NAZIS’ FRANTIC BID

Evening Star, Issue 24281, 24 August 1942, Page 3

NAZIS’ FRANTIC BID

EM FORCES MASSING

EFFORT TO GUT OFF STALINGRAD FROM CAUCASUS

LONDON, August 21,

“ Throughout the day we fought the enemy in areas to the south-east of Kletskaya, to the north-east of Kotelnikovo, to the south-east of Pyatigorsk, and to the south of Krasnodar,” says a Moscow communique. “ Our units at Kletskaya counter-attacked and dislodged the enemy from several inhabited localities. Fierce fighting continues to the south-east of Kletskaya, and the enemy is attempting to cross to the east hank of the Don. Groups which crossed the river suffered heavy casualties. The Germans to the north-east of Kotelnikovo succeeded in driving a wedge into the Russian positions.. Bitter fighting is going on. Wo repulsed an attack in this area, and inflicted severe losses. Southward of Krasnodar we fought defensive engagements and repelled two attacks. Our troops in one sector, after heavy fighting, retired to new positions.”

All the reports from the front agree -that the battles in the Don elbow ‘have reached a pitch of frenzy surpassing anything in the hundreds of furious encounters during the past month in the whole of the Kietskaya region. FieldMarshal von Bock is still massing enormous reinforcements opposite the newly-established bridgehead at the Don bend, ready for a vital thrust against Stalingrad, and it is estimated that 500,000 troops and thousands of tanks and aircraft have' been assembled for a frantic bid to cut off Stalingrad from the Caucasus.

Russian newspapers emphasise that the coming German attack on the citywill be more dangerous than ever. Marshal Timoshenko is rushing up all the available reserves, but the Germans maintain superiority in men and materials in this crucial sector. Moscow admits that the Russian positions are precarious, in spite of the destruction of tho greater part of the force which crossed the Don.

Tho Berlin radio claims that Germans and Rumanians in an area of the lower Kuban captured Krymskaya and Kurtchanskaya. The Moscow radio says tho Russians on the Voronezh front continue to advance at one point in spite of five successive German tank attacks. Fierce battles are continuing along the west bank of the Don near Voronezh. Russian resistance is stiffening south of Krasnodar, with the fighting assuming an even fiercer character. The Germans succeeded in advancing on August 21 only after an engagement in which they suffered heavy losses. German attacks on all other sectors of this front have been beaten back.

A Moscow communique says: “ Our warships in the Barents Sea sank one minelayer and two coastguard vessels, while warships in tho Baltic Sea sank a 15.000-ton tanker.”

“ The German West Caucasian push against the distant approaches to Novorossisk and Tuapse has stuck for the moment before the mountain chain backing these important seaports,” says the Stockholm correspondent of ‘ The Times.’ “ The Russians mention hard fighting to the south of Krasnodar, but the Germans have apparently not yet reorganised sufficiently to tackle the hazardous task of a determined drive through the difficult hill chain. The German progress to the east was hitherto made by spurts, the most recent of which carried them through part of the Spa district.”