ALONG WIDE FRONT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 113, 16 May 1942, Page 5

ALONG WIDE FRONT

NEW OFFENSIVE FLARES UP FIGHTING ON KALININ SECTOR London, May 14. Reports reaching Moscow indicate that the tempo of the battle all along , the front is being stepped up. al- , though it is still too early to say that the great spring offensive has begun. In addition to the fighting in the Crimea and on the Kharkov front, the Germans in the Bryansk sector during the past three days attempted to cross a river but were driven back with heavy losses. The battle continues. with the Russians holding on firmly. Sharp local encounters are reported from the Lake Ilmen and Leningrad areas, while, according to the Red I Star, extremely stiff fighting is going on in sectors of the Kalinin front, ; stretching from north-west of Moscow to north of Smolensk. Vichy radio says that an infantry battalion, supported by tanks, attacked the Russian positions in one sector of the Kalinin front. The Russians allowed the enemy to get within close range and mowed them down with point-lank fire. The Russians . then counter-attacked and the Ger- ‘ mans retreated, leaving 400 dead and ’ wounded. Fierce lighting continued last night in the Kerch Peninsula, states a Moscow communique. Nothing important occurred on other sectors of the front. ( Reuter's Moscow correspondent re- ■ ports that a German pilot who flew ‘ to the Russian lines and gave himself ( un declared that the Germans at Kharkov have already made prepara- |, lions for evacuating the city, if necessary. There is also a regular trickle • of reports from refugees, suggesting that the Germans have been forced to resort to terror tactics to retain control over Kharkov and the surrounding districts. Vichy radio quoted a Bucharest . message as saying that German amt j Rumanian troops occupied Kerch at I dawn, and added that Axis median- ; ised and cavlary units occupied the I town in a combined action and have | almost entirely occupied the coast j along the Kerch straits. Another Axi ■ i column, operating along the southern I coast of the peninsula, occupied Taktl. I Thp Russian losses were heavy. ! The Red Star says that the Rus- , sians. in their drive against Kharkov. ' broke through the German first line of defence, and are steadily widening ! thp breach. They captured many 1 or;ifications and are hotly pursuing the enemy. A Moscow communique stated that a Russian unit on the north-western front which killed 250 Germans captured a large quantity of war 1 material. ’ Ankara reports that Turkish mili- ( tary experts believe the German 1 forces in Russia consist of 25 armoured divisions. 20 mechanical divisions, 1 and 140 infantry divisions of good f calibre, making a total of about three 1 million men. in addition to 300 000 z Rumanians. 250.000 Hungarians, thirteen Italian divisions, and 200,000 Finns. GERMANS SURPRISED HURRIED RETREAT NEAR KHARKOV London, May 14. The Red Star says the Russian attack on Kharkov surprised the Germans, who hurriedly retreated, abandoning great quantities of ammunition, artiller . and other war material. The , Germans called up reserves, but failed 1 to check the Russians. ; A Moscow report says that tank ! jrces were hurled in from two direc- , tions against one fortified zone in the German defence system. After Lie tanks went through, infantry surrounded the German piliboxe.. , . .iu | Russians are now pouring through the , A special Moscow’ dispatch says that ’ Russian infantry, in close co-operation ; with tanks and aircraft, are success- . fully advancing on several sectors of ] the Leningrad front. The Germans are desperately attempting to resist, ( but have been forced to retreat. The , Russian air force has supremacy by ' night and day and is bombing the ! enemy lines of communication. j An American radio commentator. 1 broadcasting from Moscow, says the , battle of Kerch is as severe as any in j this war. Both sides fully realise the importance of holding the peninsula, which is too narrow to permit large- i scale engagements. Although the Russians withdrew to new positions, they have full confidence in the outcome. ALLIED AID FOR RUSSIA London, May 14. ! Thp Ankara correspondent of the British United Press says that weil- , informed quarters declare that 1,500000 tons of British and American ( war materials have reached ports in north Russia during the win.er. An average of 20 lorries a day entered from Iran, and also quantities of supplies by rail. The volume of materials entering . both from north and south .is increasing.