MOST URGENT NEED

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24850, 23 March 1944, Page 5

MOST URGENT NEED

STIFFENING BALKANS ONWARD TIDE OF RUSSIANS HUNGARY DIRECTLY IN PATH LONDON. March 21 It is beginning to look doubtful whether the Germans can organise a stand anywhere east of the Carpathians, says the British official wireless. Their most urgent need, therefore, is to stiffen both Rumania and Hungary and galvanise them into effective resistance to the Russians. Circumstantial reports state that the Germans are now garrisoning Hungary. The troops thus eraployed are probably not of the first quality and may consist of divisions which have been training further up the Danube in Austria. The size of the occupying force is not thought to exceed 100,000 men, who presumably are neither fully trained nor fully equipped.

In Path ol Red Army Hungary now lies directly in the path of the advance of the two Russian Army groups. Marshal Zhukov's men in the Tarnopol-Brody sector are about 100 miles from that part of the present Carpathian frontier of Hungary, which used to be the Chechoslovakian frontier before the war. Marshal Koniev's forces advancing across the Dniester are some 130 miles from the crest of the Carpathians, where they form the eastern frontier of that part of Northern Transylvania ceded to Hungary by Germany in 1940 after the fall of France. Thus on a front of 200 miles the Russians are approaching Hungary. The speed of their advance across the middle Bug and the Dniester indicates that they have found a clear gap through the* German forces. At this rate it may not be many days before they are across the River Prutfi and climbing the Carpathian foothills. There were pressing reasons, therefore, why Germany should take over Hungary and convert it into an operational base. A supplv organisation will have to be built ilp behind a new front east of or on the Carpathians. Little Effective Opposition

Since the Russians cut the LwowOdessa railway the main communications from the German and Austrian munition factories to South - east Europe run through Hungary even more than they did before. The Germans probably ' have doubts of Hungary's loyalty'to them in the face of the growing Russian threat and cannot afford to take risks about the security of their communications. Another factor probably also enters German calculations. Rumania is threatended by an enormous Russian armoured force which is advancing against little, if any, effective opposition. The German armies are probably for the present-virtually split, in two —the group fighting 011 the line Kovel-Brody- Tarno-pol-Proskurov, on the Upper Dniester, the other converging on Nikolaev and Odessa and the Lower Dniester. Hie Germans would presumably prefer to try to plug the gap with their own troops, but they are not believed to have any in Rumania. Rumanian Reluctance

Their most obvious resource is to send Rumanian garrisons from Rumania itself to meet the Russians. These may amount to as many as 350.000 men. One of the chief reasons for the reluctance of the Rumanian Government to fall in with these plans would be the fear that Hungary would the opportunity to oocupv the remaining southern half of Transylvania, which Germany in 10-10 allowed Rumania to keep. Hungary is believed to have some .100.000 men under arm's.

The German occupation of Hungary will relieve Rumanians of anxiety on that score. To what extent, however, at £his stage in Germany's defeat the Rumanians will be willing to go on fighting is doubtful. The presence of such ail influential personage a.s Prince Stirbev in Cairo at this juncture is an indication that they might give up the struggle if an opportunity presented itself. READY FOR FLOODING EUROPEAN COAST AREAS STATEMENT BY BERLIN (Reed. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 21 The Germans are preparing to flood the Channel and North Sea coasts of Kurope, according to the Berlin radio. It says: "We arc utilising the lakes near the coast and making artificial lakes, canals and dams which in certain circumstances will become water barriers difficult for the enemy to overcome. We have drawn on all the battle experience of the German High Command to ensure that the vital moment of surprise is ours, even if the enemy should attempt to outflank the line with airborne troops. "Large districts have already been turned into swamps in which attacking tanks would be bogged down and come under fire from German rotary anti-tank guns. These can be swivelled completely around. Competent German military officers believe that this considerably increases the safety and preparedness of the German defences."

GERMAN RAIDERS BOMBS FALL ON LONDON (Reed. 0.30 p.m.) LONDON, March 22 At least nine German raiders were shot down over Britain during the night. Some bombs fell on London. The Germans again concentrated mainly on incendiaries and also dropped clusters of flares. Heavy fire met the raiders. Ono high explosive bomb fell outside a publishing firm. Some members of the night staff were killed and passersby seriously hurt. Elsewhere in the London area a church was destroyed and houses damaged.