CLOSE FIGHTING

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 171, 16 April 1942, Page 5

CLOSE FIGHTING

Russian And German Positions

ENEMY CONTROL OF RAILWAYS (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received April 15, 8 p.m.) LONDON, April 14. The greatest activity on the Russian front still appears to be in the Leningrad area and in the Lake Ilmen-Rzhev sector, around Kharkov and in the Crimea, reports ‘ Ihe Tinies” Stockholm correspondent. Russian and German in all of these sectors are only a few hundred yards apart. Local operations are possible in spite of the mud. The German strategy remains based on the railway which around Lake Ilmen and in 'the central sector enabled the Germans to maintain important positions by rushing reinforcements to immediately threatened points. The Germans by this menus have since January managed to prevent a Russian advance to the west of Don Neva! on the railway connecting Leningrad directly with White Russia. Similarly, the Smolensk-Vlazma railway artery has defied Russian efforts to close the Viazma sack. Control of the railways has likewise facilitated the German defence of Orel, Kursk, and Kharkov, during difficult periods for mobile warfare.

Though the thaw, which has apparently fully arrived in the south of the Russian front, and which has spread northward to the snows round Leningrad, will create most difficult campaigning conditions, there appears to be no lightening of Soviet pressure. The "Manchester Guardian” says, though all her winter hopes, have not been realized, Russia is confident this spring. “Leningrad has not been relieved, nor has the German ‘hedgehog’ system in the centre been broken. Russia, though confident, does not underrate the coming German offensive.” Heavy German Losses. However, the Germans are still on the defensive, an'd the losses being inflicted on them are still heavy. Some idea of how heavy they are was given on Monday night in a special announcement broadcast from Moscow relating to successes on the Leningrad front, where alone iu ten days more than 9000 Germans were killed. The latest reports from the Russian front say that in a sector of the Kalinin front Russian troops dislodged the enemy from one strongly-fortified locality. The enemy left on the approaches to the locality and. in the streets over 900 dead officers and men. The Russians destroyed two tanks, eight guns, 15 machineguns, one mortar battery, and eight blockhouses with machineguns. In the central sector of the front a Soviet unit wiped out more than 200 German officers.

Marshal Timoshenko's forces below Byelgorod have made a deep breach in the German line north of Kharkov, according to reports from Stockholm.

Russian forward troops swept through the broach and reached points near Rjepki, two miles south-west of Kharkov and on a loop railway linking Kharkov with Kiev. Russian pressure is reported to be particularly strong north-east of Byelgorod, where Re’d Army motorized units are making an effort to advance in the direction of Tamarovaka to cross the Donetz River near its source. Large Russian tank forces have arrived on the Kerch Feninsula.

Berlin radio says that mud and slush made important operations iu most sectors of the eastern front impossible. The Russian claim that seventeen German planes were destroyed on Monday for the loss of six Russian. The Soviet radio says that the Germans are still bringing up reserves for their spring offensive, but the Russian troops are dislocating the enemy preparations. Soviet guerrillas behind the lines are giving valuable help. They wrecked a German supply train travelling at full speed. German road convoys now have to be protected by tanks.