SECOND FRONT

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23753, 26 September 1942, Page 5

SECOND FRONT

Appeals From Russia “ OPPORTUNITY FOR BRITAIN ”

(N.Z. Press Association.—Copyright.) (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 24. The Russians are persistently putting out appeals lor a second front. ‘‘Soviet War News,” which is a daily press sheet issued from the Soviet Embassy in London, says: “The Battle of Britain showed that air blows would not force an enemy to capitulate. Britain is now fully armed. The Royal Air Force rules the skies, and the Royal Navy is stronger than at the outbreak of war. Britain has the opportunity to deliver a blow against the enemy.” Ilya Ehrenburg, in an article in “Soviet War News,” says: “France is ready to burst the banks like a river in the spring. The French people do not want to bide their time for a favourable opportunity. With or without ships, and without allies, France can no longer wait for the zero hour, and is striking.” The Moscow radio says; “All the world can see that 15 months after the outbreak of the Russo-German war the Nazis are still pursuing their strategy undisturbed, without having to worry about the west. Hitler’s trump card has been his ability to deal with his enemies one by one. That card must be knocked from his hand. The battle of Stalingrad is also the battle for Burnley, Rochdale. New York, and Baltimore.” Growing Disappointment Mr Wendell Willkie will return to the United States with a story of growing Russian disappointment and dissatisfaction over the failure of Britain and America to establish a second front, states the Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press of America. Mr Willkie has talked both with very high officials and very hixmble workers. All expressed appreciation of Britain and America, but it is apparent that only a second front will satisfy Russia, without which she will feel terribly let down. Mr Willkie said nothing, after seeing M. Stalin, to allay the impression that he also had found disappointment there. More outright criticism of Britain and America _ was heard in Moscow, and Mr Willkie and his companions confess that they were surprised to discover the depth of feeling everywhere. Russians now openly tell the British and Americans in Moscow that they are shouldering the whole burden of the war. The correspondent adds: "It may ,be a very cold winter in Moscow, and I do not mean that the weather will be frigid.” RUSSIA CONVOY ATTACK HEAVY GERMAN AIR LOSSES (Hec. 8 ’p.m.) LONDON. Sept. 24. “Admiral E. K. Boddam Whetham, commodore of the British, American,' and Russian ships which recently arrived in north Russia, who is now in Moscow, estimates that British fighters and anti-aircraft batteries destroyed between 50 and 60 enemy torpedocarrying aircraft,” says the Moscow correspondent of “The Times.” “The Germans lost so heavily in the earlv stages of the eight-day battle that the 'violence of the attack diminished. The convoy never scattered. Torpedocarrying aeroplanes, 50 strong, attacked several times a day. Dive-bombing and machine-gunning by low-flying aeroplanes riddled the bridges of the ships. “At the same time there were shoals of German submarines about, many of them surfacing 10 miles away. Russian destroyers and Hurricanes came out to meet the convoy as it neared port.” A special German communique states that U-boats attacked a convoy between Spitzbergen and Iceland while it was returning from Russian harbours to British and American ports. The convoy was composed of more escorts than transports. “In hard fighting which lasted for several days we sank three destroyers, one auxiliary cruiser, and five merchantmen,” stated the communique. The Berlin radio said that including the success reported in the special communique the Germans this month sank 132 ships totalling 849,000 tons. IN OCCUPIED EUROPE

GERMAN CREATION OF UNREST

(Bee. 9 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 24. “Aiming to make a post-war reconciliation impossible, the Germans have stirred up the Lithuanians to massacre Poles, and have led Hungarians and Bulgarians against Serbs and Croats,” says the diplomatic correspondent of “The Times.” “The Germans are using Lithuanians as tools to exterminate Poles in Vilna Province, They fix quotas for forced labour in Germany, and leave the selection to- Lithuanians, who naturally choose mostly Poles. “When three German officials were ambushed and killed, German Lithuanian troops made a joint punitive raid on the district, in which 400 Poles were killed. The Gestapo ordered Lithuanian police to round up 1000 Poles within a radius of 30 miles. Most of them were shot.” An Ankara message says travellers report that battles between General Mikhailovitch’s forces and German Croat troops resulted in the BelgradeZagreb railway being out of action since September 19. An alternative long detour through Hungary must now be taken. Large-scale fighting is occurring over a large area. Three Frenchmen have been executed at Beziers, in south-west France, for murdering two policemen and a nightwatchman. t „ .. . The Belgian News Agency states that the Germans shot five Belgians. Three were shot at Liege for unnamed offences, a fourth was executed for attacking German soldiers at Ardennes, and a fifth for distributing pamphlets. The German press reports the execution of two workers from an armament factory at Opplen for sabotage, also that death sentences have been passed on a group of persons at Graz for trying to build up a Communist organisation. ' .. The German radio says that the Paris police have arrested 4000 Jews and searched all their The Jews were transported from Pans and were allowed to take some clothing and enough food for two days.

WARNING TO DAKAR GARRISON VICHY FEARS OF ATTACK (Bee. 12.45 a.m.) . LONDON, Sept 25. The Paris radio during the night twice broadcast a warning to the Dakar garrison to stand to. me commentator said that President Roosevelt had forced Brazil into war because of its geographical position. “The Americans are planning ana preparing their attack across the At-, lantic from Brazil. Dakar will have to bear the first brunt of the coming attack from across the Atlantic, the commentator said.