BATTLE ON LARGE SCALE

Southland Times, Issue 24754, 27 May 1942, Page 5

BATTLE ON LARGE SCALE

NAZI PLANS AFFECTED (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) “LONDON, May 25 The Stockholm correspondent otine Times says the latest information shows that the Kharkov battle is entering or has already entered a most interesting stage. It is clear, says the correspondent, that if the developments of the past week are according to plan they are not according to the German plan. It is Marshal Timoshenko’s battle, which the Germans did not plan and did not want. . Anything less than a crushing German victory, which is now most unlikely, would be a serious German setback, delaying the summer offensive to the Caucasus for weeks and probably months. A Russian victory would be a German disaster, so large has been the scale of this prolonged battle and so numerous are the German material and forces diverted from the southern Donetz region, where the Germans had already half prepared for the drive eastwards. The Germans at the beginning repeatedly declared that their summer plans were not affected by *he Kharkov battle, but recently they have ceased to emphasize this theme. Vichy radio, quoting a report from Berlin, estimates that 400,000 Russians are encircled southwa d of Kharkov. Berlin spokesmen refer vaguely to Russians enveloped and isolated south of Kharkov, but according to the Russians no large Russian forces are seriously menaced, except in the Losovaya salient, which would be enveloped if Field-Marshal von Bock managed to drive home a wedge to Isyum. DEEP GERMAN WEDGE

The Russians admit that Field-Mar-shal von Bock at first managed to drive rather a deep wedge into the Russians positions. Repeated assaults carried his foremost tanks perilously near the river, but Russian anti-tank weapons and ordinary artillery destroyed the intruders and pressed the wedge outwards. It is not clear whether the original Russian position has been entirely restored. The Russians refer to the Barenkova-Isyum sector as the scene of further heavy German attacks, showing that Field-Marshal von Bock has not abandoned his purpose, despite the fact that this area is already the graveyard of ' hundreds of German tanks.

Military commentators in London are summing up the position as the Battle of the Ukraine enters its third week. The Daily Express is of the opinion that one of the war’s most important strategical victories hangs in the balance. If the German flank attack on Isyum is beaten off the Red Army will be in a position to sweep on to the Dnieper. If the German attack succeeds Marshal Timoshenko’s forces will have to fall back a considerable distance from Kharkov and the Germans are likely immediately to start a drive to the Caucasus.

Captain B. H. Liddell Hart, the mili- , tary writer, warns against exaggerated optimism, pointing out that the Soviet communiques have not claimed major successes. He suggests two explanations: (1) They may be only driving hard where the going is good; (2) Marshal Timoshenko’s offensive may have been a big effort which fell short of its objective and is now meeting with a definite repulse. Captain Liddell Hart accepts the second explanation, and deduces that even if the Red Army has been halted it will have entailed a lavish use of German reserves and the upsetting of their offensive plans. NAZI MOVE ANTICIPATED On the other hand, the military correspondent of The Daily Express says that Marshal Timoshenko, at his present rate of progress, will completely isolate Kharkov within a week. “The present Russian thrust,” he says, “may disintegrate the German concentrations which have been preparing to move towards Rostov and thence to the Caucasus. Marshal Timoshenko is reported to have been troubled by the heavy German attack on the Isyum-Baren-kova front, but it is well known that' he anticipated this Nazi move and was well prepared to meet it. At the moment he is concentrating on wide outflanking thrusts around Kharkov to cut off its communications and supplies.”