Enormous Losses Fail To Stop Huns

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 166, 16 July 1942, Page 5

Enormous Losses Fail To Stop Huns

FURY AT VORONEZH Red Army Takes Heavy Toll Of Enemy Crossing Don (United Press Association.—Copyright.— Rec. 1 p.m.) -p, D LONDON. July 15. RuSS '* n turner-blows on the Voronezh front have been intensified ,n the past two days. A Moscow message says the enemy at some points has been forced to dig in and fortify his he e9 rol^ ai f y HK man "£ Blandin S in dee P P**> reduced to he role of pillboxes The Russians continue to inflict fearful losses in the Voronezh sector. whk ThC newspap A er Prav da says enemy divisions are simply Srht 'Tjm correspondent gives as an example General w "kr Motonsed Division. which crossed the Don River and was obhged to withdraw after one day's fighting. It was replaced by the 1 68th Division, which has already suffered huge losses. Ihe northern and southern outskirts of Voronezh city are at present the scenes of furious fighting. .Vilh German reserves streaming across the Don at various r,°' n SS situation at Voronezh has become more difficult, says the Moscow journal Izvestia. Enemy shock troops have succeeded in infiltrating into the region of the town, where furious battles are going on. The main German armies from the south encirclemOit^ 6 approa closer to Voronezh in an attempt at Tremendous Air Battles • . . Army, supported by the air force, is vigorously hitting back and inflicting tremendous losses. Russian artillery is destroying pontoon bridges across the Don. on which large numbers of tanks, guns and men have been lost. The Red Air rorce is also dealing smashing blows at the Don crossings, in one day destroying ten tanks and 70 lorries. The battlefield is littered with German dead, smashed tanks and guns, and the smoke-clouded sky echoes the roar of hundreds of battle planes. While the Berlin radio has admitted that the Russians have counter-attacked on the central front, "apparently intending to M; ie , V p broken Soviet front in the southern sector," a German High Command communique states that Axis troops are advancing rapidly along the whole of the Russian offensive front. The Moscow radio has announced that a Russian air force unit dropped hundreds of heavy bombs on an unnamed enemy port, in which five ships were destroyed while refuelling. One ship and the docks were blown up. The Soviet night communique says Soviet troops on Tuesday fought fierce battles against a German army group which broke through in the region of Voronezh. In the region south of Boguchar, Soviet troops were engaged in heavy fighting with advancing German tanks and motorised infantry. No important changes occurred in the other sectors. The Russians are continuing their slow retreat south of Boguchar, according to Moscow messages. They withdrew several miles on Monday, but only after inflicting very heavy losses on the Germans. German pressure is said to be continuing to increase, and one specially powerful thrust was made in one sector, where, through numerical superiority, the Germans advanced despite being engaged by the Russians in a strong rearguard action. A fierce buttle is raging day and night, with Soviet tanks making vicious thrusts and adding to the toll of the advancing enemy.