Newsmap. Monday, April 12, 1943 : week of April 2 to April 9, 187th week of the war, 69th week of U.S. participation Side: 1 of 2

                                
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THE WAR FRONTS

RUSSIA: Summarizing the Red Army's winter
offensive that began Nov. 10 and ended
f March 31, the Soviets announced that Germany suffered
1,193,525 casualties-850,000 dead and 343,525 captured-and
that the enemy was swept back to the west as
much as 435 miles. The offensive freed 185,328 square
miles of Soviet territory.
In addition to the German defeat at Stalingrad, which
Moscow described as the "biggest defeat in the history of
wars," the Russians announced a tremendous toll of German
equipment. The Nazis lost 1490 planes captured and
3600 destroyed, 4670 tanks captured and 4520 destroyed,
and 15,860 guns captured and 4500 destroyed. This was
in addition to great quantities of machine guns, rifles, ammunition
and other equipment. Eight hundred and ninety
locomotives were listed as well as 22,000 railway cars.
During the week there was little change on the 1500-mile
front from Leningrad south to the Sea of Azov. The spring
thaws again prevented big ground operations but in the
air the Germans put up planes on the Leningrad front and
in the area of the Donets River near Izyum. South of
Izyum the Germans again tried vainly to crack the Donets
line and break the Red Army bridgehead on the west bank
of the river.
In bitter hand-to-hand fighting near the German-held
Black Sea base of Novorossiisk Russian forces captured
several populated places. Novorossiisk is the only large
town held by the enemy. Should they lose this and be
forced across the Kerch Straits to the Crimea they would
have to start all over again in any summer offensive to regain
a foothold in the Caucasus which they gained last
summer after heavy sacrifices.

Malaria Control                                          .'      -In
the Southwest Pacific our forces fight tropical disease as well as the Japanese
enemy. At one of our bases there a Marine sergeant sprays a swamp
with oil. The coating of oil kills the mosquitos and keeps down malaria.

SJ LO ~NS       ^the Japanese have greatly increased
their air strength in the Southwest Pacific, a
force of 98 enemy bombers and fighters struck at our shipping
off Guadalcanal. American fighters destroyed 37 of
the enemy planes and lost seven, but one of our pilots was
saved. The Jap force included 50 bombers and 48 Zeros.
This battle, which took place April 7 and was sandwiched
between American attacks on the enemy bases in
the Central Solomons, was described as one of the greatest
air actions ever fought in the area. On April 1, the Navy
reported, a force of 30 to 40 Zero fighters was engaged by
a force of our Wildcat, Corsair and Lightning fighters
northwest of Guadalcanal. Sixteen Jap planes were shot
down with six of ours but two of our pilots were saved.
The same morning one of our Catalina patrol bombers
attacked a Jap surface force of five destroyers and one
cargo vessel southwest of Kolombangara Island while
Army Liberator bombers made low altitude attacks on the
same force. Results were not observed.
Allied fliers from Australian bases also took part in action
against the enemy's position in the Northern Solomons,
and made a three-hour attack on Buka, hitting the
airdrome and town areas.

NEW      GUINEA: Employing special bombing
techniques which were not revealed,
Flying Fortresses made three successive predawn
raids on the enemy harbor area of Kavieng on New
Ireland and did substantial damage to enemy warships
gathered there for possible reinforcement of bases on New
Guinea. A heavy cruiser was left sinking, a light cruiser
or destroyer was damaged, a destroyer was left sinking and
two other destroyers were damaged.
Factors in the successful attacks included neutralization
of the enemy's airfield, use of darkness as a screen and
unusual extension of bomber range. Skip-bombing was

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Fighter-Bombers                                                  i WN rId
Used as a light bomber, above, the British Whirlwind carries its load under
each wing. The single-seaters operate in day and night attacks. The North
American Mustang, P-51, is another fighter whose use has expanded. At right
are three A-36's, which are dive bomber versions of the Mustang, and reported
to be the world's fastest with speed in excess of 400 miles per hour.

employed successfully and no Japanese air opposition was
encountered.
Closer to the Australian continent Allied bombers
raided the Aroe and Tanimbar Islands, and on New Guinea
struck hard at the Jap base at Salamaua on the northwest
coast of New Guinea.

