WAR WON OR LOST

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 98, 25 March 1942, Page 6

WAR WON OR LOST

GERMANY’S VITAL PERIOD

NEXT FOUR MONTHS. (United Press Association. —Copyright) (Rec. 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 24. The war will be won or lost for Germany in the next four months, says the Yorkshire Post. The paper publishes a comprehensive survey of Germany’s intensified war preparations. "Germany cannot stand another winter of this war.” This is the opinion of the German army as a whole, of neutral observers in Germany, and of influential sections of the Nazi l’arty. Hitler is therefore making frantic efforts to have an army so big as to be invincible in the spring fighting. During the winter 2.000,000 State employees have l>een combed out for the fighting forces; the civil population has also been combed and combed again until it is estimated that another 4.000,000 have been obtained. These 6,000,000 will be added to the German army by the time the spring offensive starts. The Moscow radio has declared that the Russians have completely annihilated the 290th German infantry division at Staraya Kussa. DESPERATE ENEMY.

It is unofficially estimated in .Moscow that the Germans have flung oyer 88 reserve divisions into the fighting on the Russian front. The Germans are reported to Iks now using full divisions in a series of counter-attacks perhaps heralding the beginning of the spring offensive. The Moscow radio says "the Germans arc making mass air raids anil employing numerous tanks and guns in a desperate effort out Irom Staraya Russa, but the Russians continue to inflict enormous losses. The Red Army lias smashed an attempted large-scale counteroffensive in the Kalinin sector and recaptured several more towns and villages. The Germans continue to abandon position after position and arc hastily rushing up reinforcements.