DRIVE AGAINST RUSSIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 June 1942, Page 5

DRIVE AGAINST RUSSIA

HITLER’S PLANS OUTLINED

3| MILLION MEN AVAILABLE

WASHINGTON, June 19. Information has been received here which indicates that German plans against Russia are broadly as follow: — , 2 Germany now has two and a-half million men on the Russian front. She is bringing up half a million more, supplied by Germany’s Central Europe satellites. She has an additional half million to throw in when the campaign is at its height. One of the chief features of the offensive against Russia is expected to be an effort to cut the Anglo-Am-erican supply lines, via Murmansk, and via the Persian Gulf. This it is believed, partly explains the purpose of the German Southern Russian offensive, which is aimed to reach the Caspian Sea to obtain not only the Baku oilfields, but to sever the line of communications over which American supplies landed in the Persian Gulf come up to the Caspian. A German thrust, from Smolensk, is expected to develop shortly in an effort to pin the Russian centre. Thereafter, Germany will probably stir up the remainder of the front, with the aim of fixing the Russian forces in their positions, so that blows can be delivered that are designed to destroy the Russian Army. Qualified observers in Washington, with unusual access to authoritative information, are convinced that Hitler is completely committed to an allout offensive against Russia. It is also thought here that the organisational difficulties associated with the maintaining of large-scale Allied air raids, accompanied by the aircraft losses, render the likelihood of even ten such raids per month over Germany and occupied France almost impossible. The estimates are that the losses must total ten per cent, of the aircraft involved. Such losses, on the basis of ten one-thousand plane raids monthly, would amount to one thousand planes per month, which the English and American plane reserves cannot yet bear.

RUSSIANS REPEL ATTACKS.

LONDON, June 19

The latest German attacks on Sebastopol have been driven off with heavy losses to the enemy, according to the Russian midnight communique. The British Broadcasting Corporation observer in Russia (Mr. Paul Winterton) says in their latest attacks the Germans have made no appreciable gains on the Sebastopol front. On the Kharkov front, fighting continues. The Russian communique states that the Germans have been again repulsed after their failure to cross an important river. The German offensive appears to be dying down without achieving any substantial results. Other reports suggest that a stalemate has been reached on this front.

GERMAN LOSSES

LONDON, June 19

Moscow messages say stubborn fighting which shows no signs of abating in the Kharkov region is continuing. They say that on Thursday the Germans lost at least 2500 men and 30 tanks. The battle is said mainly to be confined to three sectors. On one of these sectors, the Red Army repulsed a series of charges by 74 tanks, destroying 15. In another sector they killed 600 of the enemy and wrecked nine tanks. In the third sector they prevented the enemy from crossing a stream, and wiped out 1500. The messages add that fighting is continuing, with Russian forces firmly holding their lines. Russian units in a surprise attack dislodged enemy forces from positions on the Kalinin front and captured booty and prisoners.

CREDITS AND SUPPLIES

MOSCOW, June 19

At a special session, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R. ratified the British-Soviet Treaty, after M. Molotov reported regarding his visit to Britain and America. He revealed that the United States had agreed to increase its credits for the Soviet from an orginal figure of two hundred and fifty million sterling to seven hundred and fifty millions sterling.

LONDON, June 19

The question of a second front was carefully considered both in London and Washington during M. Molotov’s visits, and complete agreement was reached regarding its formation in 1942. The importance of this to the Soviet Union is self-evident. It will create an insurmountable obstacle for Hitler. It fe difficult to get supplies through to Russia owing to the German submarine raiders and aircraft. Some of the cargoes have gone down while en route to Murmansk and. to Archangel, nevertheless supplies from Britain are arriving in increasing quantities.