NAZI ADMISSION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 29 April 1942, Page 5

NAZI ADMISSION

DISPUTED STRONG POINTS DEFENCE FINE PENETRATED London, April 27. “The German troops in the first month of spring have been taxed to the limit of their strength in order to hold the disputed strong points,” said General Diethmar, spokesman of the German High Command, in a broadcast from Berlin to-day. “Even now the task of the armies is unsurpassably difficult,” he stated. “The Russians broke through our lines at several points, though they paid dearly for this. Fifteen thousand men in one sector penetrated our winter defence line. It is not so easy tc mop up these enemy forces. Fortunately, the German front is holding out.” Diethmar referred to a great tank battle in the Kerch sector in the Crimea and also to fierce fighting in the northern sector. He added: “Soviet troops are attacking in force and without interruption.” The ground conditions are improving over a large part of the area stretching from Briansk, on the central Russian front, to the Black Sea, but the impression is that the German preparations for the big grapple are still far from complete, says the Stockholm correspondent of “The | Masses of material and troops have I arrived by train, but difficulties of distribution then begin. These are most apparent below Kharkov, as the chief railways from the Donetz Basin run northward and, since the Russians captured the Losovaga junction, the Germans have only two and perhaps only one line directly westward, apart from improvisations. The Russians’ preparations appear to be more advanced, partly because the Russian rear was quiet through the whole of the winter, whereas the Germans were perpetually harassed by Russian regulars, guerrillas, skiers, and cavalry. The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Express” says that Soviet cavalry and bayonet troops, smashing across ice-bound Lake Ilmen, have cut the only railway link between Hitler’s two big garrisons stranded at Novgorod and Staraya Russa. Guerrillas seized the rail point of Borok and the Germans retreated after severe fighting. This is the first time the Russians have claimed the capture of a point on the west side of Lake Ilmen. Moscow radio stated that Russian marines on the Arctic front carried out a raid in the rear of a superior enemy force and cut it oil. The commandos fought for several days and annihilated units of the enemy and destroyed a mortar battery and machineguns. The commandos escaped to shore and returned to their base safely. A Finnish communique says that the Red Army made further attacks against Finnish positions on the Stalin Canal north of Lake Onega, and admits one attack which was made, with tank support, on a place called Louhi, where the Russians are fighting on Finnish soil—P.A. COMING GERMAN OFFENSIVE SPECULATION IN BRITAIN In unofficial appreciations, the military situation on the Russian front is still the focus of interest. Experts agree that Germany is about to attempt to make a second supreme attempt to break up the main Russian armies, occupy most of European Rus sia, and cut off the remnants of the Soviet armed forces from British and American help. The blockade aim could be pursued by air and naval action from the Norwegian coast as well as by a lar.J drive toward Murmansk and Archangel. It is argued that Germany must try to destroy the Russians before undertaking an offensive against the British bastion in the Middle East. This argument does not preclude a limited offensive in south Russia, where the German command might attack first with the hope of later extending the offensive and rolling up the whole front. If the Germans were successful in destroying large Russian forces and thrusting the remainder behind the Volga they might then be in a position to attack in the Middle East from the Caucasus to Libya, while Japan diverted British forces from the Middle East to the defence of India. As far as the British plans are concerned, there is a general expectation that Britain should be able to embarrass the Germans while they stand on the offensive in the West. R.A.F. AND SHOCK TROOPS The formidable strength of the Royal Air Force, as illustrated by the con tinued blitzing of German industrial towns by night and the establishment

of fighter supremacy by day over France, is one reason for the British confidence. Another is the training of shock troops, commandos, and parachutists, and the liighly-successful landing operations which are being carried out in more and more daring fashion. A third reason for confidence in the Allied striking power is the stream of aircraft which has been pouring from America to the battlefronts, specially the Middle East and Far East—a stream which is being accompanied this year by a huge flow of shipping and tanks and which will be followed by vast new armies. The American weight has already made itself felt; already the Allies are piling up forces on the eastern fronts which can be, and are being, reinforced as the East Indies, Malaya and Burma could not be. While the Allies are absorbing the shock of the Japanese assaults, speculation turns to the possibility that Hitler may be foiled again in Russia and find himself unable to disengage his forces to meet Allied pressure in (he West and Middle East. Meanwhile, knives are being sharpened from Bordeaux to Warsaw, from Narvik to Matapan. They are being got ready for the day which is already seen ap- 1 proaching when Hitler will be short of troops, not only for all his fronts, but also for the vast spaces behind these 1 fronts. There is a general feeling in England < that the fate of the Axis may depend upon the coming grapple on the plains , of Russia. —8.0. W.