Germans Fortify Bulgarian Coastline

Northern Advocate, 11 February 1943, Page 3

Germans Fortify Bulgarian Coastline

LONDON, February 10.

According to an Ankara message, travellers from Bulgaria report that the Germans, fearing a Russian landing, are fortifying the coastline especially at Burgas and Varna. German radio commentators late yesterday began to prepare the Germans for bad news. The German news agency’s military correspondent (Captain Sertorius) admitted that the Russians have entered Kursk and fighting is going on in the streets. He also admitted resumption of the Russian offensive against Rostov. The German High Command has announced that the Russians have established a bridgehead over the Donetz near Lugansk and Russian tanks have breached the defenses in the Upper Donetz.

Even if the tanks could be held, our forces could not prevent the Russians from gaining ground at a number of points.

Plight Near Leningrad

A German mwehme-gunner, in a broadcast, said: “In the Lake Ilmen area we are short of anti-tank guns. Food supplies have been limited to only a bar of chocolate and some bread daily for five days. The Russians were in such tremendous superiority that we were forced to withdraw.” German apologists bitterly blame the weather, but the truth is that the winter is unusually mild in the Caucasus and tiie Kuban steppes, and from Rostov to Rjev. There are 45 to 55 degrees of frost on the central front northwards from Rjev, although it is milder at Leningrad. The Stockholm correspondent of the British United Press says according to latest reports more and more frank admissions of the defeat on the Russian front are being made in Berlin. A Wilhelmstrasse spokesman said: “We had not completely reached our summer aims. That explains our present reverses which compel us to shorten our lines. Further withdrawals must be expected even on sectors where the Russians have not yet attacked.” Another strange admission was tha< the Russian winter soldier was better than the German winter soldier.

The spokesman hinted at the possible loss of Rostov. The only optimistic note in the review was a vague reference to next summer, allowing that the Germans again push the Russians back.