RUSSIAN REVIEW

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15240, 5 January 1943, Page 4

RUSSIAN REVIEW

“BALANCE IN OUR FAVOUR.” United Press Assn. —By Electric Telegraoh— Copyright. LONDON, January 2. “The balance is now in our favour on all sectors of the front,” declared President Kalinin, broadcasting o-ver Moscow radio. “The initiative has passed into our hands and the present offensives have changed the balance on all fronts. ' The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says that since the announcement of the German losses in six week’s fighting on the southern front, ‘it has been conservatively estimated that an army of 1,000,000 men has been put out of action, and that the Russians have captured enough material to equip several armies.

The Moscow i epresentative 0 f the Columbia Broadcasting system says that 50 to 60 Axis divisions have been knocked out of the war in the past six weeks, which will have far-reaching effects on the lest of the Russian front, and probably on eveiy front where Hitler is fighting, but it still must be remembered that there are * still about 190 Axis divisions to be beaten on the Russian front.

The Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press of Groat Britain reports that, the Red Army has driven to the shores of Manicli Lake after a 33-mile advance, the greatest single day's jump in the offensive south-west of Stalingrad. With Elista by-passed and encircled, practically the whole of Kalmuk has been mopped up. Evidence grows of a German collapse in this sector. The Russians are threatening to split the Axis forces cast and west of the Caucasus. The Germans in Stalingrad have gone completely underground, says the Moscow correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency. They are living in cellars, water mains, and sewers. Their supplies have been cut down to 25 to 30 cartridges and three ounces of bread and horsemeat daily. The Russians are walking the streets freely, and are. gradually ousting the enemy with carefullyaimed shells, grenades, and glass bombs filled with incendiary fluids. According to Moscow radio, the Russian guerrillas in the Stalingrad area in December killed 8,000 Axis troops, blew up 130 bridges, and destroyed 207 trains carrying German reinforcements and supplies.

It has been officially revealed in Moscow that General Zhukov is directing the offensive in southern Russia—not Marshal Timoshenko, who was generally believed to have been in charge of operations. The field commanders are Colonel-Gener-al Vatoutin. on the south-western front, Colonel-General Eremenko on the Stalingrad frogt, Lieut-General Rakatovsfey on the Don front, and Lieut.-General Golikov on the Voronej front. Timoshenko is not named. leaving it to be inferred that he has beep replaced bv Zhukov or promoted to g>n undisclosed office.

The Russian public are complete ly surprised by the opening today of Moscow’s third underground railway line. Construction had gone on secretly since Hitler’s invasion o 1 Russia. The line is four miles long and connects Sverdlov Square, in the centre of the city, with the industrial district, containing the famous Stalin Motor Works. The new underground stations will be usecP as shelters in the event of air raids.