Pacific News-Review

Notes And Comment On

The Progress Of The War

From Feb. 15 To Mar. 12

Feb. 15: The Russians are pressing on feverishly with their great offensive against the Germans, in their attempt to destroy the German winter line—Rostov, Kursk. Kharkov and Orel—before the spring thaw makes winter campaigning impracticable. The Red Armies have inflicted colossal losses upon the enemy, whose armies everywhere are falling back. But the German retirement gen erally continues fairly orderly and there are few signs of disintegration or demoralisation.

Feb. 15; Operations in Tunisia have been held up by bad weather. Snow is reported in some parts of the country.

Feb. 15: There is still much sporadic sea-fighting in the Solomons. The Ameri cans remain now in unchallenged pos session of Guadalcanal. American air craft make frequent raids upon the enemy airfield at Munda (on Roviana Lagoon, New Georgia).

Feb. 15: The Japanese who were over whelmingly defeated by Australians when they attempted to capture Wau (Morobe goldfield, New Guinea) are now retreat ing in disorder through the jungles and mountains towards Mubo. One thousand of them have been killed.

Feb. 16: The heaviest Allied raid yet made in the SW Pacific has been on Rabaul. Fifty tons of HE bombs and more than 3,500 incendiary bombs were dropped. Flames could be seen 100 miles away.

Feb. 16: Two big German bases —Rostov and Voroshilovgrad—fell to the Russians yesterday.

Feb. 17; The Germans are still retreat ing in the Donets Basin, with their avenue of escape narrowing. Russians have reached the suburbs of Kharkov.

Feb. 17: It is reported that, while Japan was claiming a major naval victory in the Solomons, the Japs actually were avoiding battle with powerful American naval forces.

Feb. 18: Kharkov has fallen to the Russians and the Red Army is pushing on westward.

The Axis forces in Tunisia have struck hard against American forces (in the centre) and gained considerable ground.

Feb. 18: Between January 29 and February 7, Japanese losses in the Solo mons, while “evacuating” from Guadal canal, were: 2 destroyers sunk, 4 believed sunk, 8 damaged, a corvette and 2 cargo ships sunk or damaged, 64 aircraft shot down, and 10 probably destroyed.

Feb. 19; Axis has taken more towns in Central Tunisia. Allied forces have eva cuated Feriana and Sbeitla. The enemy has taken three valuable airfields.

Feb. 19: The Red armies still are driv ing towards the line of the Dnieper, but German counter-attacks in the Donets Basin have slowed down their pursuit of the enemy there.

Feb. 20: The Red Army is converging on Orel, outpost of Smolensk and the only enemy-held position on the strate getically important Moscow-Kharkov railway.

Feb 22: The Russian Army is now only 35 miles from the Dneiper.

Feb. 22; Units of British Guards regi ments have been rushed south to rein force the Americans in Tunisia. German columns are now stated to be “held.”

Feb. 23: British and American forces have counter-attacked and are trying to hold a pass, about 2\ miles wide, in Cen tral Tunisia, from which the Americans were driven on Saturday. If the Ger mans break through they could out-flank the Allied line.

Feb. 25: Allied counter-attacks in

Tunisia succeeded. The Axis forces are in full retreat towards Kasserine Pass.

Feb. 26: The Axis forces in Tunisia continue to withdraw from the pass near Kasserine.

Feb. 26: Japan is making new drives in central China with a view to occupying certain airfields and thus forestalling Allied air attacks on Japan itself.

Feb. 27: Allied forces in Tunisia are pursuing Axis troops into the plain to the east of Kasserine Pass.

Mar. 1; Terrific battles are raging in the Donets section of the Russian front.

This is described as the heaviest fight ing, except Stalingrad, in the whole of this winter’s campaign.

Mar. 1: The round-the-clock, non-stop raids which the Allied air forces began on Germany last Thursday night are still going on. The plan is to smash and dis locate German war industries and the German railway transport system.

Mar. 2: The Japanese, during the last month or two, have heavily reinforced all their bases to the north of Australia.

Whether this is a defensive or offensive operation is in doubt.

Mar. 3: A Japanese convoy of 14 ships is moving along the north coast of New Britain towards New Guinea, but owing to bad weather conditions it cannot be attacked.

Mar 3: Berlin, last night, had its heaviest raid of the war.

Mar. 4: The Nazis have announced their evacuation of Rjev—“according to plan.” This is the most important gain since the fall of Kursk and Kharkov.

Mar. 4: Allied aircraft, on the 2nd and 3rd, destroyed the Japanese convoy which was converging on New Guinea. The Japs, in what is for them a major disas ter, lost 12 transports, 10 warships. 51 planes, 15,000 men and enormous supplies and equipment.

Mar. 5; Officially announced that Spit fire squadrons have been in Australia for some time and are operating in the north.

They destroyed six Jap raiders over Dar win on Tuesday.

Mar. 6; German counter-offensives are making substantial progress in the Don ets area, south-west and west of Kharkov.

Mar. 7: Rommel, having been driven back from his Central Tunisia positions, launched a large-scale offensive at dawn from his Mareth Line positions. The Bth Army inflicted very heavy losses. Rom mel lost 21 tanks in his initial attack, and made no progress.

Mar. 8: Official figures on the battle in the Bismarck Sea are: 102 Jap planes put out of action—63 destroyed; 22 Jap ships destroyed; 15,000 troops killed. Allied losses were 1 bomber and 3 fighters lost and some aircraft seriously damaged.

Mar. 9: The Axis forces have with drawn from the Mareth Line battle.

Rommel lost 50 tanks. The British losses were very light.

Mar. 11: Rommel is being harried by Allied patrols, but aerial activity in Tunisia again is limited by bad weather conditions.

Mar. 11: The Red Army is pushing for ward in the north and has captured Bye loi, but the Russians have suffered a seri ous setback in the Kharkov and Donets regions, where the Germans are making strong counter-attacks.

Mar. 11: Wau, New Guinea, was raided on Tuo sday by 26 Japanese bombers, in a hit-run raid. Damage was small.

Mar. 12: Following gigantic tank battles, the Russians claim that they are holding the Nazis near Kharkov. The position there is critical: but the Rus sians have made further big gains farther

north. All the region from Kharkov to the Black Sea is now under thaw.

Mar. 12: Allied forces in Central Tuni sia now are advancing and are threaten ing Rommel’s Mareth Line forces in the rear, while the Eighth Army pushes against him from the south.