BID FOR INITIATIVE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 61, 15 March 1943, Page 5

BID FOR INITIATIVE

NAZIS USE RESERVES ON GRAND SCALE Rugby, March 12. The recapture of Viazma is important not only because of the railways this junction controls, but also because the further the Germans are pushed from Moscow the fewer reserves the,Russians need to maintain that vicinity for the defence of their capital. Further south, the Germans, using many tanks, are constantly attacking the Russian positions south of Kharkov, but a military correspondent suggests that even if Kharkov is taken by the Germans it seems unlikely that it could be used at once for German pushes eastwards. The Germans have suffered enormous

losses, and it is improbable that they have the necessary strategic reserves at the moment. Despite the thaw, fighting continues throughout the z Eastern Front with intensity which' was not exceeded in the battles last summer, autumn, and winter, says a Moscow message. Unlike the fighting of a year ago, the Germans are throwing in reserves on a scale. This is because the Soviet offensive is incomparably more threatening than last year’s and is forcing the Germans to bring out their main tank forces and keep them in the field. A commentator in the Moscow Red Star writes: "Very stubborn engagements w’hich have assumed the character of gigantic battles have developed in the Donbas at Kharkov, west of Sudzha, and at Sychevsk.” The whole front except the northern sector is full of activity, with great battles raging. The Germans are trying to wrest the initiative in every sector. —8.0.W.