SECOND FRONT

Grey River Argus, 6 April 1943, Page 1

SECOND FRONT

POSSIBLE LANDING POINTS The Axis Preparations TO REPEL INVASION OF EUROPE. [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.J (Rec. 10.40) NEW YORK, April 5. The “New York Times” ,Berne correspondent, in a message suiveying the possibility of a successful landing by the Allids on.the,Continent of Europe, stated: “Transport probably would be Germany’s greatest problem in repelling an invasion of Hitler’s European fortress. The very size of that fortress rules out its continuous fortification! t Neutral correspondents have been allowed to see some of the defences, and they write admiringly of them. Not all of the cement in Europe would enclose the Continent in a ring of fortifications. It seems certain, therefore, that the Germans and Italians have resorted to a chain of minor works, which are linked, at intervals with important redoubts, where men and material can be concentrated. In the initial phase of an Allied assault, mobility may prove the supreme test for the defender. Attack may come at many points, and it. will be essential for the Germans to move their troops rapidly to parry thrusts. Here coal, oil and petrol will tell their tale. Coal production in Germany has fallen notoriously below the average, because inexperienced men have replaced miners called to the colours. But, even if the stocks of fuel were unlimited, transport would still be a problem, due to wear and tear on tracks, highways, locomotives and rolling stock. The German. High Command has partly met this problem by establishing big camps and redoubts in Norway, in the Low Countries, in Brittany, and even as far as Greece, with the object of reducing the transport to a minimum. Furthermore, Germany is preparing inner defences. The correspondent also says: Various points are suitable for Allied landings. One is the French Channel coast;'between Cherbourg and the ■ Seine Estuary. Sicily would be tempting, after a clearing’ of Tunisia, though competent observers do not look for major operations there. Nor do they even look for such operations in Italy—for political, rather than military, reasons. Other zones are the North Sea and the French Atlantic coasts, and Yugoslavia, where guerrillas are already a thorn in the side of the Axis. If Crete could be re-taken, Salonika would offer possibilities.

A CONCERTED OFFENSIVE REPORTED. (Rec. 10.45.) NEW YORK, April 5. The “New York Times” says:— According to private reports reaching Stockholm, a concerted sabotage offensive, aimed principally at railway lines is now under way in occupied Europe and in Germany itself. A strategically important railway bridge across the River Oder at Frankfurt was blown up. > necessitating a rerouting, of vital military traffic, including bulk transport to the Central front, via Kuestrin. This resulted in congestion and delays. Bombs exploded in Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse and Potsdamer railway stations last week, causing damage. Similar incidents are reported in occupied territories. The Germans are forced to use special guards to patrol railways, particularly in France and Denmark. It is also learned that the Gestapo executed forty members of the Nazi Party for conspiracy aimed eithe? at Goebbels or Himmler. The purge caused a stir in Berlin, despite the Gestapo’s efforts to hush it up. ■