THE STARS AND STRIPES
Daily Newspaper of U.S. Armed Forces in the European Theater of Operations
London, England Friday, Jan. 15, 1943
Reds' Pace Increasing In Caucasus
Drive Close to Next Goal, Voroshilovsk; Weather Is Worse
MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (UP)—In spite of incessant rain, snow, slush and unrelaxed
German resistance, the new pace of the Russian advance over a
broad front in the eastern Caucasus is being maintained, bringing the
Soviet troops nearer to Voroshilovsk,the next big objective on this front.
On the right flank of Gen. Maslennikov's advance the Russians are now
well to the west of Zhuraskoye, which lies in the heart of the plateau north of
Minerainy Vody, and are continuing theiradvance.
On the extreme right wing they are within 20 miles of Blagodarnoye, terminal
of the railway running south of Divnoye, below the Manych Canal.
Somewhere along this railway they will be able to join forces with the Russian troops
moving south from the Kalmuk. These troops were last reported at Privutnoye,
13 miles north of Divnoye.
Pace of Drive Grows
By the Associated Press
Hills Taken By French In Tunisia
First Lafayette Escadrille
Operation Aids Capture Of Strategic Heights
French troops attacking northwest of Kairouan occupied two mountains
of strategic importance yesterday in the only offensive action on the
Tunisian front.
The Lafayette Escadrille went into action for the first time with the
French forces which took Djebel Bou Hadjar and Djebel Bou Dabous
mountains, about 15 miles northwest of Kairouan for important gains, the
French military spokesman said. In the same area 80 Italian prisoners
were taken after the French closed in on valley where fighting had been going
on for two days. It was also announced that the crack Morocco division was
operating near Kairouan and had killed 17 Germans and captured eight in local
engagements.
An American Spitfire pilot shot down a German plane, which was seeking to
attack an advanced airfield, and in the ensuing engagement the raiders were
driven oft/ an RAF spokesman announced.
Weather Grounds Planes
The German resistance is not the only thing the Russians have to overcome.
The weather—and it is getting worse—'consists of ceaseless rain, snow flurries
and deep slush.
Essen Bombed With 100 Tons In 12 Minutes
RAF Follows Fortress Raid On Lille With Blow At Krupp Works
Less than 12 hours after American Flying Fortresses blasted at the German
war resources with a raid on industrial Lille, in France, Wednesday afternoon.
RAF bombers struck at Essen, the heart of Nazi armament production.
In 12 minutes RAF bomb bays emptied 100 tons of high explosive aimed at the
giant Krupp works -there. It was the eighth time in 11 nights that Bomber
Command had battered at the Ruhr. While Eighth Air Force intelligence
officers were computing the toll of Nazi fighters shot down in Wednesday afternoon's
raid on Lille, in which three Forts were admitted lost, the British bombers
were heading over Germany in a blow that may have been designed to flatten
once and for all the big armament plants of Krupp.
One hundred tons in 12 minutes means eight and one-third tons every 60 seconds.
As saturation raids go, it was the heaviest yet. When the RAF flattened Lubeck to
rubble, 340 tons of bombs were dropped in three hours—less than two tons a
minute.
971 Ships Safely Escorted to
Allied North African Ports
ALLIED HQ, North Africa. Jan 14 (AP)—The Royal Navy successfully
escorted 971 transports, supply ships and other vessels of a total gross tonnage of
about 7,500.000 tons between the Straits of Gibraltar and Allied North African
ports between Nov. 8, 1942, and Jan. 8, 1943, it was announced here today.
These convoys, coming from the United States and Britain, were made up of
merchantships of all the allied nations, mainly American, British, Dutch and
Norwegian.
Most of the supplies were for the forces, but there were large quantities of
provisions for the impoverished local populations.
No comments:
Post a Comment