RESOWING UKRAINE

Evening Star, Issue 25168, 6 May 1944, Page 5

RESOWING UKRAINE

PEASANTS' GREAT FEAT (Rec. l p.m.) RUGBY, May 5. An indication of the rapidity with which the Russians are restoring areas devastated by the Germans is given by the announcement from Moscow that the peasants of the Ukraine have already 60wn 68 per cent, of the former sown area of the Ukraine, making this republic self-sustaining. BLACK SEA OPERATIONS SEVERAL TRANSPORTS SUNK (Rec. 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, May 5. Completing the fortnight’s lull, tonight’s Soviet communique again reports no material changes throughout the front. The air communique' says several groups of enemy transports in the Black Sea were spotted on Wednesday by the Black Sea fleet west of Kersones Lighthouse. The fleet sank . a 3,000-ton transport and two barges with torpedoes. The'Black Sea fleet airarm followed up these blows and attacked and sank four transports totalling 10,000 tons, and. damaged many other ships. ORDEAL IN DINGHY N.Z. AIRMAN ADRIFT FOR SIX DAYS LONDON, May 4. _ After drifting in a single-seater dinghy in the Channel for six days, during which time he captured a seagull and drank its blood in an attempt to sustain his strength, a New Zealander, Group-captain Peter Donkin, D. 5.0., of Invercargill, commander of the’reconnaissance wing of the Second Tactical Air Force, was rescued by the Navy, says the Air Ministry News Service. Group-captain Donkin is now in hospital recovering from, the effects of exposure.

Group-captain Donkin was on lowlevel reconnaissance over the Belgian coast when his plane was hit by flak. He baled out close to the enemy-occu-pied coast. ■ Planes from his wing stayed in the air during daylight for two days, joining in the search which began when the "ditching" was reported. The weather conditions made the search fruitless, but a naval boat sighted and rescued him on the sixth day. He said that not the least of his trials while drifting was the 'habit of Marauders testing their guns while going out on sorties. ' "Bullets often peppered around too near to be healthy," he said. " Sometimes planes passed, so close that they stirred my hair, but they never saw me."

ANTI-WAR STAND REVERSED AMERICAN METHODISTS NEW YORK, Mgy 5. A message from Kansas City states that the General Conference of the Methodist Church ; after a hot dehate, voted to reverse its anti-war stand of 1940, and adopted clear-cut support of the nation’s military efforts. The United Press learns that many leading theologians and clergymen supported the majority report, which recommended the retention of the antiwar policy, while the laity insisted that the church’s position should bo changed. The new resolution passed stated—- “ God Himself, has a stake in the struggle. We repudiate the theory that the State, though imperfect in itself, must not fight intolerable wrongs.” CANADIAN FORGES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF OTTAWA, May 4. The Minister of Defence (Colonel J. li.. Ralston) announced that Majorgeneral J. C. Murchie, vice-chief of the General Staff, has been appointed chief of staff, with the rank of acting lieu-tenant-general, succeeding Lieutenantgeneral Kenneth Stuart, who was recently named chief of staff at Canadian headquarters, London. A military spokesman said that the appointment meant a division of authority. Lieutenant-general Murchie would be responsible for the forces in North America and Lieutenant-general Stuart for -the forces overseas. j