THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1942 THE BATTLE AT KHARKOV

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24281, 23 May 1942, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1942 THE BATTLE AT KHARKOV

A tense, confused and furiouslycontested battle continues to rage before, and north and south of Kharkov. Descriptions of the nature of the fighting have been plentiful, but it is still difficult to form a clear picture of what has happened. Neither side has given much away in official statements to show exactly where progress has been made or ground yielded. It is possible with an offensive flaring up at such speed, that the lines have not become sufficiently defined to make an accurate survey possible. What has appeared from various accounts is that battle has been joined on a limited front-limited relative to the 2000-mile line stretching from the Gulf of Finland to the Sea of Azov. First it was announced that Marshal Timoshenko had launched an offensive on a front of from 40 to 50 miles. -Later came the statement that he had made a breach in the Jpnemy line at Lozovaya, which is 70 miles south of Kharkov. Then a suggestion of a front 120 miles long was supported by the mention of points 40 miles north and 60 miles south of Kharkov. The main interest in tracing these distances is in discovering from them a range of operations which would seem tremendous in any theatre except this one, where it shrinks almost to the status of a local offensive. However, by any test the issues which can be decided in and around Kharkov are tremendous. The true result of the battle now raging may be an answer to the question whether Hitler's greatlypublicised spring offensive is to be staged, or whether it is to give way to a spring defensive. It is not unduly optimistic now to draw these conclusions from what has happened. The German High Command opened the ball in the Crimea by an attack designed to clear the Kerch Peninsula, and thus solve a troublesome flank problem. Whether it has succeeded completely is not yet certain. The Soviet forces have had to give ground substantially, and whatever foothold they retain in Kerch cannot be more than precarious. Meantime the Germans were marshalling men and material west of Kharkov preparatory to a full-scale offensive aimed at the great and—so far—elusive prize of the Caucasian oil regions. Here Marshal Timoshenko forestalled them. In the language of the ring he beat them to the punch and the consequences, moral and phy sical, of his having seized the initiative may be far-reaching. There is no doubt that von Bock reeled beneath the blow. His counter, against Timoshenko's left flank, was foreseen, and it is stated that the preparations made to meet it proved sufficient. The prospect of surprise in this area now seems to have passed. The two sides are locked in a desperate struggle, by which the qualities of men and material will be tested to the limit. The Red Armies have already chalked up a promising score. They have the weight and the spirit to improve upon it progressively.

In various assessments of the Kharkov offensive emphasis is rightly laid on the importance of striking first as Timoshenko did. Tt has been proved many times that to be attacked while preparing to attack is peculiarly disconcerting, and that ordeal the Germans at Kharkov have undergone. It has been suggested that the entire plan for an offensive in the southern sector has been disrupted. That may be going too far, but it will certainly have been set back badly. Reserves which had been built up for an assault on the Russian positions have had to be flung in to stem the enemy advance. On the progress of the battle to date, it is not to be taken for granted that a breathing space will be given to build them up again. The Germans have shown a wonderful capacity in this war for passing swiftly from one successful offensive to the next. They have still to show their power of passing from the defensive to the offensive. The inspiration of unbroken success is no longer with them. The long ordeal they suffered in the winter campaign has broken the sequence. This change in the immediate outlook is another gift to the Allied cause from the valiant Russian armies. It must not be over-esti-mated. The way to ultimate victory will still be long and hard, but the blow struck by Marshal Timoshenko at Kharkov is a good omen for the day when the Nazi hordes will have to suffer repeated blows not only on one sector of one front, but wherever the might of the United Nations can be deployed against them.