If the German stories of what is happening in Russia are to be believed the Russian armies have by now been completely annihilated for the fourth time. Dr. Otto Dietrich, German Press chief, claims that Russia's military destruction has been completed, but, then, the German high command have done this so frequently that ít is becoming almost a habit. The history of the past four months show that the Germans have consistently lied. In the first offensive the Stalin line was smashed in many places and in July it was declared that the road to Moscow had been forced open. Then Marshal Voroshilov's armies were said to be entrapped in Leningrad. The fact is that road and rail communication with the former Russian capital was still possible a day or so ago, and there is as yet no claim it has been cut. Marshal Budenny's armies were claimed to have been destroyed. It was even alleged that he had been executed. He is still in command, and still able to make effective resistance to the forces of Marshal von Runstedt, which by now should have been in the Caucasus if the German claims had been correct.
Dietrich in the midst of his boasting does 2 little hedging which may prove significant. "If we consider," he says, "that the armies of Voroshilov are enclosed in Leningrad and {he armies of Budenny practically settled, there can be no doubt that the whole of the Soviet front is smashed." If these claims were correct, something approaching Dietrich's. conclusion would be probable, but based as it is on an important "if" it may still be far too early to give them much heed. That the fighting in western Russia is severe; that the Germans have made some headway; and that the Soviet armies have been undergoing a considerable mauling, is to be assum" ed from the reports which have come to hand, but there is evidence that the German pincer-movement with which they sought to envelope Marshal Timoshenko's centre, instead of closing, shows a disposition to open wider than before. The Russians are fighting with astounding bravery, and their power of recuperation which has already been displayed in this campaign justifies the belief that they will continue to wreak havoc upon their enemy.
Dietrich seeks to convince the world that the German losses are indeed small, by state ing that up to the present Germany's military casualties have been five per cent. of those suffered in the last war. Then Germans killed totalled 2,050,466, and wounded 4,202,028, and if Dietrich is correct, and he most obviously is not, then German losses so far amount only to about 102,500 killed and 210,- 000 wounded. He may be able for the time being to delude his own people with such fantasies, but the outside world will accept such statements with all the scornful disbelief they deserve. Her did not, m. on German casualties in his last speech "simply because he dared not reveal their proportions, which quite clearly must be large, in view of the stern resistance of the Russians which the Germans themselves have emphasized in their communiques. Neither does Dietrich dare, though he goes further than his leader by making allegations which the latter was far too astute to make. It is more than probable that the Russian claims in this respect are more close to the facts than anything which has been said by any Nazi official.
It is clear from the foregoing that all German statements as to the progress of the fighting and the damage inflicted upon the Russians need to be regarded with the utmost suspicion. No one for one moment would deny the seriousness of the Russian position, or the fact that this latest German offensive is on perhaps a greater scale than its predecessors. But Russian claims that where withdrawals have been made they, have been in good order can be accepted as true in view of the fact that the Soviet Press makes no attempt to minimize the seriousness of the situation, one Red newspaper going to the length of exhorting the citizens of Moscow to prepare themselves for a life and death struggle. The Germans may reach Moscow, but unless they can bring about the utter annihilation of the Russian forces, and there are nothing but unsubstantiated German claims regarding that at the moment, victory will still not be theirs. The position today is just about the same as when this offensive was opened, and as one comment tator then remarked, if Germany loses this fight she loses the war; if Russia meets with a reverse, she will still be able to carry on.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.