RUSSIAN AERIAL BLOWS

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 June 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN AERIAL BLOWS

PLANES & DROMES DESTROYED

LITTLE LAND FIGHTING

LONDON, June 13.

A special Soviet communique says: “On Friday night large Russian air forces dealt powerful blows against enemy aerodromes, dropping more than 600 tons of high explosives and incendiaries on aerodromes, aeroplanes, hangars, and ammunition and fuel dumps. A large number of enemy aeroplanes were destroyed or damaged." More than 100 fires broke out, followed by very heavy explosions. Three Russian aeroplanes are missing.” The Moscow radio reports that 700 Soviet aircraft attacked enemy aerodromes on Thursday night, destroying or damaging at least 150 German aeroplanes. Ten other enemy aeroplanes were shot down in air combat over aerodromes. Ammunition and fuel dumps were also bombed and set on fire. Nineteen Russian aeroplanes did not return. The Germans report that these attacks were made in the central zone. On the same night the Germans lost nine machines when they attempted to raid an industrial centre 270 miles east of Moscow. During daylight on Thursday the Red Air Force destroyed 60 enemy trucks carrying troops and supplies to various parts of the front. This morning’s Russian communique again reports no important change on the land front.

An earlier Russian communique said: “The enemy west of Rostov attacked several times, but was thrown "“The Germans in the Lisitichansk area, on the Donetz, attempted to breach our forward positions. Ma-chine-sun fire compelled the enemy to withdraw. The Germans, under cover of a smokescreen, attempted to cross the northern Donetz, but the bulk of the force was killed or drowned. “Russian aeroplanes in the Gulf of Finland sank an enemy patrol cutter and an enemy transport. There was local activity on the central front, the Kalinin front, and on the Leningrad front, where eight German aeroplanes were shot down in combat. The town the Germans attempted to raid last night was Gorky.” . A Berlin, communique says: ‘Fighting flared up on the eastern front on Friday. There was shock troop activity on the Kuban and Mius fronts. The Russians in the Orel sector attacked after strong artillery preparation. but were driven back.”

RUSSIAN OPTIMISM.

NEW YORK, June 13

The “New York Times’s” Moscow correspondent, Mr. Sulzberger, reports: “A wave of restlessness, replete with symptoms of things to come is making itself felt along the enormous Russian front. There is an increasing war of nerves, menacing pamphlets, and more active partisan raids. These indicate that a major offensive is approaching, and that it almost certainly will unfold before the end of June.” Appraising chances of the expected clash, Mr. Sulzberger says: “Forpipn observers do not doubt that the Soviet forces to-day are better equipped, organised, disciplined, and armed than ever before. New Sov;et weapons include a heavy Rososhiiov tank, which is strongly armoured, and armed with high velocity seventy-six millimetre guns. It is Stalin’s answer to Hitler’s Mark Six Tiger tanks. However, the most noticeable improvement in the Russian war picture is the Red An Force. According to the best information, it is so strong that the Luftwaffe can hope only for parity. The Russians possess new models in aircraft which* so far have not been in action, such as the Petliakov Two (bomber), and Ilyushin Four (fightm). The Germans’ types have not Sulzberger concluded that an improvement in the Red ground and air forces has caused considerable optimism among both the Russians and foreign observers, who are confident that, no matter what tricks Htiler attempts, he is up against a harder job than ever before.

RUSSIAN LOAN SUCCESS. LONDON, June 13. The Moscow radio says: A second Soviet State loan for twelve milliards of roubles (approximately lour hundred and eight million sterling), was closed in seven days, with twentv milliards of roubles subscribed or approximately eight hundred millions sterling.