GERMAN FORCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 June 1943, Page 4

GERMAN FORCES

MASSED ON EASTERN FRONT ESTIMATED BY MOSCOW RADIO AT 3,000,000. SOME FIERCE LOCAL BATTLES. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 28. The Germans are fighting desperately to recapture a town on the Kalinin front from which they were driven on June 25. Moscow says the Germans launched six counter-attacks yesterday, but all failed. The Berlin radio stated that increased local fighting on the Eastern front, whjle fluctuating in intensity, had not yet reached major strategical importance. It added that fighting at Velikiye Luki had died down after several days of fierce encounters. “Repeated enemy attacks,” it added, “obviously do not go beyond an intention to improve the Russian positions in isolated sectors.’’ The Berlin radio also said the Russians are moving big forces to the southern sector of the front. The Moscow radio today declared that Germany has nearly three million men massed along the front. The radio warned that big-scale fighting may begin at any moment. The Moscow radio’s estimate is nearly 155,000 more men than Mr Churchill recently estimated. According to the Moscow radio, guerillas in the past two years have killed 300,000 invaders. NOTED BY RUSSIANS EFFECTS OF ALLIED THREAT. ON GERMANY AND SATELLITES. (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.LONDON, June 28. The Russians are freely admitting that the threat of a second front has profoundly affected the German High Command’s plans in Russia, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. The Russians believe that the Germans are adopting delaying tactics in order to gain time to complete a so-called total mobilisation of military and labour resources in Occupied Europe. The correspondent adds that the Russans are watching developments m Hungary with special interest. They consider that Hungary is playing a tortuous game—being unwilling to break with Hitler, but anxious to give the future victors the impression that she is no longer interested in Germany’s quarrels. The Russians consider that, largely as a result of the repercussions at home after the defeat of the Second Hungarian Army at Voronezh last winter, the Hungarian Government, even if it wanted to do so, would not be capable of ordering further divisions to the East front. The correspondent continues that the Russians have also noted the strained Italian-German relations, especially Hitler's refusal to send German troops to South Italy, despite Mussolini’s request. The natural conclusion is that there will be no fresh Italian troops for the East fropt in 1943. The Russians are also considering the effects appearing in German industry. Professor Varga, the Russian economist, stated fifteen million of Germany’s best industrial workers have been withdrawn for the armed forces, and it was known that coal production in Germany had declined at least 15 per cent. Moreover, Germany was suffering from a growing rail transport crisis, because of the huge distances to the East front.