"BEST NEWS OF WAR"

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13056, 26 January 1943, Page 6

"BEST NEWS OF WAR"

RUSSIAN SUCCESSES Potential Supply Base At Leningrad Major Attack Possible London, Jan. 19. "The best news of the war is from Russia," is the description given special Russian communiques by the military co-respondent of the Daily Mail, who joins in the chorus of praise of the Russian achievements. It is pointed out that the relief of Leningrad will greatly aid the Soviet war effort, because Leningrad's vast arms factory can become again a great supply base.

It is expected the Russians may attempt to develop the relieving thrust into a major attack, causing the Germans to retreat precipitately from the whole Leningrad front. The relief of Leningrad will give more freedom to the Russian fleet when the Gulf of Finland is free of ice, and may enable the Russians to ■drive the Finns from the Karelian Isthmus. The opinion is expressed that the crossing of the Upper Donetz at Kamensk with the new offensive south of Voronezh has opened up many possibilities. Rostov Gate Closing One view is that there appears to be a line before Rostov which cannot be defended against attack from the north. The crossing of the Manich River is regarded as equally important as the forcing of the Donetz, and it is considered that the Rostov gate is closing rapidly and that the German Caucasian army of 2 5 divisions will have to act quickly if it is to escape the fate of the Stalingrad army. "In Russia to-day," says the Daily Man's military writers, "little remains of the German gains of last summer, and Hitler's great German army is in peril for the first time." Germany's need of men is commented on by the diplomatic correspondent of the Times, who says: "The German public is being told in every reference to the war in Russia about the enemy's superiority in men and materials. It looks as though an excuse for the failure of the High Command under Hitler to take Stalingrad and to hold the gains made at a grievous sacrifice of life is now being sought in the failure—real or not—of the home front to provide the means for victory. New cannon fodder will be provided from several sources that the sterner combing out of factories has foreshadowed." No More Improvising The Manchester Guardian says: "'Manpower is a great problem common to all belligerents this year. The Russian offensive and the Allied offensives to come, in Western Europe will result in German production depending on further foreign labour, but the occupied countries are showing an increasing reluctance to provide it." The Guardian also says Russia will have to conserve her resources and manpower carefully. Russian communiques, coming afr ter the .successful two months' offensive, have altered several opinions in London, and many now con-, fidently are expecting that the Soviet will advance well beyond the line reached last winter. It is pointed out that the Russians' offensive last winter was a desperate, if magnificent improvisation, but this year's campaign, even when the Germans were .advancing, never saw the strategic initiative pas sfrom the Russians' hands, that they planned and mounted the counter-blow when the Germans actually were advancing, and that they are improvising no longer.