T ai | S VW/ E E K = The War Fronts, The |

The

War

The Best News To Date

With all but the northeast corner of Sicily under the control
of the Allies, with parts of Italy in revolt against the military-
fascist government of Marshal Badoglio and rumors of an Italian

surrender flying thick and fast,
and with the inexorable Soviet
trap closing on almost a quarter
of a million men at Orel, this
weeks war picture was more fay-
orable than at any time in the
past.

The imminient fall of the Ger-
man bastion of Orel, one of the few
points which the Nazis have held
since the summer of 1941 and
within striking distance of Moscow,
emphasized the new stage of the
fighting on the Eastern Front. For
the first time the Red Army had
succeeded at Kursk and Belgorod
in halting to a dead stop a major
German offensive. And for the first
time, the Red Army had under-

Stalin’s ‘Order Of

taken its own summer offensive.
At the same time, Soviet forces
had gone over to the offensive on
both ends of the vital, industrial
Donets Basin. The Upper Donets
had been forded in the Lozovaya
direction, while far to the north
near Taganrog, the Mius River
had been crossed in heavy offens-
ive fighting by Soviet forces.
This impressive display of Soviet

power and reserves coincided with ©

the rapid disintegration of the
Italian defenses in central Sicily,
and underscored the great possi-
bilities open for future coordinated
drives by the Red Army and the
Allied forces against Hitler Ger-
many itself.

The Day’

The importance of the events in recent weeks on the Soviet-
German front was emphasized last Saturday by the USSR’s Su-
preme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal Joseph Stalin, who, in an

order of the day to Generals Rok-
ossovsky, Vatutin and Batoy, con-
gratulated the troops, commanders
and political instructors of the Red

Army for the successful liquida-
tion of the German summer of
fensive against Kursk.

The Order noted that from July
5 through July 23 the Germans lost
75,000 killed, 2,900 tanks and 1,-
392 planes.

“On the morning of July 5,” states
the order, “the Germans threw
their main forces against the So-
viet troops. As has now been as-
certained, the German command
pressed into the line seven tank,
two motorized, and 11 infantry di-
visions in the Orel-Kursk direction,
and one tank, one motorized and
seven infantry divisions in the
Belgorod-Kursk direction. Thus on
the enemy side there participated,
all told, 17 tank, three motorized,
and 18 infantry divisions.

“Concentrating these forces on
narrow sectors. the German com-
mand reckoned by concentric
blows from North and South in
the general direction of Kursk to
encircle and destroy the Soviet

troops on the arch of the Kursk
salient.” ;

Describing how the Soviet troops
were not caught unawares, the or-
der tells how they struck with
terrific counter-blows and hurled
back the enemy who had pentrat-
ed several kilometers. Not only
were the lost areas regained by the
Red Army, but it advanced from

-35 to 25 kilometers in the direc-
tion of Orel

“The battles conducted to liquid-
ate the summer offensive of the
enemy showed high military train-
ing of the Soviet troops,” says the
order. “Thus the German plan of
a summer offensive can be con-
sidered as utterly collapsed, a fact
which exposes the legend that the
Germans always score successes in
summer.”

The order concludes:

“T congratulate you and the
troops under your command for the
successful completion of the liquid-
ation of the German summer offen-
sive. Eternal glory to the heroes
who fell on the battlefields in the
struggle for the freedom and honor
of our fatherland. Commander-in-
Chief, Marshal Stalin.”

World Labor Unity

Anglo-Seviet Committee Grows

One of the most significant developments in the world labor
movements’ fight against fascism both in the war and post-war
years is the development of the Anglo-Soviet trade union com-

mittee. formed to promote co-oper-
ation between the working people
of the USSR and Great Britain. In
recent months there has been a
definite trend toward extending
this committee to form an interna-
tional trade union, anti-fasest labor
front that will aid in defeating the
Axis and promoting anti-fascist
unity in the peace.

Last week Lombardo Toledano,
president of the Confederation of
Latin American Workers, told the
press that the organization would
discuss the question of affiliation
to the Anglo-Soviet committee at
its convention in Havana.

From Australia this week comes
word that, acting in accordance
with the vote of last month’s con-
vention of the Australian Council

of Trade Unions, the ACTU gener-
al-secretary cabled Sir Walter
Citrine, general-secretary of the
British Trades Union Congress and
Nikolai Shyernik, secretary of the
All-Union Council of Soviet Trade
Unions, making formal application
for membership of the ACTU in
the Committee.

In the United States and Canada,
the whole situation regarding af-
filiation of labor to the Committee
has been confused by, first, the re-
fusal of the American Federation
of Labor to affiliate (suggesting
instead that the British Union or-
ganization act as go-between for
the Committee and the AFL, to
which proposal the Committee re-
fused to agree) and second, Cit-
rine'’s failure to take the CIO up

on its willingness to join the com-
mittee.

In both countries, rank and file
AFL'ers, AFL-affiliated unions, and
Trades Councils haye meantime
made quite clear their eagerness
to join. with Soviet and British
unions in an all-out war effort, and
have demanded of the AFL leader-
ship that moves toward affiliation
be made at once.

Latest Canadian AFL group to ~
call upon the Trades and Labor*

Congress of Canada for action was
the Winnipeg council of AFL
unions, which at a special meeting
held this week endorsed a resolu-
tion to be presented at the August.
TLEC convention asking for em-
mediate membership.

The resolution also urges ac-
ceptance of the Soviet Trade
Union movement into the Interna-

tional Federation of Trade Unions,
with which the TLCC is affiliated.

