The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-04-20
Russians Beat
Down HEAVY
Attacks


two japanese alrtelds and a key
harbor in northern Sumatra in
what may be the first blow In the
battle 20 regain Singapore and Ma
laya
Carrier.based planes ripped up
shore installations and the alrfields
a. Sabang and Lhonga yesterday
while the mighty Allied fleet, In.
GLIDING battleships, shelled the Sa-
bang dock yards. twenty-five Jap
anese planes were destroyed on the
ground at Sabang and several 9th.
ers at Lhonga.
The task force commander. Adm.
Sir James SOmergille, commander
in-clhcf OF the British Eastern
fleet. said there was no Allied naval
loss only one plane was forced To
land at sea but the pilot was saved
by a submarine under hail OF
shore fire.
Sabang, n tiny island Off the
northern tip OF Sumatra. lies at Ia
head OF the narrow Straits OF Ma.
acca which separate Sumatra from
Malay and Sabang's excellent har-
Dor undoubtedly is key link in
the japanese supply route TO Buy.
ma.
Sabang and Lhonga. on the sum
atra mainland. ara within easy
bombing range OF Singapore.
Significantly, tho raid occurred
only four days after Adm. Lord
Louis Nomination, Allied supreme
commander In the Southeast Asia
command. moved his headquarters
from New Delhi, India. TO Randy.
Ceylon. British Eastern Fleet head.
quarters are also located on Cey.
ion.
Associated Press war correspond
ent Thoburn Want reported from
1 Mountbatten's headquarters the
/ raid Indicated Admiral Someryllle
now has enough strength for air
sea - ttacks on the Japanese and
I prdsages future amphibious opera.
/ lions.
Whether there was any coincid-
ence or not, tokyo radio reported
Premier TOTO conferred with his
vice ministers today on "problems
requiring Immediate attention
The Japanese invasion into In.
dia suffered another setback ~ hen
British veterans slashed through
road blocks TO contact Allied de-
tenders OF Kohima, indian base 10
miles south OF the important Ben
gal-Assam Railroad Tsnkpaced
British and Indian troops conlin-
ued their Counter.offensiye north
east Of lmphal, 80 miles south OF
kOhima.
Southwest and central Pacific
planes teamed up for air blows
on the 2,OUO-mile string OF Caroline
Islands, hitting such targets "a
l'onape. Woieai. SataWan, Pakin
and ulul Islands. other planes
pounded enemy bases in the far
western portion Of Dutch New
Guinea and dumped 80 tons OF
bombs on Rabaul New Britain
Beat Enemy Down
The Russians announced today
they had beaten down heavy coun-
ter-attacks In the Lwow and Stanis-
laWOw sectors, aimed apparently at
throwing the Red army off balance
and disrupting an offensive into
the rolling plains OF Poland toward
Germany itself
The Germans threw masses OF
planes. tanks and infantry into the
violent see-saw fighting and man
aged to take some towns before
the Russians throttled the threat.
In the Crimea. the cornered GER
mans and Rumanans offered stub
born resistance in the siege OF Sc
yastopOl but were being pressed
step by step toward the sea. Many
prisoners were taken. Moscow said
the Russian brdgehead in Bessars-
bia on the west bank OF the Dnestr
had been widened.
The momentum OF the Russian
drives on all fronts bad been ar
rested, temporarily at least-per-
haDs by mud as much as by the
German defenses. and perhaps by a
creative pause necessary for the
nassiHg and fegreuPihg Of Soviet
forces for the climactic summer
campaign.
British planes scared into Bul.
garia today 10 tsngle the rail yards
Of Ploydiy. 80 miles southeast OF
Sofia. Other Allied planes from
Italy bombed Germ. communics-
tons beyond Rome around Flor
ence. Ancona, Liyorno and Piom-
bino. Street fighting flared again
in casino and the Allies took pris-
oners on the Anzio beachhead and
near the Adriatic
Hitler was s. today and silent.
Goering and Goebbles did the for
ensics urging steady loyalty now
that tho war situation has become
difficult and tense and "a thou
sand dangers may lie ahead"
A few German planes raided
England. In the massive American
attacks on western-sermany yes
ierday centering around Kassel. 81
German planes we're destroyed and
six bombers and two fighters were
lost
Sweden decided to reject an Am
erican and British demarche ask
ing her to halt exports OF ball bear
ings to Germany, a Stockholm news
paper said. Finland delivered her
negative reply TO Russian peace
offers. Turkey interned two fine
RumaniaD passenger ships In the
Bosphorus when they appeared