Daily Post - 29.05.1943, Side 4

DAILY POST
Iceland As A
Food Prodacer
Tbor Tbors’ Statement
8th Army Sappers At Work
British sappers marking the cleared area at Gabes Gap with signs
and white tape.
• ' 'N :
Big Raid On Lae jNews !n Brief
*x.
Sharp Fightino
Oa Knbaa Front
London, May 28th.
In Russia, sharp land fight-
ing has again broken out on
the Kuban front after a long
period of comparative quiet.
The Germans, say that Sov-
iet forces, six divisions strong,
are lanuching strong attacks in
the region of Krimskaya, 18
miles north-east of the Black
Sea port of Novorossiisk. The
Nazis also admit to have fallen
back a mile and a half on a
front several miles wide.
So far, Moscow has not con-
firmed the German report, and
only mentions German attacks
in the Kuban area, which—to-
day’s communique says—have
all been thrown back. The
Germans did succeed in cross-
ing the Kuban river at one
point, but as the Germans ad-
vanced on the Russian posi-
tions, our Allies held their fire
until the Nazis were at close
range. Then the Russians let
fly their artillery, rifle and
machine-gun fire, and drove
the enemy back to his original
positions.
Big air battles are still re-
ported from this sector. The
losses the Luftwaffe suffers,
show the scale of the fighting;
yesterday its losses were 64 air-
craft as against 13 Russian
planes.
V. G. For Leader
01 Raid ðn Dams
London, May 28th. The King
and Queen yesterday talked
with the men who made the
raid on the Moehne and Eder
dams in Germany, and con-
gratulated Wing Commander
G. P. Gibson, who has just
been awarded the V.C.
Wing Commander Gibson,
who led the raids, has twice
won the D.S.O. and D.F.C., and
the winning of the V.C. makes
him the most decorated man of
the war.
Wing Comander Gibson
made the initial attack on the
Moehné dam, descending to
within a few feet of the water,
and repéated his áction when
the Eder' dam was breached.
He thén circled low for 30
minutes to draw the enemy
fire while the rest of the Brit-
ish pilots finished the job.
Thor Thors, Icelandic Min-
ister to the U.S.A. has made a I
statement on behalf of the Ice- *
landic delegation attending the
United Nations Food Confer-
ence.
He revealed, in the course of
his speech that Iceland has
made great progress during the ;
past 40 years, particularly in j
the improved production of its I
fisheries and agriculture.
“Industries connected with
fisheries have been developed
to ensure important supplies so
that the cod liver oil and fish
canning industries could be
expanded,” he said.
“In th last jew decades
Iceland has exported jish
and jish products in quanti-
ties jar exceeding that oj
any other nation per capita.
In the present war the sup-
ply oj jish jrom Iceland has
been oj considerable impor-
tancee in the jood program
oj the United Nations which
is evidenced by the jact that
the total jish catch oj 1942
yielded 1,100,000,000 pounds
by jar the greater part oj
which has been exported.”
“Encouraged by progressive
legislation and liberal credit
facilities, Icelandic agriculture
has made great progress in re-
cent years. The acreage of
cultivated land has been ex-
tended, dairy production has
increased, lamb and wool ex-
ports have grown in volume.”
“Iceland, although the smal-
Iest sovereign nation in the
world, is desirous and pleased
to participate in and make its
small contribution to the co-
operation of the nations of the
world.”
Lesð Lease iids
Frencb Army
Mr. Stettinius, United States
Lease-Lend Administrator, has
revealed that war equipment
and suplies worth 18 3A million
pound Sterling have been sent
to the French Army. in North
, Africa on LL terms. The sup-
plies, which included tanks and
other combat vehicles, háve
cnabled íhe French Army to be
put cn full war footing.
London, May 28th. In the
South-West, Allied bombers
have made the heaviest raid
yet in this war zone on the
Japanese base at Lae.
Today’s communique from
General MacArthur’s HQ re-
ports that a strong force of
Allied bombers dropped a
heavy weight of bombs, in-
cluding 2,000 pounders, on the
aerodrome at Lae in New Gui-
nea, and successfully hit a
number of supply dumps. No
interception was attempted by
the enemy.
Medium bomber units made
a low level attack on Madang
aerodrome and radio station.
Other formations bombed ob-
jectives on the Kei Islands.
The enemy yesterday at-
tacked Wairopee and other
points on the New Guinea
north coast.
Fiirílier Heaw fiir
. RaiiH h vros^ect
London, May 27th. Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
has arrived in Monfreal, Can-
aaa, on a private visit to her
daughter, Princess Juliana.
This is the Queen’s third At-
lantic crossing by air.
* * *
Sir Walter Leighton, who
has been head of the Planning
Department of the 'Ministry of
Supply, has resigned. The Min-
ister of Production, Sir Oliver
Lyttleton, has announced that
he will be succeeded by Sir Ro-
bert Sinclair, who will also be
chief executive of the Ministry
of Production.
Quiet In Burma
London. In Burma, with the
exception of a few patrols, no
land activity is reported. How-
ever, the R.A.F. is keeping up
its offensive, bombing and
strafing enemy positions, brid-
ges and lines of communica-
tion.
London. — In the House of
Ccmmons, the Deputy Prime
Minister, Mr. Attlee, was asked
by a member whether the Gov-
ernment would considér any
representation made by a neu-
tral country to abándon air
bombing.
Mr„ Attlee replied that the S
destruction of the Axis war ;
potential was a major and viíal j
part of our offénsive plans, and !
neither the enemy nor anyone >
else could divert us from it. .
Snpplies To Ghina
London. Another sidelight
on how the Allies are getting
supplies to China was given in
the U.S. LL Administrator
Stettinius revealed that petrol
supplies were now being sent
by air írom Tndia to China.
The Y.M.C.A. hut will be
closed all day today for re-