The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-13

London, May 1s-(UP)--A bitter
 nd battle for the strategic Crimea
 ntnsula was reported still raging today despite German claims of vic- l1zy ns Russian Stormovik anti lsnk planes, purported Nazi secret HeapOn and American triple-turret lenks were thrown into the first summer offensive blows on the east mn front.
 A c0namunique issued from Adolf Aitler'g headquarters and broadcast by radio Berlin claimed that the battle of the Kerch peninsula, crimean gateway to the Caucasus oil fields, had been won, that the Red army forces there had been 0gurrsan, encircled and annihilated and that 10000 prisoners had been taken.
 But British reports said that the battle still was in progress with 2,B00 Germans and scores of tanks and dive bombers destroyed. The Soviet war communique laconically reported that nothing of impor- tance took place." although on one southern sector the Germans were driven from fortified positions and 15O prisoners taken.
 PrOgress Is Clouded
 British military experts, analysing conflicting reports from the Crimea acknowledged that the progress of fighting still was clouded, but pointed out that the German claims of overwhelming success in the past had often proved erroneous or in- accurate.
 Entry of American as well as British tanks into the battle line on the eastern front was disclosed by the Soviet war correspondent, Ilya Ehrenbourg, in a dispatch to the United Press. At the same time, the Germans renewed their air att tacks on Murmansk harbor and the northern sea route to Russia in an- other effort to cut off American and British supplies to the Red army.
 "Our tanks emerge victorious in equal combat" Ehrenbourg wrote. Hut let me say that British tanks now feel more at home. The first American triple -turret tanks have already appeared in battle"
 The fighting on the Crimean front was probably as intense as any battle of the Russian war, since 1t was fought mainly on narrow sector only about two miles wide, with huge tank and air forces nnassed on both sides.
 The Germans were using fleets of liive-bomberS to lead their onslaughs against strong Red army fortifica- tlonR, presumably just east of Feo- nnsiya: on the South Crimea coast, while the Russians were using their famed Stormovik planes and their new two-Tnan armor-piercing rifles against the Nazi tanks concentra- tiono.
 New Russian Planes
 Tiae Stormovik planes are one of the outstanding developments of the Russian war and formidable weapon against tanks by admission 0f the Nazis, who first described them as almost invlunerable to or- dinary gunfire and as firing a s'whlrling rocket-like" projectile that ,nierces tank armor. The Russians, however, have given out no inform ntfon about the Stormoviks, which they have been turning out in in- cEeasing numbers.
 Although no definite positions were given, the Russian official news agency reported from the lighting front today that the Red army was inflicting heavy losses on attacking units of Hitler's "spring offensive" armies and told of one engagement in which the enemy was driven back by tremendous fire power of Russian soldiers using automatic rifles.
 The dispatch said the enemy had moved up large achievements to attack a Russian position, using trucks carrying about 30 men each. I,ong-range artillery also was brought into action by the Germans and Junkers planes, kept at a high level by Soviet gunfire, bombed the defense line without important re- suits.
 "At 7:1O a. m. the Germans started artillery preparation and then attacked in seven groups with numerical superiority of three or four to one," the dispatch said. "At first, the Germans pressed the Sov- let troops back. Our artillery was brought up and two units were sent to the German rear. Then began the counter-attack on the whole front. The Germans ran, abandon ing their arms and ammunition and we re0ained our positions"
 The German communique, in con- trast. claimed complete victory on the Kerch front.
 The German communique claimed that zO,O00 Russians had been taken prisoner, that the Germans were apursuing the beaten Russians to- ward Kelch," on the eastern side of the peninsula, and that the Rus- sfane had lost 1O7 tanks, 508 guns and 260 planes.
 No substantiatiOn
 There was nothing from any re" liable source to suhstantiate Hitler's cornmunique. Front line reports said, on the contrary, that the Ger mans had gained almost nothing since they began the attack last Friday.
 The British commentator said the attack might be preliminary of the spring offensive that Hitler had promised so long, but so far, the battle was purely 6 local opera" fion.
 sThe Kerch battle is attack and counter -attack and there is no eyi. denca presently to make us believe