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Week

A REVIEW OF WORLD EVENTS

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The War

Germany Faces Complete Defeat

HE front line in the German-

Soviet war on September 22, 1941 was practically the same as on September 22, 1943. After five years of the bloodiest fighting in history Hitler can point to no “ter- ritorial yield.” True, two years ago the Germans did not hold the Crimea, but on the other hand they did hold the Chernigov Proy- ince.

if we take the four main strat- egic directions—the Baltic direc- tion (Koenigsberg-Leningrad), the Moscow direction, the Lwow-Kiev- Voronezh direction and the Black Sea direction ‘(Rumania-Crimea- Caucasus), we find the German army 450 miles from the border along the first direction, 450 miles along the second, 350 miles along the third and 350 miles along the fourth.

At the peak of the German in- vasion (counting cumulatively the offensives of 1941 and 1942) the distance from the border to the advance German lines along the four directions was 540 miles, 625 miles, 750 miles and 900 miles.

Approximately half of the Soviet territory ever touched by the Ger- man boot has been liberated.

Thus, as far as acres and square miles are concerned, after two years Hitler has gained nothing. We has only a precarious hold on what he took during the -initial three months

But this is only part of the bal- ance sheet.

In the two years between Sept. 22. 1941 and Sept. 22, 1943, Hitler has lost on the 600,000-odd square

miles his soldiers trod—4,000,000 men killed and prisoners, 40,000 tanks, 40,000 planes and 60,000

funs (these figures do not include German losses between Sept. 5 and 99 which haye not been compiled

yet.)

With these millions of killed and missing perished the myth of German invincibility. For the first time in its recent military history Germany has been beaten without even having the chance to fall back on the alibi (as in World War One) that is was the home front which “stabbed it in the back.” The defeat of Hitler's armies is purely military.

The Red Army’s victories on the battlefields which lie be- tween the “high-tide line” of the German invasion and the line of the front as it was on Sept. 22 not only transformed a sup- posedly militarily undefeated na- tion into one which is fast slip- ping toward utter military de- feat, but it brought into being the Anglo-Soviet-American coal- ition which is an unbeatable force at the service of the cause of

human dignity, freedom and progress.

In two years the Red .Army’s victories haye to a predominant

degree made possible the defeats suffered by the Axis in North Africa and Italy, just as the swift advance of the Red Army to new strategic borders in the summer of 1940 made possible Britain’s re- sistance to the air blitz because it created at Hitler's back the spec- ter of a two-front war and held his invasion of Britain in leash.

For all of us this is to be entered on the credit side of the ledger.

For Hitler it is all on the debit side.

The Germans are now crossing the Dnieper in the “wrong” direc- tion.

Symbolically, the Dnieper looms like a’ bookkeeper’s line separating the items from the grand total in the balance sheet .

A sorry balance sheet, indeed.

Free Yugo-Slavia

General Tito Of The Partisans

O THE Allied armies now on

Italy's west coast, 50 miles across the Adriatic Sea, an inva- sion door 160 miles wide, one-half of Yugoslavia’s coastline, has been swung open through the amazing feat of Yugoslayia’s National Lib- eration Army, which in two years has grown from small guerrilla groups operating in _ scattered areas into a major military force of 250,000 men that has kept 20 Axis divisions pinned down to the Balkans and away from the Medi- terranean and Eastern fronts. And the guiding genius of this great movement, which has liberated large sections of Yugoslavia from Nazi rule, is a military mystery figure known generally as Tito, more recently, as General Tito.

Even the reactionary press has begun to drop its claims on behalf of Draja Mikhailovitch, war min- ister in the Yugoslay government- in-exile, who hasn't fought an anti- Axis battle since 1941, and whose dubious fame has been built up through the agency of a publicity hoax initiated by the reactionary clique in the Yugoslay govern- ment-in-exile. In his place has emerged the real hero of the Yugoslav liberation moyement — General Tito—whose military and political leadership during the past two years will probably be regarded by historians of World War Two as one of the most out- standing on the United Nations’ side.

Tito’s real name is Josip Brozo-

viech, “Broz” for short. He is 33; a Croatian, native of Zagorye, the hilly region near Zagrab; a former metal worker. Intimates deseribe him as medium-sized, blond, blue- eyed, with a striking face, attrac- tive smile, and a pleasant man- ner which inspires endless devo- tion.

