DAY BY DAY

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15239, 4 January 1943, Page 2

DAY BY DAY

A REVIEW OF THE WAR NEWS. The long week-end has continued to bring excellent news from Russia where the Red Armies have not let up in their dour end effective offensives on the long 1,300 mile front. In Velekiye Luki, the Soviet forces have captured an important key base almost directly south of Leningrad and west of Moscow. With the fall of Velikiye Luki it would appeal that German resistance at Smolensk and Rjhev is, to say tile least, alarmingly endangered. Tribute has been paid in London to the efficiency and drive of the Russian High Commapd in their prosecution of the enormously extended campaign which daily takes terrific toll of the Nazi Army. The Japanese are the personification of persistence as exemplified in a new concentration of much shipping including many transports near Rabaul. Speculation is rife as to the ultimate destination of the armada which may be prepared to reinforce Guadalcanal tr to make new landings at Rabaul or elsewhere in New Guinea. Meanwhile, the Allied air forces are sustaining full-scale air attacks on each and every Japanese position in the Southern Pacific. The absence of enemy lighters has been noted and reliable opinion seems to indicate that theses machines are not being endangered by opiiosiug our bombers but are being held for strafing purposes should opjjosition be encountered in the projected new landing. Word comes from Morocco that Rommel has been reinforced and will in all probability make a fighting stand east of Tripoli. Earlier messages described the race for Tripoli and it seems that any stand made eastward of the port would not be as effective as the Germans might think. The preparation of the necessary stronghold has baldly been given sufficient time if the victorious Eighth Army is to be checked lor long. Few items describing the positior in Tunisia have reached us but a resumx>tiou of land fighting there cannot be much longer postponed.