FORCES MASSING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25240, 1 June 1943, Page 3

FORCES MASSING

THE RUSSIAN FRONT j HUGE SOVIET ARMY ' » LONDON, May 30. Offensive preparations by both sides in Russia have reached such a stage of completeness that there are now indications that a German offensive on the central front and Russian- drives from Leningrad, the Donetz, and Rostov may be launched simultaneously. A new Soviet army of 4,000,000 men is moving into line, says the Moscow radio. The new army has completed severe training after many months, and is equpipea with new and modern weapons. Marshals Budenny and Voro- | shilov have trained the new forces, adds the radio. On the central front German cqncentrations are massing ready to strike at Moscow in a new attempt to split the Russian armies. The Russian forces based on Leningrad appear to be preparing an advance with the intention of threatening the German positions on the central front, and possibly sweeping through to the Baltic States, while the Soviet armies in the Donetz and at Rostov are initiating a further development of the drive which was carried out successfully in the winter offensive. Fighting at Leningrad Leningrad and the Kuban Delta, the most northern and southern extremities of the 1600-mile Russian front, are the scenes of the latest fighting, which is not on a farge scale. Moscow reports say that the Germans at the week-end made day and night raids on Leningrad. Russian fighters and antiaircraft batteries destroyed 20 of the raiders. The Germans also backed up the air attacks with a renewed artillery barrage, hurling shells into already battered Leningrad. The city's defence forces, however, stoutly clung to their positions and returned the barrage with interest. Moscow maintains silence on the Kuban fighting, but the Axis radios tonight declare that the Red Army is forcing a way through the marshy country of the Taman Peninsula, engagedr in a major move to® outflank the Germans’ Kuban defences. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports savage and intense air battles over the Kuban front. It says that 40 to 50 air battles are occurring every day. The Germans are rushing troops to the Kuban by all available ports and are running the gauntlet of ceaseless air attacks by naval Stormoviks, says a Moscow message. In recent actions Soviet airmen sank five large troop barges, a tugboat, and a transport, all en route to Anapa. Despatches suggest that the Germans in the Kuban must be in a 'tight spot if they per--sist in using this hazardous route for the transport of reinforcements. Axis Admissions The Paris radio says: “The Kuban' battle has taken on a new character in the past 48 hours. Russian attacks towards Novorossisk have ceased, but important fighting is occurring east of Krymskaya, where the Red Army has a ten to one superiority. The Russians made landing attempts in the lagoon area a'round Temryuk in order to turn the German defences.” The Berlin radio admitted that one German base at Temryuk was encircled, but claimed that a counterattack repulsed the enemy. ' Reuter’s Stockholm correspondent, quoting the Berlin correspondent of the Swiss newspaper Basler Nachrichten, says the prevailing opinion in Berlin, which is confirmed by high German officials, is) that there will oe no German offensive on the Russian frdnt this summer because the German troops are tired out. The Berlin correspondent of the Swiss paper La Suisse says the Germans believe that the Russian concentrations south of Moscow are purely defensive and that generally the summer operations will be “ sitzkreig.” It was because of the threat from the west that the Germans decided to economise in the eastern campaign.

Reuter’s correspondent adds: “These reports are the most definite of a series recently reaching neutral countries from Berlin. Some observers are prepared to believe that the Germans do not intend or are unable to stage a large-scale offensive, but the possibility of a deliberate Nazi propaganda campaign to mislead the Russians must not be excluded.” A special Soviet communique states that last night strong forces of Soviet long-range aircraft, only one of which is missing, attacked the railway junction of Gomel and the station at Karachev. Trains'and artillery depots were plastered with bombs. Fires destroyed many trains, while others were burnt out. • Especially heavy explosions were caused in the artillery depot at Karachev. The ordinary Soviet communique tonight reports the continuation of fighting to the north-east of Novorossisk and the destruction during the week ended May 29 of 456 v German planes for the loss of, 118 Russian. In the Barents Sea an enemy transport was sunk.