RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 February 1942, Page 5

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE

SUCCESS IITTHE SOUTH COUNTER-ATTACK SMASHED 3 ! CAPTURE OF KRASNOGRAD i. j London, Feb. 14. u j Smashing through powerful . | fortifications, the Russians have ■> \ recaptured Krasnograd, 70 miles | j south-west of Kharkov and about . j the same distance due north of Dnepropetrovsk. The “Tele--1 | graph’s” Stockholm correspon- | dent says this was achieved after : ! tlie Russians had flung back a 3 1 German counter-attack. It is re--1 j ported that Marshal Timoshenko ‘j personally directed the opera- | lions. t j Paratroops dropped deep in ■ ! German-held territory to organ- .' ise guerrilla bands paved the way i j for the Red Army’s advance into ■ ( White Russia, says the “Daily ; | Express’ ” Stockholm correspon- - I dent. The main force advanced 3 j south-west of Toropa and crossed ’ [ into White Russia at a point e j north-east of Vitebsk. . i Though the Russians are unable to _ | report further progress toward relieving Leningrad, hammering from with- _ in continues. The Germans have f brought up further reinforcements from the Baltic provinces. These re.j j inforcements hitherto enabled the Ger • mans to withstand the Russian efforts. INFILTRATION TACTICS Lately the Russians have been ap- - plying to the Leningrad region the tac- - tics which have become a feature of s the more southern operations, consisting } largely of infiltration into the enemy s rear, where harassing activities, includs ing the destruction of communications. 1 are synchronised with increased frontal t pressure. Sometimes large groups of ’• cavalry manage to slip through the e enemy’s positions and range over large r areas rioting. V i A report from Geneva says that - j Moscow radio stated that German olli s cers who fled from Germany declare - * that almost every German hospital for s i wounded has a gas chamber in which ! soldiers who had lost eyes or limbs are ! put to death. M. Kalinin has decreed the mobilisa- - : lion for war production and building ’ work of men between the ages of 16 and 55, and women from 16 to 45. who are not already in the services or engaged on war work. The decree affects only urban populations. ® The title of Hero of the Soviet ‘{Union was posthumously awarded to c j Smolyachkov, a Red Army soldie [S i who was instructor of a band of snipr - ! ers. He started with 10 pupils till the . group grew to a total of 300 crack shots, who accounted for 2000 Germans in three months. The leader died in ! action, but his school is continuing to j train snipers. i Moscow radio said that Russian dive- * bombers attacked a German aerodrome I on the Karelian front, destroyed four e | Mesesrschmitts and one Junkers and _ j also five barracks. Guerrillas operatj ing near Ostachkov killed nearly 600 ' and blew up five railway bridges. e DRIVE TOWARD POLAND .f; Unofficial reports from neutral corl- respondents state that the great new - Russian thrust toward Poland is gain(l ing momentum. This is the drive into " White Russia, which is on the border. v of Poland. ■; The latest communique from Moscow e does not confirm this advance, y When the Russians last gave news of e their positions on this sector, it was to announce the recapture of two e places about 80 miles from the White X Russian border. It is presumed that \ the Red Army crossed the border from ! Smolensk province. If this is con- _ J firmed, it marks the deepest Soviet e ; penetration of the present offensive. n i One section of the border is actually . ; 45 miles west of Smolensk itself. . j White Russia was overrun in the .. | early stages of the German invasion, e j It lies between Poland and the Smole j ensk district, through which a railway ' runs to the White Russian town of i Minsk and then on to Warsaw. Russian troops are reported to have pushed ahead despite deep snows and constant snowstorms. They were aided by ski i troops operating in the enemy's rear.— ! P.A. FULCRUM OF WAR IN RUSSIA New York, Feb. 14. More room for Russia at the united j nations' council tables is urged by Senaj tor Pepper in a speech. y i "The fulcrum of this war lies in Rusy jsia, no matter how ominous are the signs 5 . in other parts of the world. The Ruse sian front must be strengthened at al- ! most any sacrifice. If it breaks the ! flood of Hitlerism will inundate every 1 area of the earth.”—P.A.