GERMAN PLANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1942, Page 3

GERMAN PLANS

CONJECTURE IN WASHINGTON ATTACK ON SUPPLY LINES. AND ATTEMPT TO REACH CASPIAN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, June 19. Information which has been received here indicates that the German plans against Russia are broadly as follow: Germany now has 2,500,000 men on the Russian front and is bringing up 500,000 more supplied by its Central Europe satellites, and she has an additional 500,000 to throw in when the campaign is at its height. One of the chief features of the offensive against Russia is expected to be an effort to cut the Anglo-American supply line to Russia via Murmansk and via the Persian Gulf. This it is, believed, partly explains the purpose of the German offensive in southern Russia, which is aimed to redch the Caspian Sea to obtain not only the Baku oilfields, but also sever the line of communication over which Ameri can supplies landed on the Persian Gulf come up the Caspian. A German thrust from Smolensk is expected to develop shortly in an effort to pin the Russian centre, after which Germany will probably stir up the remainder of the front with the aim of fixing the Russian forces in their positions, so that blows can be delivered which are designed to destroy the Russian Army. Qualified observers in Washington with unusual access to authoritative information are convinced that Hitler is' completely committed to an all-out offensive against; Russia. It is also thought here that the organisational difficulties associated with maintaining large-scale air raids, accompanied by the aircraft losses, render the likelihood of even 10 such [raids a month over Germany and occupied France almost impossible. The estimates are that the losses must total 10 per cent of the aircraft involved, and such losses on the basis of ten 100 plane raids monthly, would amount to 1000 planes a month, which the English and American plane reserves cannot yet bear.