INCREASING DANGER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 February 1943, Page 3

INCREASING DANGER

FROM RUSSIAN LANDING ADMITTED BY ENEMY. DAMAGING ATTACKS BY AIR ARM OF BLACK SEA FLEET. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, February 11. The Russian operations are becoming fiercer in the Krasnodar area. The Germans admit their inability to liquidate the Russian landing near Novorossisk, which is now described as being reinforced and becoming dangerous. The Germans say that the Russians are taking a breathing spell from Slavyansk to Rostov, but this is only relatively true as Russian guns continue pounding the eastern end of this bulge which contains the important towns of Shakhtui, Novocherkas and Rostov. The Russians have large resources of men and material in this area, but it is not yet clear whether they intend to hasten the race for the reduction of these towns or merely contain them while the main operations are completed for closing the exit west of the industrial basin.

At least 125 miles now separates the Rostov garrison from the last German group in the Western Caucasus, because the recapture of Akhtarskaya, which is the last railhead on the Sea of Azov, has placed the whole coastline between there and the mouth of the Don in Russian hands. Moscow radio reports that the air arm of the Black Sea fleet, operating in the northern Caucasus, killed 900 Germans in a single day and shot down four planes which attempted to interfere. The next day it routed and partly wiped out a large infantry unit, blew up two ammunition dumps and destroyed a number of anti-aircraft guns and lorries.