APPALLING GERMAN LOSSES AT VORONEZH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 170, 21 July 1942, Page 5

APPALLING GERMAN LOSSES AT VORONEZH

ENEMY DRIVEN BACK

Bigr Soviet Reserves To Meet Menace In South

Unltrrl Press Association.—Copyright Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, July 20. The Germans are continuing to fall nack from Voronezh, says a Moscow message. Their losses 'in men and material are appalling, and the mu 1 blnws are getting stronger. The fiercest fighting has occurred between the Don River and the \nronezh River. The Times Stockholm correspondent says that although several larger German units hav<» been driven back into the River Don, Voronezh cannot be considered safe, as the Germans attach the greatest military prestige to capturing and holding Voronezh and are now rushing up further reinforcements in an effort to make good their claim of July 7 that Voronezh harl fallen.

The Red Army has captured one of the most important Don bridgeheads, over which German tanks and infantry had poured to the east bank near Voronezh. After the Russians had been In what the correspondent called a tough spot, they pushed the enemy back to the east bank of the river. Despite fierce enemy counterattacks the Russians have held their positions on the west bank. The Russians are now fighting to resist the threat to all the towns they hold west of the Rostov railway. A correspondent says it seems inevitable that Marshal Timoshenko will have to fall back further eastward, if he has not already done so. A number of withdrawals near Voroshilovgrad, the important industrial centre in the eastern Ukraine, have been made, and it was announced last night that the Russians had withdrawn from Voroshilovgrad itself. Timoshenko'd Reinforcements Marshal Timoshenko has received hig reinforcements for the defence rrf the Lower Don and Russian parachutists have landed behind the German lines at Taganrog and over a wide area west and north of the main battle zone. The Russians are estimated to have 1,000,000 well trained and well equipped men in the north Caucasian region who have not yet been in action. The Russian forces withdrew from Voroshilovgrad after desperate battles In the streets, leaving the city little more than a flaming bonfire, and with its factories levelled. The Dally Telegraph Stockholm correspondent says the Russians are in danger of losing the industrial districts of the Donetz and the lower Don, including the towns of Shakhtui, Gorlovka, Makeyevka, Lozovaia and Drematorskala, and even the great harbour and production centre of Rostov itself. The Vich* radio states that the Germans are approaching Novocherkask, north-east of Rostov. Russian local attacks in the Lake Ilmen area, south of Leningrad, continue to gain in weight, especially in the Staraya Russa region, where the Russians sl£e the middle of last week have ma" territorial progress despite clogging mud. According to a German High Command spokesman, strong Russian forces escorted by tanks and planes attacking in the past few days south of Lake Ilmen achieved breaches in German positions, but the breaches were immediately closed. OFFENSIVE TRAINING Rer. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, July 20. Training for offensive action for the non-operational section of the R.A.F. has been Introduced by the R.A.F, Army Co-operation Command. and clerical workers, fitters, armourers and others are being put through a gruelling assault course. The majority of the men undergoing tlvs training are from scdent;.. (iv dian occupa' i >ns, but they aic i the Hairing and declare tini i •• i : them fitter than tver ti: . ,i-|■ .i'.s the lio . i ... ... v .; h t ii'.-y c.nild t\ i. . t"> inert in .n. ii'id. such as .shi I! uiUiic. . cntuns'l-ii« r 'V- : - aru -' ralli.-i.dis. If they art: slow in getting through obstacles, they arc he!| .lon by harmless bomb.- M r.huviial 'lanatt has expcsso'i hi ;i ■ ■. ol' the prog inu au . l.- in . ,v> ■ it.