Caucasus Fighting Nearly Over

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 48, 26 February 1943, Page 5

Caucasus Fighting Nearly Over

LONDON, Feb. 24. General Maslennikov, commander in the North Caucasus, to-day informed Mr. Stalin that he will shortly be finishing operations in the Kuban and “preparing for new assignments.’’ GERMAN REPORTS LONDON, Feb. 24. Berlin radio to-day reported that the Russians had launched a new full-scale offensive on the central front southwest of Moscow. The radio said that, under cover of an intense artillery barrage, Russian tanks and infantry oegan an offensive on Monday near Sukhinichi, 145 miles south-west of Moscow. There is no confirmation from Moscow of the Berlin report, but Mr. Stalin said last November that the main German armies in Russia were concentrated south-west of Moscow. Describing the opening of the attack, Berlin radio said: “Early on Monday morning an intense artillery barrage began from 400 guns, and by midday it had mounted to a veritable hurricane of steel. Russian tank brigades rolled forward, supported by masses of infantry, but heavy German artillery fire forced the Russians to withdraw to their starting point.” To-day’s German communique reports that the Russians south-east of Lake Ilmen had launched a new attack on a wide front. FURTHER WITHDRAWALS FORESHADOWED LONDON, Feb. 24. * ‘General Golikov’s army advancing oq a 40-mile front, captured two more German strongholds westward of Lebedin,” says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. “The spearhead is now about 160 miles from Kiev. This Russian advance, between Sumy and Kiev, is being made across the southern fringe of the Chernigov province, where lies territory known as ‘ guerrilla land ’ consisting of huge tracts of country and hundreds of villages under the control ©f Ukrainian guerrillas. The German hold on this province has always been very precarious, and confined mostly to railways and fortified towns. If the Red Army links up with the guerrillas the Germans must expect a serious situation in their rear.” Axis propaganda is at present foreshadowing big new Axis withdrawals

on the south front, but Rome radio today surprisingly stated that the Germans were firmly defending the OrelMariupol line, which is further westward of the 1941 winter line. Izvestia states that 70,000 inhabitants of Kharkov died of hunger during enemy occupation of the city, and 110,000 young men and women were transported to Germany. Fourteen thousand Jews were killed in cold blood after they were ordered into the ghetto. The Germans, before they left the city, set fire to most of the large buildings, including hospitals.