Show The he Russians Are Rolling THE THE Russians really seem to be rolling in their second winter offensive They have made notable progress on three maj major r fronts In In the north west of Moscow in the center west of Stalingrad and in the south north of the Caucasus This diversion of Russian offensive operations operations operations opera opera- is the most encouraging factor about the whole situation on that front It is a definite indication of Russian strength and will to fight And it confronts the German high command command com com- n mand and with the difficult task of countering the Russian blows on every front and prevents r them from drawing reserves from some q quiet iet I t i 4 sector to to bolster th their ir lines where the pressure pressure pressure pres pres- sure is js heaviest Military observers are properly exercising the utmost caution in evaluating Russian successes successes successes suc suc- to date They have not forgotten how last winter the Russians made a number of notable advances without ever really cracking German d defenses e f fen e n s e s and and aId without seriously upsetting German plans for a 1942 offensive It seemed that most of last years year's ears ear's gains by the Russians were due as much to German retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment to more easily defended winter lines based on a number of heavily fortified key points as to soviet battle victories Whether r the same thing is true as to this winters winter's successes has not been established as yet but there are several reasons to believe believe believe be be- lieve that it may not be In the first place there have been peen no signs of a German retirement retirement retirement retire retire- ment from exposed at at Stalingrad Stalingrad Stalingrad Stal Stal- ingrad and deep in the Caucasus If there were to be any general German retirement to a good winter defense line it would seem logical logical logical logi logi- cal these exposed points would be the first to tobe tobe tobe be abandoned as all ail three are now serious seriously y endangered Secondly the Russians have taken three nazi strongholds at Luki at and at All three three were key German defense centers enters which would d not have been given up without a struggle unless there was some general retirement all along the line Thirdly the roll of captured Germans is considerable an ind indication cation of severe severe severe se se- vere fighting and battle victories victori sIts s. s Its It's too early to say that the Russians have havethe havethe havethe the Germans on the run but certainly they are making them sweat a little blood If they continue their offensives without losing momentum momentum momentum mo mo- for another month or s so they ma may may achieve real really y important victories which would rock the German war machine to its toes |