Show I Behind the War News Major Eliot I By Major George Fielding Eliot Ellot The Russians appear to have effected a serious operational breach in the German Gennan defense lines along the This has occurred not at Kiev where Kiev where fighting is still going on but on-but but farther down the river below Kremenchug Here the Russians are firmly firmly firmly firm firm- ly established on the farther side of the have cut the Kiev Kiev railway and are gaining ground to the southward at last reports being only a few miles from the iron mining center of Rog The situation is reminiscent of Stalingrad with the German forces in the area and those in the Crimea and south of occupyIng occupying occupy occupy- ing the unenviable position of the German armies annies at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus It is quite possible that the Germans have again held on too long to distant distant distant dis dis- dis- dis tant positions and may now have to pay the price of failure to protect their communications Of course the Russian breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough break break- through at Kremenchug will not have the same completely disastrous disastrous disastrous dis dis- dis- dis effect as a breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough break break- through at Kiev would have It will will even even if fully successful successful- be biting off the end of the cake so to speak instead of gobbling up the whole thing But But the Russians may have made the best choice of the various courses open to them To have thrown everything into a great attempt to break breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough through at Kiev might might- in the end have resulted in failure without comp compensating gains elsewhere The Russian communications communications communications com- com at Kremenchug are much better and shorter than thanin thanin thanin in the Kiev area They could hit harder at Kremenchug and thus at least make sure of accomplishing accomplishing accomplishing ac ac- ac- ac something worth while What the effect will be if the Russians are able to continue their advance will be weighed in the number of prisoners taken It would seem probable that there are at least 15 German di divisions divisions di- di visions ns on the lower perhaps more In addition to these there are the troops in the Crimea to be considered and those defending the Crimean communications in the area The Crimean forces are reported to to be conducting a hasty withdrawal by way of the isthmus and the railway railway railway rail rail- way to but but even this railway has no conn connection with the German Gennan forces farther west except by way of the junction at which the Russians Russians Russians Rus Rus- are now very near On the whole it would seem that the completion of the Russian effort would bag possibly as many as German troops This would be a blow which would stagger the fighting power pow pow- er of the perhaps beyond recovery It would not be decisive victory but it would be a crippling wound This is the important consideration not the territorial gains The Germans seem to have just one chance of ot saving their armies amies in the bend and andin andin andin in the Crimea That is a great counterattack in sufficient force to drive back the Russians south and southeast of Kremenchug and reopen the railway a counterattack counterattack counterattack coun coun- which can maintain its position until the whole of the German Gennan troops from the threatened threatened threatened threat threat- ened areas are evacuated This remains at this moment a pos pos- But if it is coming it will have to come very soon |