Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 March 1942 — Page 10
FAT
~ Good Supply System, Clever ‘Hedge Hog’ Defense Keeps Army Intact.
By EDWARD W. BEATTIE United Press Staff Correspondent LONDON, March 1®—Adolf Hitler has escaped—for this |winter— the fate of Napoleon in the snows of Russia. . ; That is the frank, realistic view of the winter war in pressed by. responsible circles which attribute Hi cape to a good supply system and an ingenious method of establishing defensive strong points “hedge hogs” or “porcupines.” . The great -red army winter offensive has been the outstanding allied success of the war | to date and it has smashéd the Nazi plan of conquest to an extent that may not yet be even indicated.
Hitler Holds Strong Px
But as spring approache: how the experts sum up available information rega. eastern front: 1. The Russians in thr have regained about one-f: -the territory invaded by the Nazis whereas in 1812 the grand army of Napoleon was crushed, frozen, slashed to shreds and driven from Russian soil long before rch. 2. Hitler still holds four or five vital strong points which furious Russian pounding may yet destroy and thus bring disaster to the Nazis. 3. The Germans have lost| possibly 2,000,000 men including |a con-servatively-estimated 1,500, up to the time Hitler's was halted for the winter, but both the Nazis and the Soviets|are be-
So
Spring comes to the far north and with it a German threat to slash the allied supply route to Russia. The map shows the route taken by the Nazi battleship Von Tirpitz from a Baltic home port to Trondheim, Norway, an ideal base from which to harass alli ships and Iceland. ,
—
single factor was the “hedge hog” defense which was the result of combined efforts of German military leaders.and German construction experts, once under direction of the late Fritz Todt, builder of the westwall. The “hedge hogs” or porcupinelike strong points are built with infinite skill to resist attack from all directions. They account for the German stands at such key points as Schluesselburg (near Leningrad), Rzhev, Vyazma, Orel, Kharkov and
which are so often mentioned in
army. these “porcupines” by steady re-
just as often risk or lose large num{bers of planes to maintain supply lines to such isolated strong points and it is now acknowledged that they are most difficult to break in winter weather. ' E .
tem, however, does not in any way discount the important gains made by the Russians in their counter offensive since Hitler's armies stalled in the snow last Dec. 6.
greatest winter campaign in history with the idea of destroying the
Both Sides Build Up Forces; |.
Allies Give Russ Credit For Great Stand.
sians are unable to make sweeping advances without endangering their lines in that sector. Reds Use Guerrilla Tactics The most effective method employed by the Soviets had been guerrilla infiltration between the quills of the “porcupine.” These guerrilla forces fan out and strike at the German lines and rear positions and prepare the way for the Red Army advances into the vil-
A Japanese thrust today in the Solomon islands, northeast of
Australia, spread a pincers around
possible attempt to invade eastern Australia, where the
large cities are located.
Japs Peril East Australia |
Prepared in Case- Big
By HAROLD GUARD United Press Staff Correspondent SYDNEY, Australia, March 13.— Australia is preparing a scorched earth program in the belief that the
'|Japanese will soon spread their in-
northern Australia andspresaged a oontinent’s
lages or farm buildings that form the quills. These are the places
Russian communiques as “inhabited localities” captured by the Red
Often the Russians have taken
lentless pounding, but the Germans
The success of this defensive sys-
Hitler Forced to Pay The Red army has fought the
10 (Delayed). — Corregidor, Douglas MacArthur's fortress island in the mouth of Manila bay, stands firm today after taking what its men believe to be, pound for pound and acre for acre, the heaviest airplane bombing attacks on record. :
have * stood up under,
Corregidor Still Stands Firm After Record Bomb Attacks
By FRANK HEWLETT ° United Press Staff Correspondent WITH GEN MacARTHUR, March Gen.
It has cost the Japanese 120
planes officially claimed, and many more damaged and undoubtedly downed, to bomb’ Corregidor. Nearly one-half of some attacking fleets, medium, light and dive bombers, have been shot down by the island’s guns.
