SPRING OFFENSIVE

Grey River Argus, 5 June 1942, Page 3

SPRING OFFENSIVE

HUGE OPPOSING FORCES North-West of Moscow [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.l LONDON, June 3. There is much activity on the Kalinin front, north-west of Moscow. The Germans have captured several villages on the Kalinin front. They were unable to start an offensivs. There is also much activity on the Leningrad front. The Russians are steadily improving their position around Leningrad. The Moscow radio declared: A present lull conceals the movement of vast armies behind the German and Russian lines. Here and there, particularly on Kalinin and Leningrad fronts, these armies are sending out probing fingers, feeling for weaknesses in enemy lines. The weight of men and metal now disposed along the various fronts is such that at any moment engagements, which are localised, may spread into £ general offensive. While interesting activities are going oh on most fronts, the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy are rushing more and more supplies to the Russians. A convoy packed with important material from the Allied nations recently made a hazardous journey, through ice-flows and Uooat and aeroplane attacks. It was a large convoy, and the enemy began their attacks on May 25. The attacks lasted through the continuous Arctic light for five days. All the intensity of the German divebombing and U-boat attacks was hurled against the t convoy, and of 100 aeroplanes used by the enemy three were shot down, two were probably destroyed, and two damaged. Ope Heinkel was shot down by a Hurricane which was catapulted from a ship in the convoy. The pilot of the Hurricane was picked up from the sea later. The Germans claim that 18 ships of the convoy had been sunk, but it .is known in London that this figure is greatly exaggerated. (Rec. 11.30 J LONDON, June 4. The Moscow radio announced that there are no important changes on the Russian fronts. Russian artillery was busy on the Leningrad front. GERMAN BOMBER DEVICE. TIME BOMB PROTECTION. (Rec. 11.30.) LONDON, June 3. Colonel Denisov,- of the Red Air Force, in an article in the “Soviet War News ’ has described a device whereby the Germans are protecting their bombers from attack from the rear. The German bombers, when attacked, drop small time-bombs, which are attached to miniature parachutes. The bombs are swept up, by the air current, behind the tail of the bomber.