MAJOR DISASTER

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 54, 5 March 1943, Page 3

MAJOR DISASTER

RJEV ABANDONMENT

"Smelling New Stalingrad In

Every Fresh Blow"

N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 10 a.m. LONDON, Mai'. 4. "Rjev A Major German Disaster" is a newspaper headline in London describing the latest news from Russia. It is remarked that the Germans' official announcement of their withdrawal was dramatic in its suddenness.

Ever since the German defeat on the Moscow front in the winter of 1941 Rjev has remained a spearpoint poised towards Moscow. Rjev was regarded as a "super-hedgehog." For nearly 15 months the greater part of the Todt labour organisation for the construction of German strongholds was employed in the Rjev-Gzhatsk-Vyasma sector and concrete and armour plating was sunk into the ground at some points to a depth of 50ft. It is generally recognised that the Rjev fortifications represented the last word in the construction of static defences according to the modern designs of German Army engineers. One view is that these defences proved useless as soon as their heavier calibre artillery was moved to assist the Axis corps fighting in the Donetz Basin. Another view is that Rjev was abandoned because of increasing Russian pressure at Velikiye Luki, Demiansk and Gzhatsk, placing it in imminent danger of encirclement, also because the Germans intend to shorten their lines. Preparing For Long Retreat The Daily Express military correspondent expresses the opinion that the abandonment of Rjev can only mean that the Germans adopted the policy of saving as much of their army as possible by making a long retreat; in other words, refusing to fight except in the Donetz Basin. "It seems clear," the correspondent states, "that the enemy is smelling a new Stalingrad in every fresh blow the Red Army strikes. His abandonment of one strongpomt after another is enough to prove this. But now he is also abandoning any future hope of mounting a new offensive against Moscow. That is a tremendous moral victory for our Allies." Comment is cautious nowadays on the Donetz Basin fighting. It is observed that'"{he"early thaw in the Ukraine up'Sef Russian calculations by halting General Vatutin's drive over the ridge in the Donetz Basin. The Daily Telegraph Moscow correspondent reports that a huge confused battle is raging between Voroshilovgrad and Stalino. "The final thaw is clearly very near in the Ukraine," he states, "and when it comes it will mean heavy black mud, but not for long, as it will not be followed by the usual floods, because I have never seen so little snow there. From the farmers' standpoint that is doubtless disastrous, but for the Red Army, which intends at any cost to resume and maintain the offensive, it is ideal. It means hard going again soon."