Current Events August 8, 1942; GERMANS CLOSING IN ON MAIKOP OIL FIELDS;

                          The Daily News

                           HUNTINGDON, PA. SATURDAY/AUGUST 8, 1942.

REDS PREPARED TO BLOW UP BIG MAIKOP OIL FIELDS

RUSSIAN LINES IN

ARMAVOR SECTOR

BROKEN BY NAZIS

Cossacks Fighting Desperately To

Escape Entrapment At

Kushchevka—Enemy

Drive Checked

By HENRY SHAPIRO,

United Press Correspondent

Moscow, Aug. 8.—Red army demolition squads stood

ready-today-to blow up the great Maikop oil fields of the

Caucasus to prevent .them from falling into the hands of

German forces: which have-broken. Russian defenses at;

Armavir and are: closing in upon Maikop from two-sides.

The German:break-through at Armavir city of 80,600,

and vital rail and pipeline junction on the Kuban river,

threw the Russian- defenders back upon the foothills of the

Caucasus mountains and

carried the Germans to

within 60 miles of Maikop

whose wells supply a: great

bulk of the Red air force's

high-test aviation fuel.

7 JAP PLANES SHOT

DOWN IN RAID ON

NEW BRITAIN BASE

Allies Open Sudden Major

Offensive On Rabaul

Most Successful

Of War

By DON CASWELL

United Press Correspondent

Gen. MacArthur's Headquarters,

Australia, Aug. 8. — Allied planes,

lashing out in a sudden major offensive,

have shot down, seven

enemy planes in. the heaviest attack,

of. the war on one Japanese

invasion .base and have ..dropped .

One ton bombs on another, it "was

announced today.

Heavy bombing planes attacked

Rabaul, in the New Britain Islands

900 miles northeast of Australia,

the first big invasion, base the Japanese

established.

Sweeping out from their advanced

bases, they were already

plastering the Vunukanau airdrome

in, face of heavy anti-aircraft

fire when a fleet of 20

enemy fighters rose to challenge

them.

In a wild fight, the Allied crews

shot down seven of the enemy

planes, crack new-type zeros, and

damaged others.

Only one Allied plane was missing.

Others suffered minor damage

and there were some casualties.

In this heaviest raid, and the

most successful, o£ the entire war,

Allied planes dropped 15 tons of

bombs directly in their target

zone, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's

communique said.

MILITARY EXPERTS

THINK JAP STAB AT

SIBERIA IS NEAR

Recent Operations. In North

And South Pacific Are

Designed To Bolster

Flanks

By SANDOB S. KLEIN

United Press Correspondent

Washington, Aug. 8. — Military

experts .expressed belief today

that the long expected Japanese

attack on Siberia may . be made

soon unless the .Germans suffer

sudden, major reverses in their

battle for the Caucasus. ; • '.

(Rep.-Warren G. Magnuson, D.,

Wash., said in Seattle . last . night

that Japan and Russia already

are fighting an undeclared war

and it was '"common knowledge"

that the Japanese recently sank

several Russian ships in 'the

Pacific.)

Recent Japanese military operations

in both the North and South

Pacific; Washington, observers

said, appeared to be designed to

strengthen the .flanks of their

greatly extended lines rather than

as prelude to new aggressive moves

in those areas.

Present Japanese activity in

New Guinea, they believe, is intended

to consolidate their position

on the island, which is a

logical stepping stone for any Allied

offensive from Australia.

At the same time, the presence

of sizable Japanese forces in the

westernmost Aleutian Islands was

still looked upon more as an effort

to prevent U. S. aid from reaching

Russia by way of the North.