Show Behind t the e War News I t 1 By Captain John H H. H Craig INS I N S w War News New Analyst With Premier Churchill back In fn London after historic conferences conferences conferences confer confer- with Joseph Stalin ominous ominous omi omi- ominous news from the Caucasus swings world attention back to the gigantic battle being fought between the red army and the nazi for Russia's vital oil supply j As this column has frequently pointed out put the Russian-German Russian battle line is the most important important important tant and critical of all the far- far flung fronts of the war this year The red army is the only military military mili mill tary organization on th the continent continent continent conti conti- nent of Europe that has been able to stand up to the nazis on fairly even terms The history of this war has proved that Russia was the worlds world's only nation besides Germany Germany Ger Ger- Germany many that kept pace with the developments of military science since 1918 and built a truly modern modern modern mod mod- ern fighting organization in the terms of total world-embracing world conflict The Soviets faced Hitler's surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise June 1941 with an army that was magnificently equipped and larger than the i its itself t s e elf l f. f Russian armies still exceed those of their foes in numbers of trained re re- re serves Red army groups on the Russo-German Russo front are said to total divisions or nearly men Compared to this other united nations operations operations operations opera opera- are chicken chickenfeed feed Significance of the Don river line is that it is the last major geographic obstacle to the sweep of nazi tank divisions toward Stalingrad Russia's tank arsenal and the Volga river the Soviets' Soviets greatest communications artery East of the Don the land surface surface surface sur sur- face is generally flat and level over the stretch of less than miles to Stalingrad and Ui thi mr 7 Volga If the nazis have drive drivel across this river on a front wi wid i and deep enough to enable there their thereto to erect strong bridges and pout pout heavy tanks and artillery to th tilt eastern bank the situation jil iii likely to prove critical indeed Dispatches over the p past weeks during which the Don battle has been raging indicate that both sides have clearly per perceived the strategic importance of the ground for which the struggle is being waged More than three weeks ago age Moscow recorded the advance of nazi forces t tc to the vicinity of Fr From 1 that time until the past few days the has be beer been stopped dead in its tracks This was accomplished by the co con concentration con concentration of heavy reserves by by Marshal M MA I A feature of the fighting has been the tremendous heat of the thi Russian s summer Temperatures Temperature have soared beyond the degree mark Troops in the the front lines have become so ex exhausted ex exhausted hausted by the heat that th the they sleep under bombardment This like the cold of last winter ha has reacted to the advantage of Russian Russian Rus Ru's sian fighters from the steppes stepp S who were accustomed to su sue such h weather 1 f Meantime the eyes of the soviet soviet so so- so viet soldiers and citizens turn turn tur westward to London and Premier Premier Pre Pre- mier Churchill Undoubtedly the tl th E question of a second front wa was wa discussed during his Moscow Mosco visit Such a front would b he e just what the doctor ordered fc for fOI Russia in her present em emer- emer r. r gency f I i Statements and opinions herein herein here here- in are private to the writer a an anare and andare d dare are not to be construed as r re reflecting re- re fleeting the views of the na nav navy department Ii |