The Cumberland Times.
CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND, SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 1943
Axis Forces Lashing Out At British
Eighth Army In Tunisia; Meet Stiff
Resistance; Russians Seize Gzhatsk
SOVIETS SCORE
THIRD VICTORY
WITHIN1WEEK
Reds Storm Town of Gzhatsk
Twice Before it_is
Wrested From German Hands
WAS FOE SPEARHEAD
POINTED AT MOSCOW
Capture Releases Three-
Directional Russian Drive
on Vyazma, 35 Miles
From Smolensk Road
[By The Associated Press
London, March 6. — The Red army
scored its third major victory in a week 'today by capturing
Gzhatsk, 100 miles west of Moscow and the nearest point to the Soviet
capital In the Germans' crumbling hedgehog defense system on the
central front.
"After storming the town twice," said a special Moscow communique
recorded by the Soviet radio annoubcer, "our troops captured the town
of Gzhatsk. The captured war material is being counted."
Gzhatsk, 60 miles southeast of recaptured Rzhev, had been a Nazi
spearhead pointed at Moscow for a year and a half. Its capture released
a three-directional Russian drive on 'Vyazma, 35 miles away on
the road to -Smolensk; main German base to the west. .
30 Other Towns Captured
FIERCE BATTLE
BEING WAGED IN
MARETH AREAS
Rommel's Army Loses
Twenty-One Tanks in
First Offensive Blow
Against Montgomery
STRIKES BACK AND
PRESSES ATTACK
British Knock Out Tanks
Without Loss; Enemy
Blows Described as "in
Considerable Strength"
Allied Headquarters In North
Africa, March 8 (AP) — Marshal Erwln Rommel's Axis forces lashed out
savagely at the British 8th Army at dawn today in an offensive
against Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery for the first time since the
battle of El Alamein in Egypt. After the loss of 21 tanks in the
early stages of the fighting the Axis army which Rommel had brought
2,000 miles across Libya, in retreat, struck back and pressed its attack.
The 21 German tanks were knocked out without loss to the British.
Attack in Considerable Strength
Rommel's tanks and infantry attack was described as "in considerable
strength" and early reports indicated that fierce fighting was continuing.
Apparently gambling with the Idea that he could deal Montgomery
a Wow similar to the one he handed the Anglo-American First. Army
two weeks ago, the Nazi Held isarshal set his forces in action across
the waste lands in front of the Mareth Line.
MAKEUP OF JAP
BISMARCK SEA
CONVOY KNOWN
C o n t a i n e d Three Light
Cruisers, Seven Destroyers
and Twelve Transports
102 PLANES FELLED
Allied Planes Dropped 226
Tons of Bombs on enemy
Ships; Eighty Direct
Allied Headquarters In Australia Sunday, March 7 (AP) —
Three Japanese light cruisers were among the
22 ships lost by the enemy in the sinking of the Bismarck sea convoy
by Allied planes, the high command announced today.
Previous communiques on the aerial annihilation of the New Guinea-
bound convoy March 2-3-4 had listed the ships sunk as 10 warships
and 12 transports, loaded with 15,000 troops, but had described the
warships only as "cruisers or destroyers." "The composition of the enemy's
10 warships which guarded his 12 t;transports is now reported as three
light cruisers and seven destroyers," said the noon communique from
General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters.
136 Allied Planes Took Part
Nazi-Held Areas
In France Raided
By U. S. Air Force
London, Sunday, Much 7—(AP)
American Flying Fortresses and Liberators attacked target at
Brat and Lorient, Nazi-held French coastal bases, Saturday
afternoon, an official announcement said early today.
RAF and Allied fighters escorted
the bombers. "Bombing results were satisfactory"
at Brest where the Liberators struck, and at Lorient,
German submarine base, the Fortresses "obtained excellent
results the communique said.
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