MAI F! TSIAN^*: American Air Forces jumped the
number of attacks on Kiska in one
day to eight, which was twice the figure for any previous
day in the growing North Pacific offensive.
Principal target of the raids has been a landing strip
which the Japs are rushing to completion, cutting it out of
the island's mountain slopes. Should this be completed the
enemy would be able to put land-based fighters into the
air, which would be stiffer resistance than the float-type
plane and anti-aircraft could offer previously.
The Kiska base was attacked 37 times in March as compared
with only nine attacks during February.
RBOLI|VI A        The number of Latin-American naE
     BOLIVIA      tions actively engaged in fighting the
Axis rose to twelve last week as Bolivia announced a
state of war in a special presidential decree. Immediate
mobilization was ordered.
While Bolivia has no coastline to defend and thus does
not face that type of attack, it faces an internal problem
because Germans and Italians play an important part in
the economic life despite the break in diplomatic relations
in January, 1942.
The other Latin-American nations at war with the Axis
are Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua
and Panama.
TUNISIA e The British Eighth Army and the
gyjw      i'r% oAmerican Second Corps joined forces
in Southern Tunisia last week 15 miles southeast of El
Guettar thus completing an Allied offensive arc that was

Change of Ownership                                              i--iThis
captured troop-carrier, a German Mercedes-Benz half-track loaded with
British troops, works for the Allies these days. It was taken at Kasserine.

rapidly forcing the remainder of Rommel's Afrika Korps
northward.
At the same time the British First Army in Northern
Tunisia, after retaking Sedjenane, advanced still farther.
Free French troops gained control of Cape Serrat and the
First Army seized several miles in a surprise attack in the
Medjez-El-Bab area. The First Army was thus less than 27
miles from Tunis.
In the south the juncture of Allied forces was preceded
by a British advance which cracked the enemy defenses
at Wadi El Akarit after the heaviest artillery concentration
employed in the campaign. The two armies met south of
Djebel Chemsi on the Gafsa-Gabes road. This suggested
that the Eighth Army had sent units along the road from
the Oudref area. At the same time the Eighth Army continued
its advance northward, driving hard toward the
next important enemy position at the Sfax harbor.
British sources gave a great deal of credit for the Eighth
Army's success along the coast to the forces of Gen. Patton
at El Guettar. The Americans, forcing their way west of
that town, apparently were able to tie up sufficient German
armor to enable the break near the coast.

In pursuit of retreating Nazis, these little Bren-gun carriers support British
Grenadiers as they reconnoiter the slopes on the way to Kasserine Pass.
The Nazi withdrawal there presaged the 8th Army's advance in the south.

In the Eighth Army's new drive, more than 6000 new
prisoners have been taken with the greatest portion of
these Italian. The Americans were also taking prisoners
but the proportion of Germans ran higher and American
troops suffered heavy casualties.
The enemy used great quantities of land mines which
impeded the advance of Patton's men.
Rommel's retreating troops were under heavy assault by
Allied fighters. An indication of the great part our airmen
were playing in the Tunisian successes was given in the War
Department report that on March 30 alone American
planes made 1399 sorties.
The northern arm of Patton's men was advancing in
the Maknassy area also. Americans moved in force northward
toward Djebel Maizila and maintained pressure
against Mezzouna.
Besides attacking enemy columns and throwing a protective
screen over our land operations in Tunisia Allied
planes struck heavily at enemy bases in Sicily and caused
heavy destruction of shipping and aircraft.
Between attacks on Sicily and on convoys near the Gulf
of Tunis our bombers sank or damaged 17 ships, of which

This is one of the few photos received from the African war zone showing
II Duce's troops without their hands in the air. Received through neutral
sources it shows an Italian gunll squad manning their piece in a cactus clump.

at least seven were sunk. A two-day toll of enemy aircraft
shot down was 71 as compared with 17 lost by our forces.
Attacking the Italian mainland nearly 100 Flying Fortresses
dropped 100-200 tons of bombs on the port of
Naples, which left the harbor littered with 24 crippled
ships and the airport with wrecked planes.
These raids on Sicily, Sardinia, and ports of Southern
Italy were designed not only to damage enemy equipment
but also to immobilize the various ports and supply points
the enemy used for the Tunisian campaign.

IIR OFF~iWF8 Kiel, Antwerp, Essen and
Billancort, just outside Paris,
were among the big targets blasted in the continuing
air offensive Allied planes based in England directed
against Nazi-controlled portions of Europe.
In two successive days of raiding American gunners
destroyed 70 German planes. Forty-seven were shot down
in the attack on the Renault works near Paris and the following
day in the bombing of the Erla Aero Engine Works
in Antwerp 23 more Nazi fighters went down. Escorting
Allied fighters shot down 10 more enemy ships.

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