SECOND FRONT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 85, 12 April 1943, Page 5

SECOND FRONT

WHERE WILL ALLIES STRIKE? POSITION OF RUSSIA (Special Correspondent—N.Z.P.A.) Recd. 6 p.m. London, April 9. Sooner or later one topic which is bound to crop up in the conversation of the man in the street today is, “Where will the Allies open up a second front?” Guesses range from Norway, Holland, France and Italy to the Balkans. It is a question which the Germans would very much like answered, but nobody knows—nobody except the Allied leaders, who have chosen the locality and in all probability a tentative date. Rough, sketchy but general strategy of the war as at present seen in London is something like this: Germany must put Russia out of the war or she is lost. She must strike againt Russia quickly with all the power at her disposal, meanwhile trusting to Rommel and the U-boat campaign to hold off the Allies in the west as long as possible. Can Germany knock out Russia,? Opinion is expressed that Russia is in a stronger defensive position this year than last year and that she has better railway communications than she has had since the original German advances. Yet the Germans have been able to deny Russia possession of strong points for a general offensive— Smolensk, Orel and Kharkov. The Russians have behind their lines the “scorched earth” of recent battlegrounds. There are no obvious pointers where Germany may strike as there were last year. One suggestion is that Hitler may attack each side of the Smolensk railway, with the object of destroying the Russian armies holding those sectors. It is declared that Germany cannot wait this year as last year until well into the summer; she musr. strike, and soon. Every delay Rommel can gain in Tunisia will be most valuable if thereby it holds off the Allies’ invading of Europe, but the opinion is expressed that it is not inevitable that the opening of a second front depends o clearing Tunisia and in fact it may become necessary to strike before Rommel is knocked out, for the most urgent need of the moment is regarded as hitting Germany to afford the greatest measure of aid to Russia. The British and American air offensive must be having a serious effect on Germany’s war effort, but this is regarded as not enough and that a definite land blow must be launched this summer.