Switzerland

Socialists, Communists To Unite

The Central Committee of the Swiss Socialist Party has
adopted a decision to convene a party congress on September 4
in Winterhur, recommending that the Socialist Party open the

doors to all banned working-class
parties. These are the Communist
Party, the Socialist Federation and
the Socialist Youth.

The Socialist Federation and the
Socialist Youth were separated
from the Socialist Party when the
leadership of the latter opposed
a policy of working class unity,
collective security and friendship
with the Soviet Union.

The only condition for unity
placed by the Socialist Central
Committee is acceptance of the
program and constitution of the
Socialist Party.

At the same time, the Central
Committee requested the ‘Swiss
Government to remove the ban
against the three organizations.

Unification seems to be assured.

At a joint conference on June, 13,
the leaders of the Swiss Socialist
Federation and the Communist
Party adopted a decision to affili-
ate with the Socialist Party on the
basis of its constitution and pro-
gram.

This development is one of the
first steps toward the unification
of working class parties following
upon the dissolution of the Com-
munist International. Undoubtedly,
the Swiss unification will play an
important role in accelerating simi-
lar trends in other European coun-
tries. ;

It will also influence the work-
ing class movements in Latin Am-
erica, particulamly in Argentina
and Chile. In the latter country,
important steps in a similar direc-
tion have already been reported.

United States

Labor Enters National Politics

Marking a turning point in US labor history, the CIO this
week decided upon political action as its foremost task and
launched a nation-wide campaign against forces imside and

outside Congress seeking to sabo-
tage the win-the-war policies of the
president. At the same time, by an
overwhelming vote of 125 to 2, the
newly-formed CIO National Politi-
eal Action Commitee rejected a
proposal to set up a national third
party.

The move towards political action
has added significance in that it
opens up the possibility of national
labor unity; the CIO has called
upon its affiliates throughout the
country to form joint political com-
mittees with local bodies of the
AFL and Railroad Brotherhoods.

Meeting in Philadelphia last
weekend under the chairmanship
of Sidney Hillman, president of
the Amalgamated Clothing Work-
ers, the committee decided: (1) To
start immediately mobilizing the
full foree of the CIO for political
action both in the local and state-
wide elections in the fall of 1943
and for the crucial national cam-
paign in 1944. (2) In each state
and community to secure united
political action with the AFL and
Railroad Brotherhoods, preferably
through united committees such as
the United Philadelphia labor
Committee. (3) To involve in such
united labor action the broadest
possible consumer, farmer and pro-
pressive groups. (4) In the 1943
elections and in preparation for
1944 to weld the unity of all forces
who support the president behind
a single progressive win-the-war
candidate for each office. (5) To
work for the formation of a Na-
tional United Labor League to
include all CIO, AFL, Railroad
Brotherhoods and unaffiliated labor

unions who agree with the CIO's
political objectives.

The formation of a third party,
resolved the CIO,” would only
divide and divert labor and pro-
gressive win-the-war candidates
who support the US commander-
in-chief regardless of political af-
filiation. The vote against this mo-
tion was a rebuke to certain groups
within the CIO who are seeking to
create a third party and revoke
the CIO's no-strike pledge.

Delegates from CIO unions in
New York, New Jersey, Maryland,
Connecticut and~ other eastern
states, representing 2,500,000 union-
ists, agreed that the recently-
recessed 78th Congress “obstructed
measures needed to stabilize our
economy, denied adequate appro-
priations to vital war agencies and
enacted a discriminatory, provo-
cative, anti-labor law, and de-
clared: “an offensive is under way
both inside and outside Congress
to divide and weaken the home
front, prolong the war, endanger
the realization of our goal of un-
conditional surrender and make
impossible a true people’s peace.

To carry out the immediate po-
litical tasks of the CIO in the com-
munities, CIO President Philip
Murrary has appointed a special
“CIO committee on congressional
action,” comprising George F.
Addes, UAW  secretary-treasurer;
Julius Emspak, UE = secretary-
treasurer; David J. MacDonald,
USWA  secretary- treasurer; and
national CIO secretary, James B.
Carey. This committee held its
first meeting in Detroit this week.

y

Unity Vide
When the British |
Communist Party ai
Communists pointed —
of the desires of the gre
of rank and file Labor
bers. Added proof to b
opinion was given this +
in a vote which caused |
interest in Britain, th
Union of Railwaymen ri)
earlier decision of its
committee against affiliz
Communist Party.

In accordance- with
tive’s decision, the unit
votes at the Labor Par
tion in June were cast
filiation. The motion ¢
vention calling for aff
defeated by 1,951,000 &
count which would kh
modified, were it take:
WUR decision, to 1,651,0
000, a considerable chz
Communist Party's favo

It is also expected the
of other unions will fol
ample of the NUR it
their Labor Party conve

La

Mexico Gets

The government
instituted a social b
of producers’ and cc
measure, passed by f
Congress in Decembe
eludes unemployment
and provides protectior
cidents, occupational
ness and for materni
age benefits.

Social security has ]
planned project of t
President. In his in
dress on December 1, ]

“We must make cer
cial security laws will
Mexican workers aga
ity.”

The Social Security
up to administer the

z

“1919 Must

A “Free Germa
and representative -
formed in Moscow

prisoners and Germ
from Hitler, and incluc
and civilian represe
representatives of ari
ligion and the workiz
The appeal of thi
“against Hitler and |
immediate peace! ...1
independent Germany
by 34 delegates.
Chairman of the N
mittee, “Freies Deuts
Germany) is the Ge
Erich Weinert, and °
is Major Karl Hetz of
who served in the 371
vision. Prince Heinr
siedel of Berlin, a lie
in the third ‘Udet’ fig