A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 285, 31 August 1942, Page 4

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

The Week In Russia RED ARMY RESISTANCE STIFFENING Germany's prospects of reaching tr decision in Russia 'before winter begins ?o restrict the large-scale movement of forces Dave not 'been improved by the ewrts of the -past week on the Eastern Front. Not only are there signs tha Soviet resistance in the Stalingrad and Caucasus areas is stiffening, but also the Soviet assumption of tho offensive in the Moscow area, and assaults munched against the. narrow German Client which isolates Ixmingradon the easL show that attack m not to be sotely a prerogative of Germany ami IK ‘Lonnd “stalingrad the Germans are makin- desperate efforts -to crown their effortsSJ the capture of the city, indeed, at one stage last week they thought the success achieved when an armoured Sjiearhead broke through from the north-west to the OU skirts. They sent out planes to diop leaflets m! the cltv announcing the arrange, meats for the entrv The counted chickens tailed to batch. A .swift Soviet counter-attack nipped off tlie armoureel spearhead from its supports, and it •utd surely annihilated. Sui«. then, further soviet frontal have forced an Axis retreat in this par ticular sector. South-west ot the < tlie dangerous Axis drni has been brought to a halt -by reinforced Lushin the Caucasus, the German attacks toward Novdrossisk and Grozny seem to have been halted, '.lj , enemy drive along the niihtaiy < over the Caucasus 'has lost its mo mentum. YVhether the Germans will be able to regain the ascendancy remains to be seen. It is unlikely tlmt they can afford to stop short of their <miectives, and it is probable that they w'.l be gathering strength for new onsets. The Moscow Sector In the Soviet’s winter offensive, which Tolled 'back the Germans •an , the immediate vicinity of the c.. ' two of the -Gerniuii "hedgehogs • w.n ' saved them from greater loss ot terri- ’ torv and possibly prevented them rrom ’ being.driven from the whole Smolensk sector, were Rzhev and Y'iazma. ' Soviet offensive which began a little ; more than a fortnight ago lias serums- • Iv endangered the German hold >.-t 5 these places. Soviet shock troops are > fighting their way into the subtir.js.ot ' Rzhev and Soviet artillery is poundim; the last German strongpoints, Mean- - time the main Soviet forces opposite ! the town'are poised for the final asl ’ sa;ilt. ~ . . 2 Between Rzhev and Y tazma, a vital 3 communication link has been cut by the s Russians, while there is now news . (through German sourees) that tlie ott fensive has spread southward to Kali lugii and the Orel seetm —a sign, perl haps, of the development of a pincer - move against Smolensk. i Leningrad - The news that an attack has been launched by the defenders of Lenin3 grad, now for -more than a year cut j off by land from the rest of Russia, is a- interesting. Tlie isolation of Limiiigr:i't

was .accomplished hist year when the Germans succeeded In capturing Shlusselburg -on tlie shores of Lake Ladoga. At first they held a rcasonablv wide part of the southern shore ot the"lake, but the fighting after Deceni)>er left them more precariously placed. The new attack seems to be directed against the narrow neck of territoty they managed to retain. Military critics have long been awaiting a Soviet counter-attack < which would serve to draw away forces from the dangerous German drives in the south. Many have shown almost dismay that such attacks have not appeared earlier. The Soviet High Commanc, however, has hitherto shown an excellent sense of timing, and there is no reason to think that they have

lost either this valuable military attribute. or lacked the forces with which to implement. It. Tlie initial successes of the Moscow attack, and its gradual southward spread, suggest the old Russian tactic of the “mounting offensive,’ and bode ill for German hopes to be able to devote 'their main attention to their objactives Jn the south, Contlnufiuce- o the Soviet successes from the Moscow sector may well put paid to Hitler > 1942 plan of Interrupting the passage of supplies into Russia from the Persian Gulf and thereby reducing resistance in the East sufficiently to permit him to turn to the YY'egt to meet grotv fng British and United States offensive power.