Aside from the bombings they bombings
bombers and 13 dive bombers, protected by swarms of fighters, and as many as 400 bombs have been dropped in one day. Destruction has been negligible and beyond doubt most disappointing to Tokyo.
No Fighter Planes
This defense has been put up by a garrison which has no fighter planes to protect it. Guns alone have done the work, and for the moment, at léast, it seemed as if the Japanese regard the cost in planes prohibitive, since only reconnaissance flight have been made recently. Never has a Japanese plane fleet attacked the island and escaped unscathed. On some days from onethird to nearly one-half the at-
vasion area to the islands off the
|coast and then attack the east coast
itself, it was said today in reliable
quarters. It was feared that, after their conquest of Java, the Japanese might find New Guinea, off the northeast - coast, a relatively easy objective. From New Guinea, it was forecast, the Japanese would spread down to the island chain in the New Caledonia-New Hebrides-Fiji group. With bases in this area, it was said, the Japanese would then launch offensives against the Australian east coast where the large cities are located.
Plan Finish Fight
Determined to make any attack on Australia a fight to a finish, the government is completing detailed plans for destruction of everything which the Japanese might be able to use in invagion areas.
A special appeal was made by military authorities, as part of the plan, for destruction of automobiles, bicycles and gasoline supplies in any area attacked. Australia and New Zealand are bound now into a single defensive group with united strategy and tactics worked out to meet an attack.
In both countries men up to 60
; | (U, P).—Claude E. Hester, 20-year- ) {914 Veedersburg, Ind, youth charged . {with sabotage, was free under $1000
Cities Are Attacked. |
SABOTAGE CHARGE
bond today pending a second hearing ‘before federal authorities March 27.. Hester was given a preliminary
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main bases that Hitler wanted % use for his spring offensive. Some of them have been destroyed; others are being pounded relentlessly. The Germans have already been forced to spend far more in men, materiels and planes than they had expected. They are still spending at a high rate, although the British say that Hitler had held back large
and experienced air and mechanized forces throughout the winter. These forces have been in western Russia and in southern Europe,
Tanganrog. They are adapted to suit the circumstances and terrain but a good example would be as follows: 9 The Germans pick a fair-sized town as the key to a strong point that they intend to defend to the limit. It is a town that the Russians must take to consolidate gains or to make long advances in that certain sector.
All Buildings Fortified Virtually all of the buildings in
which they believe to be heavier|tacking force was shot down.
SE Ste 55 REPORT AXIS SUB RAMMED LIFEBOATS
ering that Corregidor is only 15 square miles in area, the men of the fortress claim another record. Coastal Guns Effective The crews of the great coastal] PHILADELPHIA, March 13 (U. P.) —An axis submarine, after shelling and sinking ‘a medium-sized American tanker in the Caribbean area, ran down and sank two life-
guns say these are the first Amerboats and a life raft loaded with
ican sea coast guns to be fired at an enemy target: since the Civil helpless survivors, it was revealed today.
years of age have been made subject to military duty. J
Spurt in War Effort
All eastern Australia had firmly in mind now the tragedies of Malaya and Java, and there is a marked spurt in the war effort. Maj. Gen Henry Gordon Bennett, who escaped from Singapore after commanding Australian troops in Malaya, said in a luncheon speech this week: : “We must train and work hard, Australia will never surrender to the Japanese but will fight to the last man and will win through.”
million men ready for the showdown this spring.
