Daily Post - 16.02.1943, Side 1

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Red Army Takes Rostov
Rjti Reelected
New York, Feb. 15th.
The .re-election .of .Risto
Ryti os President of Fin-
land was announced today
by the Finnish Radio. Ryti
was re-elected hy a vote of
269 out of the 300 votes in
the Electoral College.
Commenting on the news,
Senator Elbert Thomas of
Utah, a member of the Sena-
te Foreign Relations Com-
mittee, stated:
“I feel it is high time we
do something to shake the
Finnish people out of the
complacent attitude veiden-
ced in their relations with
the U. S. A. They know
there is a large number
of German troops on Finnish
soil. They know they are not
there in transit or to recu-
perate. They are there as
fighting units. Under such
circumstances the statement
that we are not actually at
war with Finland is open to
serious question. 1
Germans Fleeing From
Donetz Basin Trap
Glosing In On Kharkov
London, February 15th.
A special ccnnmunique issued by Moscow last night announ-
ced two more resounding Russian victories: the capture of Ros-
tov and Voroshilovgrad.
Moscow war correspondents
now report the whole German
position in thp Don to be
crumbling, with the Red Army
driving westwards on a 100
mile front between Voroshilov-
grad and Rostov, and more than
a quarter of a million Ger-
mans in flight towards Tagan-
rog, on the northern shore of
the Sea of Ázov.
TAGANROG UNDER FIRE
To-day’s Russian communi-
que reports the Red Army al-
ready well west of both these
important towns. The southern
arm of the rapid Soviet advan-
ce is bearing down on Tangan-
rog, which is said to be already
under fire from Soviet long
range guns, across the 10 mile
The Battleship Richelien
Arrives In New Vork
London, February 15th.
The 35,000 ton French battleship “Richelieu”, and two other
French warships, have arrived in America, from Dakar, to
undergo repair and then join the United Nations fleets.
The “Richelieu” was escorted
all the way by U.S. destroyers,
and according to reports she
rode through one of the worst
storms her crew had ever ex-
perienced. The sailing was
made under General Giraud’s
orders, and the big battleship,
with the cruiser and the des-
troyer accompanying her, will
be a valuable addition to the
Allied naval strength.
The “Richelieu” is to be re-
conditioned in Amercan ship-
yards. It will be recalléd that in
the exchange of hostilities fol-
lowing General de Gaulle’s
attempt to land at Dakar, she
was damaged by air torpedóes
and depth charges from
motor launches, and has lain
there crippled for two years.
wide Taganrog Bay, the north-
easternmost reach of the Sea of
Azov. A non-stop blitz is being
kept up against the German
line of retreat, against the only
line left the enemy from Tagan-
rog to Stalino, and thence west-
wards.
DONETZ POSITIONS
CRUMBLING
The Russians are steadily
narrowing the bottleneck
through which the German for-
ces must pass in their retreat,
and if they do not get away
quickly, immense quantities of
equipment will have to be aban-
doned through lack of trans-
port.
At least two large German
forces, who have been left be-
hind through the speed of the
Soviet advance, are now faced
with annihilation or capture.
Their exact location is not giv-
en, but in the words of to-day’s
Russian communique, the
whole position of the Germans
in the Donbas area is rapidly
crumbling.
VOROSHILOVGRAD TAKEN
Voroshilovgrad, right in the
heart of the vital Donbas, has
a population of 200,000, and the
second largest locomotive
works in the world. Following
its capture, our Allies are
steadily closing in on Kharkov,
the all important centre of the
German defences in South Rus-
sia. Four powerful Soviet
columns, the nearest only 10
miles from the city, are busily
preparing for a concentrated
attack on the town, from which
the only way of retreat still
open to the Nazis is west' and
south-west. The Soviet Air
Force is keeping up attacks on
the railway lines in this direc-
tion, stringed with trains —
presumably troops trains — all
going in a westerly direction,
a fact, which appears to bear
out the unconfirmed reports
that the Germans are going to
clear out of the city without
resistance, given enough time
to do so.
CAUCASUS—MOSCOW
LINE OPEN
The importance of the recap-
ture of Rostov, which has now
changed hands for the fourth
time since Hitler’s attack on
Russia, can hardly be overes-
timated, and is the main topic
of all Moscow correspondent’s
dispatches to-day. It opens up
for Russian use the main trunk
line running from Caucasus all
the way to Moscow, meaning
the supplies of meat and grain
will soon be flowing to the capi-
tal, and, of no less importance,
that the oil from Baku will now
pass unhindered to Moscow and
the Central front.
TWO QUOTATIONS
The recapture of the city
brings back to mind the boast-
ful mouthings of Mussolini’s
mouthpiece, Ansaldo, in the
Rome Radio, in November
1941: “ . . . The gate to the Cau-
casus is now wide open for the
Axis. No winter can hold them,
no cold deter them. The irresis-
tible Axis forces are now free
to move on to the Urals and
even beyond, if necessary“.
The great Russian news-
paper “Pravda”, to-day re-
minds its Red Army readers
that there are only eight days
left till the 25th anniversary of
the Red Army. In that time, the
paper says, “l_et there be new
important victories”.