The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-12

T OMuGA6u3 AAV AA0W kkA AAA0 AA&AAtS@ VI Q sub-tropical spring favoring me- chanized warfare, while the north- ern and central fronts are still deep i in mud.
 Recent neutral reports said zit- Ter was prepared to stake his future on an attempt by 100000 to l.. 250,0OO, troops, bacsSed by the bulk of his mechanical equipment and planes, to drive through the Crimea to the Caucasus, while 100000 to 3,O0OO0O second line troops, many of them recruited from vaSsal coun- tries, defensively held the rest of the line.
 Win Or Lose An
 (These reports said the offensive would be a win or all or lose all affair; that few troops would be held in reserve and If the Russians, with 6 preponderance of manpow- CT, smashed the drive, 1t probably would mean the defeat also of all the defending forces scattered north to Leningrad.
 CThe Germans might be starting Q pincers movement, one arm of which would try to push into the ] Caucasus from the Kerch peninsula, while the other arm stabbed along the north shore of the Sea of Azov, toward Rostov.
 London observers pointed out that if the Germans succeeded in crossing the Kerch Strait, they would be in the rear of Marshal Tilno- shenko's forces around Rostov, 200 miles to the northeast.
 Military circles in London said they believed the Kerch attack was in considerable force, inasmuch as tho Soviet communique had spectfi- cally mentioned 1t. If 1t really was the first step of an all.out offen- sive, they said the Germans could be expected almost immediately to attack other key points in the Cau- casus and fighting would mount to an unprecedented scale.
 Account of Fighting
 London, May 12- CUP) = Axis armies attempting to start an of- fensive through the Crimea toward the Caucasian oil fields appeared today to have been smashed back at most points with severe losses by what the Berlin radio called num- erically superior" Red army forces.
 Details of the fighting on the Kerch Peninsula, where Adolf Hit Ter may be trying to launch his long -heralded summer offensive with powerful air support and new weapons" still were lacking. But the German propaganda broadcasts, which first described the first great offensive operation" of lS42 as "in full swing" later said German military circles were mot inclined to describe this battle for the Kerch Peninsula as the begin. ming of the spring offensive"
 The Berlin radio also complained that the Kerch sector had uncom- lnonly strong fortiAcatlons" and that the Germans and Rumanians there were facing "a numerically superior enemy"
 The Nazi propaganda broadcast indicated that the opening move in the offensive on May 8 was a land ing by Axis infantry mad SapperS behind the Russian lines. It made no mention however of what had happeed to the men who made the landing four days ago. thus sug- gesting that nothing further had been heard from them.
 Maxi Made Some Advance
 A British military commentator said the Germans apparently made some progress on the northern part of their front but that elsewhere they seemed to have been smashed back to their original positions.
 The Russian communique, after having told of the offensive earlier, remarked today that nothing of importance developed during the night.
 Dispatches from Mosco, however, said Soviet confidence in victory this year was growing as a result of the increasing strength of the Red army and indications that Ger many's strategic raw materials are rapidly nearing the exhaustion point"
 A new offensive with perhaps l. 100000 Axis troops striking at the Yenikale short cut" to the Crimea and the middle east and another two or three million holding the still muddy central front against Soviet diversion ofTensives long has been expected. But the British conn mentator pointed out that reports so far did not indicate that massive German forces were being used in the attack on the Kerch Peninsula, although both Berlin and Moscow indicated the importance of the drive by describing 1t in war com- muniques. The NaA high command said the action was "in full swing"
 Significantly, 1t was pointed out here, the first reports from the crimea suggested change in Ger man tactics, as had been predicted by Allied military sources. There was no indication that Hitler again was attempting the BIitzkrieg methods that were successful in Europe but failed on the vast fronts of Russia.
 Hitler FeEeeA tO Change
 On the contrary, the Red army's success in working out a technique to crush Nazt Panzer attacks with heavy losses appeared to have forced Hitler to fall back on something like a mOdernized version Of the German army methods in the World War,
 Against this long.expected Ger. man attempt to resume the 0ffenS siye, the Russians have been pres pairing for weeks, aided by American and British shipments Of war ma. teTiais and R big reserve army, trained beyond the Urals and Fes gently moved to the front. one Of the chief Red army defenses against the 0nslanghteg--lg t develops expected t0 be a diversion offensive on the central oF Ukraine front ln agl effort to drive through to the ' enemy rear,