HITLER’S SPRING OFFENSIVE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23580, 6 March 1942, Page 5

HITLER’S SPRING OFFENSIVE

Preparations On Large Scale

EVENTUAL MENACE TO TURKEY

(Received March 5, 11.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 4,

The Ankara correspondent of the “New York Times” (Mr Carl Sulzberger) says that indications from all quarters of eastern Europe prove gigantic German preparations for a desperate move in the spring. Five Bulgarian divisions have been sent to Jugoslavia to relieve German forces for service in Russia, All rail traffic has been suspended ■ for vast military movements. Troops have been mobilised in Hungary, Slovakia, and Rumania to reinforce the Axis armies in Russia. Increasing German pressure on Madrid has resulted in the dispatch of new Spanish air force support for the battered Germans. Axis barges are clustering Sea ports for an invasion of Russian shores.

Germany is exerting inhuman pressure against the ' occupied countries with the object of increasing the production of war materials. For example, forced labour has been decreed for the entire population of Bessarabia between the ages of 12 and 70. Mr Sulzberger says that Turkish public opinion, in spite of German preparations, does not expect that a crisis against Turkey is imminent, because the Nazis are tied up in Russia and Egypt, and are unable to open a new front now. but Turkey is seriously concerned by the eventual Japanese menace from the east, since the Japanese military attache at Ankara has openly predicted that the Japanese would occupy Calcutta by the middle of April. It is felt that the Axis could force Turkey into a precarious position if a successful spring offensive against Russia should result in the occupation of the Caucasus, thereby outflanking Turkey from the north and west, while the Japanese are menacing Turkey from India.