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If Russia h-
hat are the chances
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Russian Victo POPULATIO\ FACTOR NOW FAVOURS THE AXIS -E0)) of 50,000,000 Reduced food supply and industrial production sap Red powers of resistance . . . In an article published a few months ago, Colonel Conrad H. Lanza attempts (in "America") to review the position of Russia and her resources at the beginning of the Spring offensive: new factors affecting the Soviet forces are examined in so far as the veil of censorship and Russian silence allows,
However, the population id the entire Axis, including the small States from Finland to Roumania, about equalled that of Russia. Each side had about 175,000,000 people from which to organise their fighting forces. Out of this Russia had to leave some troops in the Far East to watch Japan, while the Axis furnished troops for an active front in North Africa, and to hold down the "occupied" countries from Norway to France, and in the
Von Bock now has a numerical superiority of perhaps three to one.
Only a year ago, the population of Russia was about double that of Germany. This gave the possibility of putting two Russian soldiers in the field against one German, On its face these were very comfortable odds. It led to the belief that Russian numbers were so overwhelming, that she never could be conquered.
Balkans. The situation has now changed. Due to the large territory lost to the Axis prior to last December, comprising all of the Ukraine, the Polish provinces, the Baltic States, and White Russia, the population left under the rule of Stalin has been reduced by some 50,000,000. Against this the Axis has made the small gain of the freed Baltic States, which are anti-Russian and where new Axis troops are being raised. For 1924, the Axis had around 180,000,000 people and Russia about 125,000,000. The superiority in numbers is now on the opposite side. The territory lost by Russia contained the best farm lands. It is now questionable whether Russia will have food to feed properly her armies and people after this year. Her allies have ample food supplies, but it may be impossible, on account of lack of shipping and few ports of entry, to ship them. According to reports of American correspondents, who, prior to our entry
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into the war, made a German -conducted trip through the Ukraine last autumn, the villages had not been destroyed, and the people were on the land. Before the Russians had left, they had sent away many of the farm tractors, and had attempted to disable all others. They seemed to have made a good job of it. As the farms were practically one hundred per cent, mechanised, the loss of the tractors made it very doubtful whether anything like the usual harvests could be produced this summer. The farmers would probably be able to raise crops for themselves but there seemed little likelihood that there would be much above local requirements. Loss of Industrial Area. Russia has lost valuable and extensive mineral and industrial areas. A large part of the coal and iron mines, and important industries in South Russia have gone to the enemy. True, many factories were dismantled, at least in part, in time to send their machinery eastward into the vast Russian interior, Of the great industrial cities, Moscow has been damaged, and Leningrad bombed and shelled to such an extent as to make it doubtful that it produces much of anything. Kiev, Odessa, and the Dnieper district are behind German lines. Large industrial areas in the Urals, and smaller ones in Siberia, are still intact, and are in process of expansion. The winter war, fiercely and bravely fought day after day, and night after night, regardless of cold and blizzards, by the Russian armies, has gained territory, mostly forest, swamp and poor agricultural land, The Second Front. With its reduced population, reduced industrial production, and reduced food supply, the Russian position may
Timoshenko has lost 50 millions, food, oil, and industrial centres. be more serious than most of us have
realised, The Russians have been making it increasingly clear that they desire some real help, They have pointedly suggested that their allies fight, instead of limiting themselves to encouraging others to fight by supplying a certain amount of war material. They ask that new fronts be opened against the Axis before it is too late to save Russia; before they have to receive the entire blow of the Axis forces this spring. The Russians claim that up to last December, 6,000,000 Germans were killed in battle. Hitler says 162,000 only, As the Germans captured the battle fields and buried the dead, they ought to know. Russia claims 2,000,000 more Germans have been killed in the winter war, As the usual proportion of killed to wounded is 1 to 3, if correct, this would indicate 32,000,000 Germans put out of action. That is just about equal to the entire male population of Germany, excluding infants and aged. Russian reports refer only to Germans "annihilated": wiped out and killed. The number of wounded is never mentioned. Rarely are prisoners mentioned. If the Russians slaughtered the wounded and gave no quarter to those they took, the only German casualties known to them would be killed. But there are no claims that Russia is doing anything of the kind. The conclusion seems to be that while there is no certainty that the German account is true, the Russian one is very exaggerated. Russian claims as to the number of German tanks, guns, trucks, etc., taken (Continued on Page 12,)
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