WAR IN RUSSIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 May 1943, Page 5

WAR IN RUSSIA

NO MAJOR OPERATIONS

LONDON, May 21

To-day's Moscow communique reports mainly artillery duels in the Kuban, west of Rostov, and near Leningrad. North-east of Novorossisk, in the Kuban, Russian guns smashed an enemy blockhouse and put several batteries out of action. The Soviet midnight communique said: “There were no important changes on the fronts to-day.” The supplement to the communique said: “Soviet naval units and the Soviet Air Force sank six self-propelled barges with German troops in the Black Sea. In the Kuban, north-east of Novorossisk, an enemy attack was driven, back with heavy losses, and in the Izyum area, on the Donetz, an enemy attack was also repelled.” According to the German News Agency the Soviet has concentrated many rifle and tank divisions and quantities of heavy artillery in the Kursk region, where all the indications . suggest that Soviet preparations for a large-scale Summer offensive have been mainly completed. The’German Agency says it can be assumed that the Soviet Command intends to launch an offensive in the near future, to eliminate the threat to Moscow from the bend near Orel. The Russians apparently regard the operations ift the Kuban and Leningrad sectors as of only secondary importance. ~ A German communique says there has been no important activity on the Russian front.

DAVIS-STALIN TALK

LONDON, May 20

The Moscow radio announced tonight that M. Molotov received Mr Joseph E. Davies. Mr Roosevelt s personal envoy. The United Spates Ambassador (Admiral Standley) was present. Mr Davies also conferred with M. Stalin and handed him a letter from Mr Roosevelt. They talked at great length. On his way to Moscow Mr Davies stopped at ' Stalingrad, where he placed a wreath on the common grave of the defenders of the city who lost their lives in the great battle. Addressing the soldiers of the garrison, Mr Davies said he was proud to visit the city of the heroes which had checked the German advance. The peoples of the Soviet, of America, and of Great Britain, under their leaders, would defeat Hitler.