Train Huge New es
4. German air armies hgve been resting in the south of Europe and Hitler has new tanks, planes and . other equipment ready to an all out drive on the Caucagus this spring. The Russians, top, have been training huge new armies and producing equipment in the Urals. A realistic survey of the winter war in Russia detracts |nothing (the town are then fortified; that from the great Russian confribution (is, they are systematically reinto the allied cause by emphasizing {forced by construction experts,
lieved to have armies of To or five
war. That was when the 14-inch mortars knocked out a Japanese force which landed on the coast, on the flank of the Bataan penin-
“
BULOVA BULOVA ELGIN
that for the most part German resistance has been of the most stubborn sort and by the toughest kind of troops. Only once has there been panic among the Axis forces on a large scale and that was when the enemy broke before Rostov and ‘fled 40 miles in disorder back tq Taganreg, where they have since withstood
turned into small forts, pill boxes, camouflaged artillery emplacements. Then the “quills” of the hedge hog are fortified. These “quills” stretch out on all approaches to the town usually over & long area. A tiny village may form one of the “quills” of the porcupine, An-
other may be centered in a little
where they have been training with new and more powerful weapons of war, but in recent days some of them have been reported rushing to the front—as at Staraya Russa— to bolster threatened strong points. The next six weeks of slush and mud may tell the story. In that period the Russian offensive may
sula troops, cracked the enemy resistance and prevented reinforcements.
last month. They
A Japanese prisoner taken in this
area, asked why he came out of hiding in a cave ‘to surrender, said he did not come out but was blown out by the concussion of a 14-incher which exploded nearby.
The fourth naval district announced late last night that four seamen, probably the only survive ors of the 38 in the crew, had been landed here.
SPEAKS TOMORROW
The government issued new orders today for men in reserved occupations who might be exempted from military service because they are working on essential war products.
Will Regroup Labor
Industries were divided into three groups. It was intended to regroup
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bog down, or it may crack the German strong points wide open, :
T0 M’GUFFEY CLUB labor so that only such men: of
The Indiana McGuffey club will military age as were essential for the supply of food stuffs, munitions and civilian services to the armed forces would be exempt. It was made public that a total of 1800 women and 400 men had been evacuated from New Guinea
tremendous Russian pressure. * German Resistance Explained
. How were the Germans able to avoid defeat this winter? Military men say that| Hitler's modern supply system — something that Napoleon never even dreamed ‘about—is largely responsible. Air supply lines were often used when ~ other methods failed. But perhaps the most important
group of farm buildings. In each case these “quills” are turned into small forts which completely encircle the central or key town. They are manned by tough, hardened troops. ; The German strategy is designed to hold these strongpoints rather than to hold a solid line, such as was represented by a trench in the world war. So long as the “porcupine” is in German’hands the Rus-
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Drop Tons of Bombs
Gorresider lies ous meet at 2 p. m. tomorrow in the Gen. 2 Se. fiom en MesATiur's | Betas Ce war Memorial bung. 10 southern shore of the bay. The|hear ‘Miss Kathryn McPherson Japanese have Manila, but they|speak in connection with the piccannot use its harbor. ture, “The Navy in Action.” " Conservatively, the men on the| Mrs. Florence MacDonald will since Jan. 1. island estimate that the Japanese sing “Ave Maria,” “Faith in Lady McNichol, wife of Brig. Gen. have dropped 1500° bombs on them. Spring” and “Pearl Harbor Song. Sir Walter McNichol, administrator There was one fleet of 144 heavy Mrs. E. B. Daniels will preside, of New Guinea, said today that all vital utilities likely to be useful to the Japanese had been destroyed when Lae and Salamaua were evacuated, including the great air field at Salamaua.
AUSTRALIAN LEADER AWAITS FDR REPLY
CANBERRA, Australia, March 13 (U. P.).—Prime Minister John Curtin confirmed today that he had sent an important message to President Roosevelt and it was understood that a formal reply was awaited. The message, which may have concerned united nations use of Australia as an offensive as well as defensive base, was delivered to Mr. Roosevelt ‘by Minister Richard Casey at Washington.
AMERICANS ESCAPE CHINESE NATIVES
KUMMING, China, March 11 (Delayed) (U. P.).—Two American near exhaustion
RUSS ACCUSE VICHY AGAIN LONDON, March 13 (U.P.).—Russia, persisting in its charge that the Vichy government is handing over French warships to Germany, said today that the Germans were operating special naval schools at numerous French ports to train German seamen to operate the ships.
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