In 1914 “Broz” was conscripted jnto the Austro-Hungarian army. The following year he deserted to the Russians along with thousands of other South Slavs. In 1917 the Russian revolution freed him from military imprisonment, he joined the Red Army, fought for three years in the Russian civil war.

In 1923, returning to Croatia, now part of Yugoslavia, “Broz” be- came a labor leader, and when his metal workers’ union refused to submit to the control of the re- actionary regime of King Alexan- der, he was imprisoned for five years as a Communist.

Leaving prison in 1928, shortly after the secret police had killed Djakovich, leader of the left-wing movement, which has been driven underground, “Broz” took his place, assumed the name of Tito and from then until 1940 managed to

elude the entire Yugoslav police force while maintaining the under- ground Communist movement.

During that period he carried out one notable exploit—that of operating the underground “rail- road” across Italy, Austria and Switzerland through which thou- sands of anti-fascist fighters found their way into the ranks of the Loyalist armies in Spain. His head- quarters during -1936-38 was in France.

Tito’s 12 years of training in the underground was excellent preparation for his job as the Par- tisans’ commander-in-chief. And unlike Mikailovitch, he believed in immediate day-to-day resistance against the Axis without waiting for an Allied invasion.

Early in the struggle, Tito tried to enlist Mihailovitch’s aid, offer- ing him a pact, but the quisling leaders Chetnik groups began warring on the Partisan forces, and Tito was forced to sever all con- nections and consider Mikhailo- vitch as a stooge of the Nazis. Now he is reported to have declared that if the National Liberation Army.catches Mikhailovitch, “he'll be shot immediately as a traitor.”

United States

Four Conventions Urge 2nd Front

| Pres CIO conventions within the past two weeks have unanim- ously adopted resolutions calling for international labor unity and the immediate invasiom of Western Europe. The unions are: the Int- ternational Union of Marine and Shipbuilding Workers, the United Rubber Workers, the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers and the State, County and Municipal Work- ers,

Declaring that “it is in the interests of all labor in the United Nations to act unitedly in helping win the war,“ the TUMSW conven- tion, representing 350,000 shipyard workers, hailed the Anglo-Soviet trade union committee as having “already proven valuable in pro- moting production through the ex- change of experiences and by pro- moting the general welfare of the working people.” In a separate resolution the delegates expressed

At Chicago ‘Win The Peace’ Rally Among the prominent public figures w meeting dedicated to winning the war an

singer and actor, Othello; President Sidney

sporting the beard he is growing for his role Hillman of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Henry Wallace; and Vice-President Anton Johannsen of t

“keen resentment over the action of Sir Walter Citrine, general sec- retary of the British Trades Union Congress, in creating obstacles to CIO participation in international labor unity.”

i1UMSW President John Green stated: “The present situation is intolerable, illogical and dang- erous to the interests of the workers all over the world. Our own CIO movement, which is the most progressive force in America, is excluded from the Anglo-Soviet alliance and the American Federation of Labor has refused to join it. Neither the CIO nor the AFL is affili- ated with the Latin American Confederation of Labor. These are the only two international labor groups of importance.”

Accepting the invitation of the British section of the International Metal Workers Federation, the

he Chicago Fedaration of Labor.

convention agreed t to Britain as their deleg The URW tior

ously resolved to to continue to take ©

movements of Britain, fi” Union and other United Such unity can help seo mum production to strengthen the war United Nations for tory over fascism just and democratic

Typical of the secor lutions is that ado “The ‘surr

have given us the op the early defeat of meny, which is the to the defeat of Jap the resolution said. to back the attack wi production, war bond and political action defeatists, appeasers a negotiated peace.”

bers, pledged full su dent Roosevelt “in bring about an imm invasion of Western the best guarantee the war and achie victory over the Hitler Germany, and the dangers of a neé and consequent per fascism.” ii The SCMW conventis: with a call for an £ second front. Referring te Army and the vast are erated on the Hastern President Abram Flax §* “What short work we co § of the Nazis if we had & number of men hitting = the western front!” All four conventions € § . John L. Lewis, presidet

Voting support Bridges, west coast Cit the IUMSW conven upon Attorney Genera © to drop the deportatic against him and urged” ernment to give him t tunity to become an citizen.

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ho addressed the thousands of unionists at Chicago's rece d the peace were (left to right): Paul Robeson, famow in the forthcoming produc

(CIO); Vice