RENEWED PRESSURE

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1942, Page 5

RENEWED PRESSURE

BY RED ARMY

Along the Whole Front

[Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Rec. 7.55) LONDON, March 17,

I “The Times” Stockholm correspondent says: Military circles in Berlin now admit renewed Russian pressure along the whole front. They emphasise that great numbers of tanks have been thrown into battle, particularly in the south. Commentators say that Germans have not yet recognised a single tank of British or American construction, and express wonder a the productivity of Russian tank factories. If this German statement is true, it shows that the Russians possess enormous tank reserves to meet the German spring offensive, including thousands from abroad, a' fact which appears to be disquieting to German military circles. Brisk activity is reported from Shlusselburg and the Leningrad front, also more southward to otar/aya Russa, where Russian forces are inexorably battering the remnants of the Sixteenth German Army. The fiercest middle front fighting at present is on the southern side of the Viazma-Rjev neck on a broad front from the Kaluga-Viazma railway to the Dorogobuj region. The eastern end of this sector has further appreciably approached Viazma. lhe German position here appears desperate, But Berlin has assured tne German troops that relief will come with a mighty surge in Spring, and therefore they must hold on at all costs. Russian forces are progressing in the Orel, Kursk and Kharkov sectors, and in the Donetz Basin, where unusually large operations are maturing. , , x The Berlin radio admits heavy fighting on Kerch Peninsula. It says that one Qerman division between March 13 and March 16 was obliged to fight off sixty-four heavy attacks, culminating in a violent barrage on March 16, after which the Russians made a mass'attack, supported by tanks. An Admiralty communique states: A JUBB, attacking a Russian merchant ship in the Arctic, was on Friday shot down by His Majesty’s auxiliary minesweeper Stefa. The aircraft clashed into ice and burst into flames. The shooting reflects great credit on the gun’s crew since the Stefa had been at sea in severe weather and ice for a long period.

LONDON, March 17.

The latest Moscow communique says that there was no material change in th e general line during Monday night. Swedisn correspondents in Berlin reported a new coldwave on tiie Russian front. Snowstorms are raging in the Crimea, where the temperature is below freezing point , The Moscow newspaper. "Pravda.” says that a big battile is developing in'the Donets Basin, where Marshal Timoshenko’s armies are making a determined drive to capture Kharkov. At one point in this area Soviet forces drove the enemy from a village and captured 18 guns. 10.000 shells, and a large quantity of cartridges. The Soviet forces pushed, on and captured two more localities. The “Red Star,” the organ of the Russian Army, prediets tne eariv fad of Kharkov. It states: “If the Germans cto not surrender they will all be wiped out.” A Moscow message says: Russian forces captured a strong German point of resistance on the Donets front, causing a big breach in the German line, says a Moscow message. The Russians are taking a heavy toll of strong German tank forces, which are counter-attacking.

The Moscow radio, describing the capture of an important defence point in the Staraya Russa area, said the Germans did not attach much importance to it at present, since they did not believe the sians could reach it until the thaw set in

The German Army entrapped at Staraya Russa, have lost the mostimportant defence point of their southern sector, says the Moscow radio. The Russians wiped out 1,600 Germans, and captured valuable booty. The Germans were taken by surprise, believing that the Russians were unable to reach that point before the thaw. The Sixteenth Armv’s loss of this defence point is especially grave for the Germans, as it was one of their most-important defences, situated on., the southern summit of a commanding height. The Germans planned to keep the Prussians in the valley, hoping that they would be bogged during the thaw, but the Russians succeeded in driving the defenders from the area, and captured the village A Stockholm message savs that the Russians cantured the place “P ” which is probably Pysjovka. 10 miles east of Viazmti.

Both sides ment’on important .operations in the Crimea. Spring weather usually prevails there at this time of the season, but the Gormans state that they are experiencing 45 degrees of frost The Soviet radio yesterday Mid the Russian people of the increasing volume of British an I Amo-erm arriving in the countrv, winch includes arms and war materials. At the same time, the resources of Hitlerite Germany were rapidly decreasing. Tremendous Fighting ALONG WHOLE 1-n.ONT. [British Official Wireless] (Rec. 12.0). RUGBY, March 18. From a number of reports reaching London from both Russian and German sources, .it would appear that fighting almost along the wnole length of a vast Eastern front is now becoming more violent. After listing an impressive amount of German war material' destroyed by the Red Air Force during Monday, a Soviet communique says: In one sector alone of the central front, in one day’s fighting, six hundred Germans were killed, and mucii booty captured. In another sector on the central front enemv counterattacks were supported by tanks. They were repelled by Russian infantry. . The Berlin wireless has admitted that Russian forces made lifty-mr.v onslaughts against German lines east of Orel'.

Russian units .operating ,In a sector on the south-western front, states a Soviet communique, broke through enemy defence positions and forced the Germans to retreat. During the battle, thirteen hundred Gormans were killed, and 382 were captured, when eight ennmv tanks were damaged, and thirty-eight guns, eighty machineguns, eighty-eight trench mortars, and large quantities of other Weapons and ammunition were captured.

On the Kalinin front. several places were also occupied by Russian

forces, and five hundred Germans were killed. Renewed activity in the Crimea, especially around Sebastopol, is reported both b v the Moscow and Berlin wireless. In the Sebastopol area, Moscow says, the Russian artillery and air force are becoming very activeIn the Donetz Basin, again, both capitals agree that fighting Is growing in intensity. Moscow says the Germans are repeatedly counter-attacking with the support of tanks, but adds: The Russians are methodicallv destroying German manpower. Both the German communique and German correspondents again emphasise the return of a bitterly cold spell, not only on the northern and central fronts) but also in the Crimea. But they admit that, despite unbearable cold snowstorms, Russians are incessantly attacking. RUSSIAN NAVAL ACTIVITY. (Rec. 1.12.) LONDON, March 18. Russian warships in the Barent Sea sank two transports, a minesweeper and a patrol boat, totalling sixteen thousand tons. Kharkov Front RUSSIANS PUSH AHEAD. (Rec. 12.35.) LONDON, March 18. Russian ground units on the southwest (Kharkov) front, broke through the enemy defensive positions and killed over ,a thousand. They destroyed considerable war equipment and captured much booty. Fighting has now reached the 1 suburbs of Kharkov, whose fall is imminent, says a Moscow communique. Berlin admits increasing Russian pressure from the east. Moscow radio announced that the first shipment \of clothes, food and medical supplies from' the Australian Red Cross has arrived in Moscow.