FORGING AHEAD

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24386, 23 September 1942, Page 3

FORGING AHEAD

SUCCESS AT VORONEZH DRIVE ACROSS RIVER IMPORTANT POSTS CAPTURED LONDON. Sept. 22 A new Soviet success in the Voronezh area is announced from Moscow. The Russians have forced another crossing of the upper Don, and, after establishing themselves firmly on the western bank, have advanced in the face of intense fire and captured several important positions. Tank battles are now raging. Dozens of enemy spearheads have been demolished, and all German counterattacks have been repulsed. The Russians are employing a powerful force of artillery and many planes and are gradually smashing through the fortifications which the Germans began to construct immediately it was seen that the weight of the July offensive had been checked. The Germans are rushing up reinforcements and making a hasty attempt to stein a Russian advance on a broad front. BRITISH ADVANCE MADAGASCAR AREA TROOPS APPROACH CAPITAL LONDON, Sept. 21 The British advance in Madagascar | continues. The East African Command announces: "Our forces are closing in on Antananarivo. East of the capital the important rail and road junction of Brickaville was occupied, while from the north-west our troops are advancing south of Ankazobe, north-west of the capital, which was captured on Saturday. On the north-west coast, in spite of heavy rain and French road demolitions, our southward movement continues. The column which is moving* down the north-east coast entered Lahambava yesterday." The British column advancing from Majunga is 37 miles from Antananarivo, : says the Madagascar radio. Another | column from Tamatave is progressing | more slowly and is 90 miles from the i capital. , AIR POWER VITAL ! DESTROYING GERMANY OBJECTIVES SET OUT (Heed. 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 21 ''The winning side in this war will he the one having the biggest and most effective air force," said the commanding officer of the United States Air Force in the European theatre of operations, Brigadier-General Eaker. in an interview with the aeronautical correspondent of the Daily Maik Brigadier-General' Eaker added that there were enough aerodromes built and building in the British Jsles to accommodate all the Allied Air Forces needed for the destruction of Germany. Asked whether the phrase "destruction of Germany" needed qualifying, he replied: "I believe it is possible to destroy the enemy from the air. Destroy liis aircraft factories and you destroy his air force; destroy his munition plants and communications and you halt his armies; destroy his shipyards and you prevent him building submarines. There is nothing that can be destroyed by gunfire that cannot be destroyed by bombs." Discussing the Flying Fortress planes, Brigadier-General Eaker said "there is hardly a corner in Germany we will not reach." He indicated that Americans might not confine themselves solely to day bombing. He pointed out that the combined operations of British and American air forces equalled a day and night offensive which would prevent German defences getting any rest.

Outlining liis winter bombing policy, Brigadier-General Eaker said: "It is much better to bomb heavily and effectively on a few clays that suit you rather than peck away in dribbles under unsuitable conditions." NEW BRITISH FIGHTER GREATER FIRE-POWER (Reed. 8.20 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. '22 Details of a new fighter called the Spitfire V.C. and a new Messersehmitt 109 G are given by air correspondents in tlie London press. The Spitfire V.C. is said to have double the original number of cannon in its wings and two 20 m.m. weapons in each wing. The original Spitfire carried two cannon and four machineguns. The dropping of the four machineguns in favour of another two cannon enables the full fire-power to engage the enemy at as great a range as 700 yards, whereas the range of the .303 machine-guns was 400 yards. The Spitfire V.C. is described as a great achievement in design, the problem having been to offset any loss of height caused by extra weight. Hurricanes have carried four cannon for some time, but without the ability to fight at really high altitudes. The V.C. can fight seven miles up and is credited with a speed of nearly 400 miles per hour. The disclosure that Britain has a fourcannon Spitfire is presumably due to an American censorship slip which permitted the publication of a photograph of it, says the Evening News. The Jourcannon type is the V.C. It has eight machine-guns, and the V.B. has two cannons and four machine-guns. The new .Messersehmitt is said by correspondents to have an operational height of 40,000 feet. According to a press message from .Moscow, a Messersehmitt with a 1700-horse-power engine, which is considerably more powerful than the Messersehmitt 109 F, and is liquid-cooled, is operating on the eastern front. This aircraft is reported to have three cannon, two machine-guns and a speed of 330 miles per hour at 13,000 feet. Xo mention is made, however, in these messages, of any activities by such « machine in the stratosphere. GENERAL PROMOTED (Reed. 5.30 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 The United States Senate has confirmed the promotion of Major-General Jacob Loncks Devers, Commander of all United States Armoured Forces, to the rank of lieutenant-general. Senator Chandler described Lieutenant-General Devers as one of the ablest generals the United States has produced.