Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1941. RUSSIA’S NEED OF HELP.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1941, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1941. RUSSIA’S NEED OF HELP.

and more emphasis is rightly being set in Britain and in the United States —the arsenal of democracy —-on the need of giving material help to Russia on the greatest scale possible. Although there is no doubt that Nazi Germany counted upon gaining a decisive victory over Russia before winter set in. and instead is still faced on the whole Eastern front by unbroken and resolute fighting forces, the warning by the Soviet Ambassador in London. Al. Maisky, that too much reliance must not be placed on “General Winter and “General Mnd” is timely and well warranted. On parts of the Eastern front, pai'ticnlarly in and towards the north, the severe winter will hamper and handicap the Germans much more than it will the Russians, but in the south vital issues are immediately, or almost immediately, at stake which are likely to be determined, in one way or another, before winter imposes any stay of operations. These issues may. indeed, be determined irrespective of climatic conditions. Il was no doubt these southern regions that Al. Maisky had most in mind when he said that the Germans had occupied important industrial districts in the Soviet Union and that : — The Russians had had to evacuate a number of factories and plants and some time would elapse before they were able to start again on new sites. Neither autumn nor winter would bring the war on the Eastern front to a standstill. The Soviet had a right to expect the co-operation of other freedom-loving countries. Those countries which were sending planes and tanks to Russia were helping themselves. With this there can be nothing but the fullest agreement, ft is clear that Britain, as regards her own production and that of the United States, will on all grounds be justified even in taking risks in order that Russia may be supplied with equipment which will as far as possible compensate for the loss of some of the principal industrial areas of the Soviet Union and for others that may yet be lost. If any spur were needed in the action now being taken to help Russia in this way it would be found in the gravely threatening situation that is developing in the Ukraine. It may be hoped that the Germans are handicapped by the lengthening of their communications, the enormous losses of men and materia] they are making futile attempts to conceal, the progressive exhaustion of their petrol reserves and other factors, but there is no question of winter, in itself, halting or even greatly impeding the German onset in the Ukraine for a good many weeks to come. In That part of Russia the worst of the autumnal rains are probably over by this lime and as a rule there is good weather at least to lhe end of October. The great rivers of Southern Russia in general are heavily frozen for about three months from December onwards, but this will facilitate instead of impeding the movement of German armies and transport. Now that the Germans are across the Dnieper, Marshal Budenny’s armies are thrown back' in immediate defence of the highly industrialised Donetz basin, which lies between the Dnieper and the Don. Apart from any question of a more extended enemy penetration, menacing the Soviet naval bases on the Black Sea and the Caucasian oilfields, the loss of the Donetz basin would be a heavy and weakening blow to Russia. According to an authority, the Ukraine as a whole, of which - Ihe Donetz basin is the principal mining and industrial section, accounts for 80 per cent, of the coal output of the Soviet Union, 70 per cent of the pig iron, 50 per cent of the steel, 60 per cent of the iron ores, 85 per cent of the sugar, 70 per cent of the agricultural machinery, and 95 per cent of the vital manganese ores . . . Each year 9,000,000 tons of pig iron and 8,000,000 tons of steel are turned out, together with 68,000.000 tons of coal. The Donetz basin alone employs nearly three-quarters of a million highly skilled metal, machine and chemical workers. The magnitude of these prizes, quite apart from the 27 million hectares (about 67 million acres) of agricultural land and the oil of the Caucasus is spurring on Germany to make a supreme effort in the Ukraine. The inroads that have been made and may yet be made on Russia’s “industrial potential” and the need of doing everything that is humanly possible to offset these inroads, raise a major and overshadowing issue of the war. In anticipation of such losses as are now being suffered, the Soviet Union has for years been developing metal and other industries east of the Urals and elsewhere, and every effort has been made to remove valuable machinery and materia] from areas about to be evacuated, and to destroy what could not be removed. It is indicated very clearly, however, that heavy contributions must be made by British and American factories to the equipment and supply of Russia’s fighting forces if she is to continue with full vigour her valiant efforts against the common enemy.