Evening star., 1943-02-17
Reds Have Mastered
Subzero Warfare
Science, Expert Says
Czech Explains Soviets'
Advantage Over Nozis in
Fierce Russian Winter
BY THOMAS X. HENRY,
Star staff Correspondent.


the foremost experts on subzero
warfare now is serving as lieu
tenant colonel in the Czecho-
slovakan Army in England.
He learned a good deal about it
while serving with the Russian Army
against the Germans in the last war
and has followed it as a branch
Of military science ever since. There
is a good deal about it, he saws
which Hitler's generals knew moth
ing about and this is partly re-
sponsible for some Of their present
losses.
There is. for example, the matter
of training in breathing. says this
officer. whose name is on the secret
list Of the Czech forces here. A
man normally breathes about Is
times a minute. This goes up to
about 90 times after mild exercise.
When he is winded or excited. how
ever. the respiration rate becomes
much faster unless one is trained
never to exceed 20 breaths under
any circumstances.
Always Breathe Through Nose.
But if one does go beyond this
limit with the temperature around
40 below zero, the effect is somewhat
like that of bullets of ice through
the lungs. There is a fatal stroke.
The air does not have time enough
to get warmed to a degree that
the limos CtaIoT e1
this officer points out, men must be
trained never to breathe through
the mouth, no matter how out of
breath they may become from ex-
ertion A breath through the nose
has farther to go and hence more
time TO be warmed by contact with
the body tissues.
Now, the Czech officer explains.
this kind of breathing is not natural
for anybody. Long training and
severe discipline are required to in
culcate it in soldiers. He under
stands that this has long been a
routine part of the training of Soviet
soldiers. The Germans never real
lied its Importance
Another factor, he explains. is
cold weather bathing 1t is abso-
lutely essential in Russian warfare.
Otherwise bodies are bound to be-
come lice infested and a typhus
epidemic will soon follow. This is
appreciated by both Russians and
Germans. Both have mobile bath
units-the Russians one in which
water is heated by dropping hot
stones into it.
Danger of Pneumonia.
But, he says, they have developed
3 type OF massage which makes 1t |
perfectly safe for a soldier to go out |
In the cold from his bath. The Ger !
mans use no such technique. A /
soldier is likely to get pneumonia !
and die in few hours. Even when (
an appreciable time elapses, the /
shock of going into the cold after a
bath Warm enough to do any good
is too great for the body to endure. /
No fire can be lit on the front /
lines. Smoke and flame would i'm /
mediately draw enemy fire. So the
only way to have cooked meals
and raw food is bound to be frozen
solids to construct snow dugouts,
somewhat in the style of Eskimo
igloos. Then comes the trick of
building fire in one of these with
out becoming poisoned by the fumes.
for smoke cannot be allowed to
escape. 1t is tricks like these. he
says, that few armies have allowed
for in their training.
Still another danger, especially for
officers. is that of being stricken
suddenly blind, the lieutenant colonel
points out This comes from using
field glasses, if one does not know
exactly how to DO it. when the tenn
perature is around 40 below.
Russians Have Advantage.
II have heard a lot of theories |
about the Russians being able to .
stand cold better than the Germans. /
There probably is very little to them. .
I can say from my own experience .
that both sides suffer terribly. The /
difference is that the Russians. with |
the specialized techniques they have |
developed, know how to suffer and !
live. The Germans just suffer and
die"
Clothing. this officer explains. is
only partly the answer. The Ger
mans, anticipating another winter
campaign, made apparently ade-
quate provision for this last summer
with the mass production of a Spe-
cial Arctic uniform. This previously
had been tested in low temperature
chambers. 1t consists Of a close
fitting cap protecting the nose and
cheeks, Over this is worn the steel
helmet and over this a hood which.
when drawn together leaves very
little Of the face exposed. There
are three layers of cloth covering
the body. The center layer has q
wool lining The boots have legs
OF double size, so that a soldier can
stuff old newspapers and straw in
them.