Skirmishing Tricks On Donetz River Front

Northern Advocate, 28 June 1943, Page 3

Skirmishing Tricks On Donetz River Front

(Rec. 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, June 27. Stabilisation of the Russo-German front on long stretches of the northern Donetz River has created a situation of border warfare with incidents reminiscent of old tales of frontier fighting between Cossacks and Tartar tribesmen on the Terek Peninsula or the Croat defenders of Danubian marshes against the Turks. The Russian and Gex-mans are each using ingenious ruses to pass scouts through the other's lines. “Fravda” reports that the Germans are donning skirts and covering their heads and shoulders with shawls and mincing down to the river with buckets. The Russians, where the Donetz is sufficiently narrow, have been throwing grenades against these sham peasants. The Russians are busy scouting the right bank tor information for their artillery. Only Eyes Above Water

Recent films have shown some of the tricks used. For instance, Tadjik soldiers drifting down-stream under inflated sheepskins with all but their eyes submerged. There are occasional brisk mortar and machine-gun exchanges anl light artillery duels. There are sometimes more serious engagements when the enemy tries to force the river with one or two battalions supported by tanks but the front recently has been very quiet. Today’s Finnish communique states that alter heavy artillery preparation on June 26, the Russians attacked a strong-point near Rukajervi, which the Finns, after strong resistance, abandoned. Finnish troops on the morning of June 27, counter-attacked and recaptured this strongpoint. Russian attacks on the Karelian Isthmus have been beaten off. A German High Command communique says: "Germans and Rumanians carried out successful Stormtroop operations on various points of the Russian front. We repelled several Soviet attacks in Orel sector.” Bryansk Raid Russian long-range planes on Frida:, night raided a railway station at Bryansk to such effect that explosions caused early separate fires to merge into one huge conflagration (hat covered the railway junction. Bombers also attacked a railway station at Nablya, 10 miles south of Bryansk on the branch line to Lgov and enemy aerodromes where many planes on the ground were destroyed. Two' Soviet planes did not return. Tonight’s communique states that nothing important occurred on the front. In the Finnish Gulf, Soviet airmen sank an enemy patrol vessel and damaged a trawler. . _ Moscow radio, quoting the Russian journalist, Yaroslavsky, said that Russian tank production has increased by 38 per cent, since last year and 100 factories are working behind the lines turning out ever-growing quantities of arms and equipment. Russian rail and river transport since the outbreak has successfully coped with the transfer of millions of people in vital industries to eastern areas of Russia. New railway lines and canals have beeri built to facilitate gigantic traffic of troops and arms to the,front. The Russians have made local breaches in the Germans’ main defence line southeast of Orel, north of Orel and, west of Veliki Luki, according to Berlin radio, which claimed that counter-attacks restored the positions. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the Russian air offensive against German-held aerodromes reached a peak last week with hundreds of bombers out every night except Thursday, and says that of the past 18 days only six have been without major attacks against ■ ,enemy airfields. He' adds that at a most conservative estimate, 500 German planes have been destroyed on the ground as a result of consistent blasting.