mans; these captures are not likely to
be extensive. Thus one Of the little
chores which falls to the lot of the very
capable Russian engineers troops Is to
shift these Allied railways back to the
old Russian broad gauge as quickly as
they can, and this Is no simple matter
especially at an important railway yard
or junction point.
1t can be done in time, OF course, but
time Is what the Germans are fighting
for now in South Russia.
Copyright 1a43, New York Tribune, Ine)