USE OF RAILWAYS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24250, 16 April 1942, Page 7

USE OF RAILWAYS

AID TO THE INVADERS RED ARMY PRESSURE UNDETERRED BY THAW (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON. April 14 The greatest activity on the Russian front still appears to be in the Leningrad area, Lake Ilmen, in the Rjev sector, around Kharkov, and in the Crimea, reports the Times' correspondent in Stockholm. The Russian and German positions in all these sectors are only a few hundred yards apart. Local operations are possible in spite of mud. The German strategy remains based on railways, which around Lake Ilmen and in the central sector have enabled the Germans to maintain important positions by rushing reinforcements to immediately threatened points. The Germans thus since January have managed to prevent a Russian advance to the west of Dno and Nevel, on the railway connecting Leningrad directly with White Russia. Similarly the Smolensk-Viazma railway artery has defied Russian efforts to close the Viazma sack. Control of the railways has also facilitated the German defence at Orel, Kursk and Kharkov during difficult periods for mobile warfare. Success on Kalinin Front Large Russian tank forces have arrived on the Kerch Peninsula, in the Crimea. The Berlin radio says mud and slush have made important operations on most sectors of the eastern front impossible. The latest reports say that in a sector of the Kalinin front Russian troops have dislodged the enemy from one strongly-fortified locality. The enemy left on the approaches of the locality and in the streets over 900 dead officers and men. The Russians destroyed two tanks, eight gunf, 15 machine-guns, one mortar battery and eight blockhouses with machine-guns. In a sector of the central front a Soviet unit wiped out more than 200 German officers. Although the thaw, which apparently has fully arrived on the south of the Russian front, and which will spread northward to the snow around Leningrad, will create most difficult campaigning conditions, there appears to be no lightening of the Soviet pressure. No Lack o 1 Confidence As the Manchester Guardian says, although all her winter hopes have not been realised, Russia is confident this spring. The paper adds: "Leningrad has not been relieved, nor has the German 'hedgehog' system in the central area been broken. Russia, although confident, does not under-rate the coming German offensive." However, the Germans are still on the defensive, and the losses being inflicted on them are still heavy—some idea of how heavy was given last night in a special announcement broadcast by Moscow, relating to the successes oil the Leningrad front, where, alone, in ten days, over 9000 Germans were killed ' German Troops From France According to the Free French headquarters in London, the Germans are transferring their best troops in the French army of occupation to Russia and replacing them in Paris and other inland centres with youths. The holding troops in western France have been reduced by 90 per cent. Since the St. Nazaire raid the garrisons which remained in the interior have moved to the coast.

MARIUPOL MASSACRE GERMANS SHOOT 10,000 (Reed. 8.15 p.m.) LONDON, April 14 The Germans massacred 10,000 inhabitants of Mariupol, says the Moscow radio. The Germans confiscated the victims' valuables before marching them five miles outside the town. There the victims were lined up on the edges of anti-tank trenches. They were then literally mown down by machine-gun and automatic rifle fire. The trenches were filled with a mass of dead and dying.

DEATH AND DISEASE GREECE'S TERRIBLE PLIGHT LONDON, April 14 Deaths registered in Greece between August and March totalled 310,000, which is over five times higher than the normal death rate, says the Times' correspondent at Istanbul. The rate has been even higher among infants, and hardly any new-born babies are surviving. The arrival of wheat from Haifa and foodstuffs from Turkey has somewhat eased the immediate food problem, but the population's general state of exhaustion and the scarcity of medicines has created a position verging on real disaster. The cold weather resulted in hardship, but at least prevented epidemics. The arrival of hot weather is causing diseases to spread with alarming intensity. The most common diseases are stomach ulcers, tuberculosis and malaria. Because of the lack of soap, lice have become a real scourge. Tne authorities are advising men and women to shave their heads.

SEAT FOR WAR MINISTER (Reed. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. April 34 The Secretary of State for War, Sir James Grigg, has been elected to the House of Commons for Cardiff, receiving 10,030 votes to 3311 by the Independent Labour candidate.