The Southland Times THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1942. The Great Battle for Kharkov

Southland Times, Issue 24755, 28 May 1942, Page 4

The Southland Times THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1942. The Great Battle for Kharkov

MILITARY spokesmen in Berlin are reported to have said that “the great German offensive on the Eastern Front will not begin until next month.” These continued references to the offensive that is still to come seem ridiculous when it .is realized that, according to official British sources, the German forces engaged in Russia are very nearly as strong as in June of last year, the month of invasion. The fighting that is now taking place may not be the result of a German attack on the entire front; but it has involved huge armies and has reached the intensity of a giant slogging match. Both sides are throwing men, tanks and planes into the struggle for Kharkov as if it were to be one of the decisive battles of the war. And in one sense that is exactly what it will be. Victory for the Germans will mean that they can attempt a drive to the Caucasus with little fear of interference beyond the Dnieper. But if the Red Army prevails it will be able to press on to the vital line of the Dnieper, closing the approaches to the Crimea and cutting off the forces that have just obtained control of the Kerch sub-peninsula. When German spokesmen predict an offensive for next month they probably mean that the advance will take place if or when Field-Marshal von Bock wins the battle for Kharkov. At the moment it is not easy to judge which way the battle is going. Captain B. H. Liddell Hart believes that Marshal Timoshenko’s offensive was a big effort “which fell short of its objective and is now meeting with a definite repulse.” A more optimistic opinion was expressed by the military correspondent of The Daily Express, who predicted that Kharkov will be completely isolated in a week, providing the present rate of progress can be maintained. In the circumstances, however, it seems idle to make predictions either way. The basic facts are sufficiently plain. Marshal Timoshenko launched his attack on Kharkov, the most strongly fortified German position in Russia, while the enemy was still completing his preparations for the summer campaign, and while a preliminary thrust was being made against Kerch. After taking the first shock of battle, Bock rallied his forces and struck a counter-blow on the Isyum-Barevenko sector, southeast of Kharkov. The fighting in this area has been very severe, and it is clear that both sides are suffering heavy losses. German claims that Soviet forces have been encircled south of Kharkov may be true; but the numbers mentioned are almost certainly exaggerated. And in past battles the Russians have shown a remarkable capacity for extricating themselves from a closing net. Bock’s counter-offensive inserted a deep wedge into the Russian positions. This was admitted in Moscow; but the wedge has been partially removed. Whether or not the subsidiary battle has taken the impetus from the Red Army’s main drive towards Kharkov is a question that can only be answered by events. As far as can be judged from reports which are sometimes conflicting, the battle has reached its climax. Within the next few days the Russians should either force their way into Kharkov or make a fairly deep withdrawal. The city which remains the centre of the front is very strongly fortified, 1 and the Germans are known to have crammed it with stores and equipment. It cannot be taken easily. Whatever the outcome, however, one fact is certain: the battle was forced on the Germans as an unwelcome and costly prelude to summer operations in which they had expected to hold the initiative. Hitler has had to alter his plans on the eve of what promised to be the greatest clash of land forces in modern warfare. It is possible that the Russians have built up a reserve striking power that will make him alter them still further. That is the hope of all free men who watch, from a distance, the fluctuations of battle in the Ukraine.