Evening star., 1943-06-11
Kuban Air Supremacy
Established by Reds
After Violent Battles
Soviet Plane Strength
Believed Responsible
For Present LuII
By the Associated Press.

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MOSCOW, June 1.-THE Rus
sian Air Force has established
supremacy in the Kuban Valley
after two months of violent mass
aerial combat over the Axis
Western Caucasus bridgehead,
dispatches from the front said
today, and this fact was declared
to account for the comparative
lull in fighting in that area.
An Izvestia dispatch said that
since the end Of May Our Stormo-
vik bombers have been able to pun
ish Germans troops on the battle
field at will without loss to them
selves"
Military observers here said it was
understandable that the German
troops were not anxious to fight if
deprived of strong air support and
that the German air force was un-
willing to engage the stronger Rus
sian air fleet, with its faster, higher
climbing planes.
Nazis Reported Shifting Planes.
One other explanation for the
let-down in the Kuban was offered
that the Germans had shifted their
planes to concentrate on bombing
vital targets such as the Cork war
production factories behind the CEN
ter Of the Russian line.
Furthermore, according to these
observers, the Germans expected a
Soviet attack on the central front
rather than in the Kuban, and they
may be holding their air reserves
for use in that sector.
Recent Russian communicates have
been silent on the Caucasus war.
where recently heavy land battles
northeast of Novorossisk and in the
sWamps Of the Kuban delta were
reported supplemented by heavy
aerial warfare.
Inc Soviet midnight communioue
told, however, of a German lunge
yesterday with hundreds of tank
ana plane supported troops against
the Russian lines between Rostoy
and Taganrog, IS miles westward
A temporary German gain was
pushed back by Red Army coun-
terattack which cost the Germans
800 men, five tanks and two planes.
1t was announced.
This is the area along the north
ern shore of the Sea of Azov.
Heavy Losses Around Smolensk.
The noon communique offered no
1urther light on the engagement,
but both the midnight and the noon
war bulletins told of heavy losses
inflicted again on Nazi troops dug in
before Smolensk and in the Sevsk
region northeast of Kursk.
Ihe Russians announced In their
noon communique that Soviet bomb
ers blew up a German troop train
and supply depots in the Lisichansk
region after infantry and artillery
smashed back another German
thrust probing the Soviet Donets
River defenses in that sector.
"a German military conmenta-
tor, 1t. Gen. Kurt Dietmar, hint
ed last night at the imminence of
new German summer offensive.
The front in the East has put on
lat again." he said in a broad
cast from Berlin, asserting that
the German troop dispositions in
Russia now offered a platform
for operations of offensive tend
ency."
tIhe German radio also said
several hundred bombers and
fighter planes" dropped more
than 500 tons of explosives and
more than 100000 fire bombs on a
synthetic rubber plant in a raid
Wednesday night on Yaroslavl,
$50 miles northeast of Moscow.
The raid came after q series of
aerial assaults on armament
plants on Cork, $50 miles east of
Moscow.
CThe Germans asserted they
sent strong bomber formations
back again last night in an as
sault on the Molotov armaments
works In Cork. The claim, not
supported Immediately from any
Russian source, was carried In a
Transocean dispatch broadcast
by the Berlin radio and recorded
by the Associated Press.
(Another German broadcast
said 90 Russian planes were shot
down on the front yesterday by
German fighter planes and anti
aircraft artillery
The Moscow radio acknowledged
the German raid on Yaroslavl, In
which it said houses were DESTROYED,
and declared that In the exchange
OF air assaults large forces Of Rus
sian bombers attacked i've German
airdromes Wednesday night.
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