Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1943. A LIMITED SETBACK.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 March 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1943. A LIMITED SETBACK.

JN itself the loss of Kharkov by the Russians, just about a month after they had wrested it from the invading Axis hordes, is much to be regretted, and it may involve some further loss of southern territory recovered in the winter offensive. No'reason appears for assuming, however, that the inability of the Soviet forces to hold the great Ukrainian city means that the tide has turned in favour of the enemy on the Eastern front —there is much to suggest the contrary. Circumstances to a rather remarkable extent favoured the Germans in their counter-offensive against Kharkov and areas to the south and east. An unexpectedly early thaw intensified the handicap under which the Russians in any case were labouring on account of having to depend on shattered and disorganised communications passing over recent battlefields. The enemy, on the other hand, had excellent rear communications and thus was well placed to assemble powerful forces on a narrow front. He had every facility, not only for the introduction of fresh reserves, but for the regrouping and reorganisation of the remnants of his beaten divisions driven out of the Caucasus, and other territory by the Russians. The extent to which it may be possible further to exploit these more or less local advantages remains an open question. It has also yet to be seen, however, how far the Russians are capable of extending their offensive thrusts in the central and northern sectors before the development of the spring thaw enforces a slowing down of operations on the whole Eastern front, Although they have again’occupied Kharkov, the Germans have not been able to halt the slow but steady progress of the Russians towards Smolensk, and there are other areas in which Soviet striking power may have to be reckoned with. Mere guessing about these possibilities of course would be useless, but it is clear that the situation as a whole of the enemy on the’ Eastern front is hardly, from his own standpoint, encouraging. If the Germans are able so far to build upon the measure of success they have meantime gained in the south as to prepare for a new offensive in that region when the weather improves, they must shape their plans for conflict in Russia, on the greatest scale, and this after a winter of shattering defeats' and enormous losses of men and material. To this it has to.be added that they are very far from being able to count on having to reckon only with Russia where land fighting in Europe is concerned. The Moscow radio has warned the German people that an Anglo-American landing in Europe is imminent, and from Berlin, also, a political commentator has declared that “Germany is getting ready for gigantic assaults.” Naturally there is for the moment no authoritative confirmation of these anticipations from British or American sources, but it is by no means unlikely that the Moscow warning is based upon an accurate knowledge of coming events. It has to be remembered that the official communique issued at the close of the Casablanca conference in January last not only spoke of the completion of plans for offensive campaigns to be undertaken this year against Germany, Italy and Japan, but stated specifically that President Roosevelt and Mr Churchill realised to the full the enormous weight of the war which Russia is successfully bearing along her whole land front, and their prime object has been to draw as much weight as possible off the Russian armies by engaging the enemy as heavily as possible at the'best selected points. That this undertaking will be honoured presumably may be taken for granted, and in spite of the loss of Kharkov the total situation on the Eastern front, as it stands today and as it is likely to stand, should lend itself very well to vigorous supporting and concerted action by the Allies in other parts of Europe.