RUSSIAN FRONT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 78, 28 June 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN FRONT

NO MAJOR ACTIVITY ENEMY LINE BREACHED j POSITION RESTORED BY COUNTER- | ATTACK London, June 27. • The Russians made local breaches in j the German’s main defence line south- j east of Orel, north of Orel, and west j of Velikiye Luki, according to Berlin j radio, which claimed that counter-at- j tacks restored the positions. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says j the Russian air offensive against Ger-! man-held aerodromes reached the peak | last week with hundreds of bombers j out every night except Thursday. He ( says that of the last 18 days only six have been without major attacks i against enemy airfields, and adds that I at the most conservative estimate 500 t German planes have been destroyed on the ground as a result of consistent 1 blasting.—P.A. The German High Command communique says: “Germans and Rumanians carried out successful stormtroop operations at various points on the Russian front. We repelled several Soviet attacks in the Orel sector.” Moscow radio states: “Last night long-range aircraft raided the railway junction of Briansk and enemy aerodromes. Great fires broke out at the railway junction and many planes were destroyed on enemy aerodromes. Two Soviet planes did not return.” To-night’s communique states: “Nothing important occurred on the front. In the Finnish Gulf Soviet airmen sank an enemy patrol vessel and damaged a trawler.”—P.A. BIG INCREASE TANK PRODUCTION IN RUSSIA London, June 27. Moscow radio, quoting the Russian journalist, Yaroslavsky, said Russian tank production increased 28 per cent, last year. One hundred factories working behind the lines are turning out evergrowing quantities of arms and equipment. Russian rail and river transport since the outbreak of the war successfully coped with the transfer of millions of people to vital industries to eastern areas in Russia. New railway lines and canals have been built to facilitate the gigantic traffic of troops and arms to the front. —P.A. secondTrgnt IMPORTANCE STRESSED BY STALIN London, June 27. M. Stalin in his reply to President Roosevelt, General Giraud and General de Gaulle, broadcast over Moscow radio thanking them for their message of congratulation to the Red Army on its two years’ struggle, emphasised the importance he placed on a second front. To President Roosevelt he said: “As a result of the Soviet Union’s two years’ struggle and the serious blows the Allies have inflicted on the Italian and German armies in North Africa, conditions have been created for the final defeat of the common enemy. I have no doubt victory will come—the sooner we strike our joint blows against the enemy from the east and the west.” To General Giraud and General de Gaulle he said: “The Russians are confident that the Allies’ joint effort will terminate in complete final victory.” President Kalinin in a similar message to Dr. Benes, President of .Czechoslovakia, brought out the same point “I share your full confidence that the United Nations’ joint active efforts will lead to victory.”—P.A. FAVOURABLE SITUATION (Rec. 10.20 a.m.) London, June 27. The trade union organ “Trud” says: “The overwhelming majority of British and American newspapers agree it is necessary to fight the idea that the war can be won by the Air Force alone. The British and American press almost unanimously says it is necessary to take advantage of the favourable situation and not miss the opportunity of inflicting a decisive crushing blow on the Fascists.” The leading Moscow radio political commentator, M. Viktorov, declared : “The world is tensely expectant. Conditions have become extraordinarily favourable for our Allies as regards military operations on the Continent. The Luftwaffe is helpless and cannot interfere with Allied raiders. The socalled Atlantic wall does not exist. Üboat warfare has taken a decisive turn in favour of the Allies. All strategic approaches to Italy are in the hands of the Allies, who have undenied mastery of the Mediterranean.” —P.A. AMBASSADOR’S TRIBUTE London, June 27. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says the United States Ambassador, Admiral Standley, paid a tribute to Russian, British and American co-operation, and expressed the opinion that co-opera-tion had reached the maximum effort. “It must not cease with the defeat of Germany. It must be continued until the defeat of Japan and must be maintained after the war.”—P.A.