RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

Grey River Argus, 18 February 1942, Page 6

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

ON VARIOUS FRONTS Mobility Hampered LOM. i N, Feb 16. A Soviet communique says: Operations against the enemy continue night and. day, and several' more villages have been liberated m the central sector. In one action 1000 Germans were killed. On Monday a number of localities were captured, and heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy in manpower and war equipment. 11 German planes were shot down in aerial combat. Our looses were seven. On February 16, three German planes were shot down near Moscow. On Saturday our Air Force units destroyed or damaged 125 lorries with troops and equipment, j three transport buses, 60. - ammunition waggons, 11 guns, blew up .one | ammunition dump, set on fire 20 railway .waggons, and routed and partly annihilated three infantry battaiions. During the period February 1 to 14, the Germans lost 269 planes, including 137 in aerial combat. Thirty-four were shot down by anti-aircraft guns, and 98 were destroyed on the ground. Our losses were 83.

In the Ukraine, the enemy was dislodged from a number-of villages near Kharkov, and suffered heavy losses. German counter-attacks were repulsed. The Moscow radio reports Russian guerrillas on the central front, recently waged a 10-day battle against a large German unit of guerrillas and occupied 41 localities, killed 1000 Germans, destroyed several tanks, and captured substantialbooty. Since the start of the war, the Soviet Navy has sunk 81 enemy warships and 276 auxiliary ships. In the Barents Sea, two destroyers and four submarines have been sunk. One Soviet submarine sank seven enemy ships, totalling 35,800 tons, in the Baltic Sea, 65 enemy transports and 12 submarines have been sunk. The Soviet Navy, is playing an important part in the defence of Leningrad and Sebastopol, and by constant raids has inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in man-power and weapons. It has also destroyed a great number of enemy fortifications. Important objectives in Rumania have also been shelled. , LONDON, Feb. 16. The Leningrad radio says that Soviet troops on the northern front ar breaking the resistance of the enemy. Enemy counter-attacks have'been repelled. Heavy fighting is reported on the Kerch Peninsula, in ' the Crimea, which was reoccupied by Soviet

troops some time ago. Recent unofficial reports incline to reflect upon the import of Russian progress on the Leningrad, central and Ukraine fronts, but it is impossible, pending substantiation, to Judge the real value of these reports. “The Times’s” Stockholm correspondent says: Loose talk of the operations in White Russia, and the approach to to old Polish frontier, may give a false impression of rapid and sweeping, large-scale operations, which obviously are impossible while Winter restricts mobility, except for the lightest arms. Apart from extensive patrolling and infiltration, accompanied by guerrilla activities, enabling the recapture ot hundreds of Russian villages, the fact must be recognised that the general outline of the fighting zone is the same to-day as at the end of January. Viazma, Rjev, and half a dozen other towns which the Russians had practically within range in January are still apparently in German hands. Russian activity this year is necessarily chieflv bv lighter patrols and sappers, particularly cavalary, raiding the German flanks and rear, often hundreds of miles behind the most-advanced positions. This has restored to the Russians much ground, but it cannot yet be seen whether the cumulative effect is likelv to cause a further German withdrawal on anv reallyfimportant scale. Even if nothing further is achieved, the Winter offensive has given the Russians valuable infor- * mation, as to. the strength, disposition, and morale of the German

forces. The “Pravda’ reports that the main German counter-attack on the south-western front ended in th e retreat of the enemy, whose losses in manpower and equipment were considerable. The - Germans are exerting the utmost efforts to check the Russian advance. U.S. Supplies for Soviet NOT GOING FAST ENOUGH. (Rec. 12.30.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. President Roosevelt has informed M. Stalin, in a recent communication, that the United States had agreed to make another very large loan to the Soviets for the purchase of military equipment, and muni-

tions. The loan will not bear interest. It is reported that Russian and American officials are concerned about the irregular flow of equipment from this country to Russia, which flow is fifty per cent, below the figures that were agreed upon. It is understood that the Russians have been assured that materials

will be shipped to them in increasing quantities. (Rec. 1.23.) STOCKHOLM, Feb. 17. “Russian forces in one sector of the Central' Font destroyed six German Infantry Battalions. While Russian cayalrv in White Russia recaptured forty positions," says the “Svenskadab Bladets” Moscow correp.ondent.