HURRICANE OF FIRE HOWS DOWN GERMANS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 144, 20 June 1942, Page 5

HURRICANE OF FIRE HOWS DOWN GERMANS

RIVER STRUGGLE

KinßfoDv Battle Costs Enemy Heavy Losses

UP.A. and British Wireless. Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, June 19

Over 1000 German dead .floated downstream or lay on the banks of a river on the Kharkov front after another unsuccessful attempt to force a crossing. The Russians allowed the Germans to reach midstream before they opened a hurricane of artillery, machine-gun and mortar fire.

A thousand Germans were also killed in a battle on another sector of the Kharkov front. The Russians claim that the German drive was held.

Although neither side is able to make headway, the stubborn fighting on the Kharkov front shows no sign of abating. The Germans on Thursday lost at leaat 2500 men and 30 tanks. The battle is mainly confined to three sectors, on one of which the Russians repulsed a series of charges by 74 tanks. In another sector they killed 600 of the enemy and wrecked nine tanks. The fighting Is continuing, with the Russians firmly holding their lines.

Russian units in a surprise attack dislodged the enemy from positions on the Kalinin front and captured booty and prisoners.

Berlin reports say that the Russians launched florce attacks on the central front after a violent artillery bombardment. Russian infantry, supported by tanks and bombers, attacked in waves, but were driven back. Nulla Manning Millions Inormation received in Washington reveals that German plans against Russia are broadly: Germany now has 2,500,000 men on the Russian front and is bringing up 500,000 mere supplied by its Central Europe satellites and has an additional 500,000 to throw in when the campaign is at Its height. One of the chief features of the offensive against Russia is expected to be an effort to cut the AngloAmerican supply lines via Murmansk and via the Persian Gulf. This, it Is believtJ, partly explains the purpose of the German southern Russian offensive, which is aimed to reach the Caspian Sea to obtain not only the Baku oilfields, but to sever the line of communication over which American supplies are landed on the Persian Gulf and come up the Caspian Sea. „ , , A German thrust from Smolensk Is expected to develop shortly in an effort to pin the Russian centre, after which Germany will probably stir up the remainder of the front with the aim of fixing the Russian forces in their positions so that blows can be delivered designed to destroy the Tussian Army. Qualified observers in Washington witn unusu&l access to authoritative information are convinced that Hitler la completely committed to an all-out offensive against Russia. It is also thought here the organisation difficulties associated with maintaining large-scale air raids, accompanied by aircraft losses, J"®"" der the likelihood of even 10 such raids per month over Germany and occupied Prance almost impossible. Estimates are that the losses must total 10 per cent of the aircraft involved. Such losses on the basis of 10 1000-plane raids monthly would amount to 1000 planes a month. which English and American plane reserves cannot yet bear.