NORTH OF MOSCOW

Evening Star, Issue 24331, 21 October 1942, Page 3

NORTH OF MOSCOW

RUSSIAN FORGES MASSING

MOVEMENT MAY INDICATE RE SUMPTION OF OFFENSIVE

(Rec. 11.30 a.m.) , LONDON, October 20. Russian forces are reported to- be massing in an area forming a rough triangle between Rjev, Vitebsk, and Lake Ilmen, states ‘ The Times ’ Stockholm correspondent. Berlin interprets the Russian movements as indicating resumption of the offensive which paused before Rjev. The correspondent says the ground generally is soft, and it is questionable whether a largescale offensive is possible before the frosts, although the Russians have better railway approaches here than in anv other area. . . Russian troops in the Vitebsk region have been filtering through the German lines ever since the spring to reinforce the, guerrillas in the forests and swamps.' Russian planes drop ammunition and food and land at a forest aerodrome to take off wounded, Guerrill as are now very busy wrecking trains, attacking communications, and ambushing German punitive expeditions.

> POSITION AT STALINGRAD. ' The Red October metal works in Stalingrad are still holding out, reports the Berlin radio.. This vast plant covers several square miles. One of the greatest difficulties is the way the Russians camouflage their _ position. Bad weather is preventing dive bombers giving close support to the ground To-day’s official Russian reports indicate that for the moment the Germans are held up in all sectors of the Stalin- • grad front. Recent Soviet communiques have admitted gains by the enemy in the factory area of the city, bnt to-day’s communique reports the repulse with heavy losses of every German attack in this area in the past 24 hours. . In another sector the Russians made a surprise attack at dawn and inflicted heavy losses on the. enemy, making a breach in his defences.

GERMANS PENETRATE TO VOLGA RUSSIAN REAR POSITIONS SHELLED LONDON, October 21. The Russian defenders of Stalingrad are resisting- the encroaching Germans. Fierce fighting is continuing and all attacks hare been repulsed. Torrential autumn rains have slowed the advance t* some extent. At one point German artillery have penetrated to the Volga. They are shelling the rear of the Russians* positions and attempting to hold up the passage of Russian troops and supplies on the river.

TYPEWRITER STRATEGISTS

AMERICAN ADMIRALS " PET

HATES "

NEW YORK, October 19, The chairman of the. Maritime Commission, Rear-Admiral E. S. Land, told the Investment Bankers’ Associa,ti6n"that' < his:: < ‘four" pet hates” for the duration are organisers, profiteers, typewriter strategists, and ‘ needle boys.’’’ By organisers; be explained, he, meant union organisers, So far , as they are concerned for the duration,” he added, “ my opinion is that they ought to be shot at sunrise.” Of profiteers, Rear-Admiral Laud declared: “We will get them if they do not get themselves.” He advised typewriter strategists to let the President and the military experts handle the war. He did not elaborate on the term “ needle boys.” He said the United States was building three ships a day, and would be ■producing four a day. by January if ’ steel was available. The United States would need 20,000 licensed seamen and 100,000 unlicensed seamen by next year. It had 241 shipways, and 3,600 ships were contracted to be built, of which 1,098 had been delivered. Rear-Admiral. Land issued a warning that, because of the longer nights, the submarine menace would be_ progressively worse during the winter. “ We can get on top of the submarine menace and maybe ameliorate it,” he added, “but we cannot lick it.” Colonel Knerr said; “ To gain European air supremacy by the spring may mean stripping the Pacific defences to the bone. We should confine the operations in the Australian and New Zea- ' land sector to a minimum, but proceed to build up Alaska as a primary base for future operations against the Japanese.”

AXIS LEADERS

EXECUTION OR CAPTIVITY

SEW YORK. October 19

“ We can never sit down at a peace conference with Hitler, Mussolini, or Prince Hirohito,” declared the mayor (Mr F. H. La Guardia) to-day. “ Therefore we will have to execute these three or put them in captivity.”

DARLAN VISITS ALGIERS

LONDON, October 19. Admiral Darlan has gone to Algiers. Announcing this, the Berlin radio said Admiral Darlan was visiting Algiers

because his soh, who is a naval officer there, is ill, but Vichy political circles . . admit that the visit may also serve for discussions with the Vichy North African High Command and political leader*. These circles add that these conter-ences-would “ occur at a time when the landing of United States troops in Liberia made French military defence measures necessary.”

ITALIAN GENERAL KILLED

(Rec. 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 20. Eleven Italian generals have been killed in the war on all fronts. Rome radio to-day announced that General Federico Ferrari Orsi, commander of an Italian army corps, was killed on Sun r day in one of the most advanced Italian positions in Egypt.

NEW U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER

. NEAV YORK, October 18. The aircraft carrier Princeton has been launched. It is the second aircraft carrier launched within three months.