THE RACINE JOURNAL-TIMES
RACINE, WIS., WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH 17, 1943.
Berlin Says British Hit Mareth Line
Launch Blow
To Oust Axis
From Tunisia
Allied Planes Smash
Southern Defense in
Fierce Bombardment
(By The Associated Press)
A Berlin broadcast reported today that Gen. Sir Bernard L.
Montgomery's British 8th army, had launched an assault against
the 60-mile-long Mareth line in southern Tunisia, and Lord Beaverbrook
declared in London that "I think the conquest of Tunis and Bizerte is
not far off."
DNB, the German news agency, said the British struck against the old
French-built Mareth ("Little Maginot") defense works last' night.
"The scale of fighting cannot be judged by reports so far available,
but Berlin quarters believe this is a major attack," DNB said.
Report Imminent' Drive.
Kiska Blasted
By 6 Air Raids
In Single Day
Only 5 Japs Escaped
Out of 15,000 in
Bismarck Sea Battle
WASHINGTON. — UP) — The heaviest series of air attacks ever
made on Japanese-held Kiska island in a single day was carried
out Monday, the navy announced today, when American planes raided
the Aleutians base six times between dawn arid dusk.
In the south Pacific, meanwhile, light naval surface forces bombarded
Japanese positions at Vila in the Munda airbase area of the
central Solomon islands. This was the third time American warships
have penetrated into the enemy sector of the Solomons to bombard
shore positions at or near Munda.
100 Reached Shore.
While the navy was thus reporting on recent actions, Elmer
Davis, director of war information, told a press conference that
only,five Japanese out of 15,000 escaped death or capture in the
battle of the Bismarck sea March 2, when 22 Japanese warships and
other vessels were destroyed by Allied air might.
About 100 Japanese escaped drowning and reached shore, Davis
said, but of this handful only five escaped.
Davis gave the lie to recent Japanese broadcasts that the United
States had suffered serious naval losses in the south Pacific, declaring:
"Every one of our naval losses has been announced and by no
stretch of the imagination can they be called serious."
The communique reflected a quickening tempo of offensive action
at both ends of the Pacific battle line stretching from the Solomons
in the south to Kiska at the western end of the Aleutians
archipelago in the north.
Results Not Reported
Report Red Arctic Drive;
Nazi Donets Line Dented
STOCKHOLM—(UP.)—The newspaper
Aftontidningen reported today that Russian forces had reached
a point seven and one-half miles from Petsamo, port of northern
Finland, indicating the red army had opened a drive on the
arctic front.
Russian artillery is shelling Petsamo, the newspaper report, credited
to reliable sources, said.
The military positions on the far northern front west of Murmansk
long have been obscure. The Russians have been reported in control
of the Rybachi peninsula northeast of Petsamo, from which they
were able to command the entrance to the harbor with their artillery.
MOSCOW.—(U.P)—The red army of the Ukraine seized the initiative
in several sectors of the Kharkov- Donets front today and in
heavy attacks drove the Germans from a range of hills in the region
of Izyum, 75 miles southeast of Kharkov.
Front dispatches indicated the German armored forces had failed
to reach the south bank of the Donets, along which the Russians
had taken up powerful positions after the reverses which cost them
Kharkov and eight other major bases.
Far to the north, soviet columns pressing converging drives toward
Smolensk scored new triumphs, cutting the Nikitina spur railroad
at a point 65 miles northeast of the big central front base.
The first definite reports that the red army had the German counter
offensive on the southern front well in hand said the Russians had
loosed attacks at a number of points along the Donets line angling
southeastward from Kharkov and were expanding their positions
on the south bank of the river.
Fierce Fighting Told.'
German Fleet
Set to Strike,
Sweden Hears
War on Subs Gets
Top Allied Priority, .
Churchill Declares
LONDON—(U.P)— A Stockholm dispatch said today that the entire
German high seas fleet, including three capital ships and two aircraft
carriers, is assembling in northern Norway.
The dispatch, crediting the report to the naval correspondent of
the Stockholm newspaper NYA Dagligt Allehanda, revived speculation
that Germany was about to complement her intensified submarine
offensive in the Atlantic with large-scale surface raids on
the Allies' vital sea lanes.
Admiralty Is Attacked.
The war against the U-boats has been given top priority in Allied
plans, Prime Minister Winston Churchill said today during debate
in commons which touched off a verbal blast against the admiralty
climaxed by a virtual demand for resignation of its first lord, A. V.
Alexander.
In Washington, Elmer Davis, OWI director, declared that March
looks like a bad month for Allied shipping losses by submarine attacks
and that a possible serious menace to Allied northern convoys
is created by the reported German battle fleet concentrations in Norway.
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