MAKING READY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24166, 7 January 1942, Page 7

MAKING READY

I'EOBLEMS FOE ENEMY FORCES STILL RECOILING RUSSIA RETAINS INITIATIVE (Reed. 10.20 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 5 If the Germans decide to prolong resistance at Mojaisle, the Russians will have a stei'n task capturing the city. Mojaisk's naturally defendable undulations have been greatly strengthened since the city's capture. The heaviest fighting will presently be proceeding within the Mojaisk-Yukhnov-Rjev triangle. If the Germans are obliged to yield Rjev or Yukhnov, a hurried withdrawal from Mojaisk could be immediately expected. The Russians are already using the aerodrome at Theodosia and the Germans are preparing for a strong Russian offensive toward the Perekop Isthmus, where success would virtually beleaguer Sebastopol's beleaguers. There is little news concerning the Donetz operations, but unofficial information states that the Axis forces are still recoiling in the Kharkov-Kursk-Orel zones. Russian pressure here has not yet been believed to have reached its maximum and a German landslide may be expected in one or more of these zones when Marshal Timoshenko's hammer comes into full action. • Operations for the relief of Leningrad are developing without any spectacular successes. The heaviest Russian pressure is apparently westward of the Leningrad-Moscow railway and directed to the Baltic. WORK FOR CONGRESS GREAT BUDGET PROBLEMS UNITY ON WAR PROGRAMME (Heed. 5.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 Cngress, in its final session which opened to-day, was confronted by a veritable mountain of legislation, the outstanding features of which are staggering Budget problems and price fixing proposals. Congress is united as never before in support of the Administration's war programme, but is divided as sharply as ever on the fundamental domestic issues arising from the New Deal. President Roosevelt will deliver his annual message to Congress in person on Wednesday at 6.30 p.m., New Zealand time. Mr. Roosevelt spent some time drafting his speech and it is hoped he will give more details of his talks with Mr. Churchill and of Allied conferences. The Navy has asked Congress to authorise 000 dollars for additional shipbuilding, repair and ordnance manufacturing facilities. HELP FOR RUSSIANS GREAT EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW (Reed. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 6 A visit was made yesterday by Mrs. Winston Churchill to a hostel provided by the Ministry of Supply for girls who have left their homes to work in munition factories, says a British official wireless message. Later she visited an adjacent factory and here a girl presented her with a cheque for £9l for Mrs. Churchill's Aid-to-Russia Fund. The money was collected among the employees of the factory. Mrs. Churchill said: "I know how near to all of us the Russian cause is when we think of the glorious resistance that the Russians have mademen, women and even children. When they have had to leave their homes they have steeled their hearts to destroy them, so that nothing is left to fall into the hands of the enemey. We hope that we may never be exposed to such an ordeal, but if we are we have their great example to follow. FREE GERMANS UNITY WITH DEMOCRACIES MONTREAL, Jan. G Dr. Otto Strasser, the leader of the free German movement, announced that he had advised the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Cordcll Hull, that the movement would adhere to the united nations' declaration against the Axis made in Washington last week. Dr. Strasser, a former friend of Hitler and now an exile from Germany, is engaged in the formation of a huge legion to overthrow Nazism. His headquarters are in Canada,