NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 64, 15 March 1940, Page 7

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

STRENGTH OF RUSSIA

A GERMAN ESTIMATE

COMMUNICATIONS WEAKNESS

Now that Russia has emerged from a limited war which exposed her weakness to the world the question of her valuers a partner for Germany arises; This was examined at some length in a recent article by Colonel yon Niedermayer, one of the most competent German authorities on Russia, published in the journal of the German General Staff. Colonel vor» Niedermayer has ntf ' illusions about Russia's strength, and points out the insufficiency of her communications. Railway, traffic in recent years, he says, has been greatly increased without a corresponding increase in rolling stock. Russian agriculture has been mechanised to the point where it is so dependent on tractors and oil fuel that a breakdown, in suppiy would disorganise production. 4 A Fundamental Weakness. Such a system, which would not bear the heavy additional strain of a large war, is a fundamental weakness.He also sees the weakness of the bureaucratic system now in existence, with 39 different commissariats and a general lack of initiative and reluctance to assume personal responsibility after what has happened to people who did assume it. While the basis of an armaments industry has been laid, Coionel Niedermayer also says that tho Russian worker, who has the makings of a good mechanic, is lazy, dirty, lacking in technical understanding, and care-. , less The Red army, he points out, has enjoyed a level of nurture above the rest of the population, and the "numerous arrests and executions have had little effect on the ranks. About the officers, however, he is unenthusiastic; the system °* P^^al - commissars is a weakness and it will obviously take time to repair the damage done by the purges. The equipment is fair, but motonsation has been overdone. Arms from America. The business of purchasing supplies of arms from the United States, whichs has dropped out of the news lately, ■ goes briskly ahead. In fact last month, there were no less than five foreign missions in the country seeking the i best weapons obtainable. Three belligerent countries—Britain, France, and Finland—were represented and two neutral nations—Sweden and Norway. Britain and France were seeking the latest types of military planes which the United States Army i and Navy would release for sale, and ! were.reported to be willing to lodge orders for 1000 planes. They .were also anxious to obtain such secret apparatus as the Sperry bombing sight, which has enabled American* bombers .to drop demolition charges with great accuracy. Finland wanted 300 pursuit planes - | and 150 anti-aircraft guns, and was | told in December that these could not ' be supplied because factories were swamped with orders. Nevertheless ■ the Finnish mission rinally obtained 44 Brewster pursuit planes, which were . on order for the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Army, however, has only 155 anti-aircraft guns at the moment, and. the Finnish order for these weapons . was not filled. The Swedish Budget. The Swedish mission was reported to be willing to spend £50,000,000 on war supplies, preferably on aeroplanes and guns. A .visit by Prince - Bertil, of Sweden, coincided with the arrival of the arms mission. Machinery, tools, dies, range-finders, grenades, and such equipment as boots and gas masks were also sought by Sweden. A '. total of 950,000 Springfield rifles, which, are now being replaced in the American Army, by the Garand semi-auto- . matic rifle, was also available and may • be bought by the Scandinavian States. • Britain and -France are not inter-" ested in any American guns, even the most modern of which- they consider to be inferior to the weapons already . in use in the war zone. Possibly,'however, Britain may purchase some old navy craft for use in the anti-mine offensive. Rumanian Oil. The battle over Rumanian oil is ■ proceeding quietly but intensely along - the Danube, and the coming of springin the northern hemisphere is likely, to create further activity. The Rumanians appear to be embarrassed by their position and to be puzzled as' to what course to follow, and the oil which was once regarded as a precious national possession is coming, in their eyes, to be something less than that. , In the present circumstances they, , are gaining some comfort from tha fact that Germany has been able to buy more than she ,has been able to take away. ' If transport improves, however, and sales do not rise, then trouble with the Nazis is feared.. Dr. Karl Clodius, Germany's economic ambassador in Eastern Europe, was recently in Bucharest and is reported to be still dissatisfied with the oil position. He may have good reason , to be so, for when arrears of deliveries are taken into account the Reich is getting less than one*fourth of the oil to which it is entitled under its trade agreement with Rumania. The quota under the agreement is 117,000 tons a month. , i . '■ i The Germans Prepare. . | Mild weather was melting the ice on ; the Danube by the end of January j and last month the Germans were I preparing to make intensive efforts to transport the oil once the river oil barges were able to move again. Almost every barge has been chartered by some Power until the end of next year. Within Rumania the creation of the oil commission on January 15 has been ] interpreted as a threat to certain com- j panics which have been reluctant to | sell to Germany, for the commission I has power to control all phases of the , oil industry. But British representa- ' tions succeeded in obtaining a Gov- - eminent promise to exclude Britishcontrolled companies from the operations of the commission. Meantime refugees from Russian Poland continue to spread stories that ■ Germany and Russia mean to invade t Rumania at a favourable moment. The reports lack confirmation, and diplomats in Bucharest apparently, view them with scepticism.