MASSED & READY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 May 1943, Page 4

MASSED & READY

THE OPPOSED ARMIES IN RUSSIA BOTH SIDES MAY ATTACK SIMULTANEOUSLY. PREPARATIONS COMPLETED IN SEVERAL AREAS. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON. May 30. Offensive preparations by both sides in Russia have reached such a stage of completeness that there are now indications that a German offensive on the central front, and Russian drives from Leningrad, the Donetz and Rostov, may be launched simultaneously. “A new Soviet army of four million men is moving into line,’ says the Moscow radio. “The new army has completed a severe training of many months and is equipped with new and modern weapons. Marshals Budenny and Voroshilov have trained the new forces.”

On the central front German concentrations are masing ready to strike at Moscow in a new attempt to split the Russian armies. Russian forces based on Leningrad appear to be preparing to advance with the intention of threatening the German positions on the central front, and possibly, of sweeping through to the Baltic States, while the Soviet armies in the Donetz and at Rostov are initiating a further development of the drive which was carried out successfully in the winter offensive.

Leningrad and the Kuban Delta, the most northern and southern extremities of the 1,600 mile Russian front, are the scenes of the latest fighting, which is not on a large scale. Moscow reports say the Germans, at the weekend, made day and night raids on Leningrad. Russian fighters and anti-aircraft batteries destroyed 20 of the raiders. The Germans also backed up their air attacks with a renewed artillery barrage, hurling shells into already battered Leningrad. The city's defence forces, however, stoutly clung to their positions and returned the barrage with interest. KUBAN OPERATIONS. The Germans continue to give the bulk of the news of the operations in the Kuban area, which is still the most active sector. The Berlin radio says the operations there cannot be described as a major battle, but could develop into one. Moscow maintains silence on the Kuban fighting, but the Axis radios tonight declared that the Red Army is forcing its way through the marshy country of the Taman Peninsula in a major move to outflank the Germans Kuban defences. The Paris radio says: ‘“The Kuban battle has taken on a new character in the past 48 hours. Russian attacks towards Novorossisk have ceased, but important fighting is occurring east of Krymskaya, where the Red Army has a ten to one superiority. The Russians made landing attempts in the lagoon area around Temryuk in order to turn the German defences.” The Berlin radio admitted that one German base, Temryuk, was encircled, but claimed that a counter-attack freed it . Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports savage and intense air battles over the Kuban front and says 40 to 50 air battles are occurring daily.

HEAVY LOSSES SUFFERED BY GERMANS. IN REINFORCING KUBAN DELTA. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, May 30. The Germans are rushing troops to the Kuban area by all available ports and are running the gauntlet of ceaseless air attacks by naval Stormoviks, says a Moscow message. In recent actions, Soviet airmen sank five large troop barges, a tugboat and a transport, all en route to Anapa. Despatches suggest that the Germans in the Kuban must be in a tight spot if they persist in using this hazardous route for the transport of reinforcements.