Evening star., 1942-05-12
Biq-Sca!e Nazi Attack in Crimea
Is Reported Crushed by Russians;
Chinese Beat Japs Back to Burma
Bottle Going On
For Four Days,
Hitler Declares
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Russia's Armies were reported
today to have crushed big-scale
German attack in the Crimea,
frustrating a Nazi drive toward
the great Caucasus oil fields after
four days of heavy fighting.
Soviet dispatches said the Ger
mans apparently were trying to
develop their first full-fedged 1912
offensive.
A bulletin from Adolf Hitler's field
headquarters said German and
Rumanian troops, supported by
strong Nazi air force units, opened
the attack on the Kerch Peninsula
last Friday.
"The battle since then has been
in full swing" Hitler's headquarters
said.
A Berlin broadcast quoted a Ger
man military spokesman as saying
the Crimean action was "the great
offensive operation since the winter
defensive"
Hell Let Loose"
While a Soviet midday COM
munique reported that nothing i'm
portant occurred last night" midi
eating that the German assault had
stopped at least temporarily, a Ber-
lin military spokesman declared:
Hell has been let loose over the
Bolshevik positions in the Kerch
peinsula."
Squadron after squadron of Ger
man planes is racing over the Boil
shevik front, where Junkers BIS are
carrying out dive-bombing attacks" "
German sappers and infantry
were said to have landed behind
Russian lines under fierce IRE.
Berlin military quarters acknowl-
edged the Importance of the Kerch
front but SHE'D at describing the
new action as the start Of a Ger
man spring offensive"
Nazi Casualties Heavy.
Military advices reaching London
said the German onslaught COL
lapsed against the Red Armys Stub
born defense and that counterat-
tacking Russian troops drove the
invaders back into their original
lines with heavy casualties. .e
German infantrymen still held an
advanced point in one sector, it was
said, but now are being fiercely at
tackled by the Russians.
In Moscow the Russians said the
German offensive died overnight.
The Soviet midnight communique
had told of stubborn battles against
the German offensive on the Kerch
Peninsula.
Advices reaching Moscow said the
Nazi attack was preceded by night
mass air raids. Red Star, Soviet
army paper. said the Germans had
been dropping thousands of bombs
in the Crimea, particularly incendi-
aries, but without important re-
suits.
Sappers Land Behind Russians.
The military spokesman in Berlin
said the operations were "the first
great offensive undertaking since
the winter defensive"
He said fierce mopping up oper-
ations on the central front" also
were of mo mean importance"
The Kerch Peninsula is important,
he said, because it has been strongly
fortified for the Russians as "a
springboard for major operations, u
probably for drive to recenquer the
Crimea.
The German and Rumanian
troops were declared to be facing
q numerically superior foe.
Ukraine Drive Doubted.
London military quarters said re-
ports that German army of g.
100000 troops had launched an Of
fensive on the Donets River front
in the Ukraine, were completely
unfounded."
Commenting on the Kerch Pc
ninsula battle, British spokesman
said the NaZi thrust may have been
at least the prelude to a major Of
fensive because "the Germans real
ize they must clear the Kerch Pc
ninsula before advancing from Tag
anrog on to Rostov."
A German communiQue indicated
that the Russians were attempting
to land seaborne reinforcements to
check the assault, reporting that
German planes sank two Soviet
transports totaling 5000 tons anc
several small vessels in attacks of
the Kerch Peninsula and off the
southeast coast Of the Sea of Azov.
100000 Men Involved.
The southern front is the first tt
offer solid footing after the Russian
winter. Military observers long have
forecast that Hitler would make his
first major move of the spring there
Judicious concentration of power
however, is obviously necessary
Premier Joseph Stains effective.
are estimated by the Allied publica
ton Free Europe TO total $50 divi.
sions and the Axis 285-roughly
100000 men against 100000.
The Germans are engaged on two
fronts in the Crimea. They are esti
mated to have lost $4,000 men in vair
attempts to capture Sevastopol, th'
Red Fleet naval base on the south
west coast. At Kerch they face for
tifications the Russians have beer
building ever since combined Sovie
army and navy forces struck from
the Caucasus December 29-31 to re-
gain peninsular positions they hat
lost In October.
In the north the Red Army wa
reported levying a heavy toll ol
German man power and equipmen
In stubborn fighting.
Ukranian guerrillas were reportet
offlcially to have inflicted heav,
losses on the 32d and 46th Hun
garian Infantry Regiments and II
have wiped out big punitive ex
pedition" a few days later.
The Soviet Information Burea,
said the guerrillas liberated severa
Axis-occupied communities, tool
more than 100 prisoners and cap
tNred weapons.