WITHIN THE DON BEND

Evening Star, Issue 24289, 2 September 1942, Page 5

WITHIN THE DON BEND

RUSSIANS PUSH FORWARD AXIS ATTACKS IN CAUCASUS REPELLED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 1. A supplementary Soviet communique says that in the region north-west of Stalingrad the Russians fought fierce actions against the enemy group which had driven a wedge into their lines of defence. In consequence of their huge losaea of men and material the Germane attempted to bring up reinforcements. A Soviet reconnaissance unit discovered an enemy column of lorries carrying troops and army supplies, and their artillery and aircraft attacked and routed this column, destroying a majority of the lorries. Within the Don bend, in the region of Kletskaya, the Russians have pushed forward , Italian troops in this sector were overwhelmed, and prisoners and war material were captured. In the region north-east of Kotelnikovo the Russians repelled enemy tank and infantry attacks. On one sector of this front the Germans succeeded in driving a wedge into the Soviet defences. South of Krasnodar, in the Caucasus, the Russians repelled enemy attacks. One unit destroyed three German tanks and wiped_ out one infantry company. In one region the Germans dropped 200 parachute troops in the Russians’ rear. They were surrounded, however, and completely annihilated. A Moscow message reports a successful Red Air Force attack against two German airfields on the Leningrad front, where about 100 aircraft were concentrated. Fifteen German planes were shot down and 20 destroyed, and 16 were badly damaged on the ground. British journalists report that the Russian offensive against Rjev has developed into two main' thrusts north and south of the city, which have swung inward, but have not yet joined up. _ The Russians hare cut tho railway leading to the west from Rjev. Thus the German garrison, which is estimated at 90,000 picked troops, has lost the last connection with its supporting points. The Russians west of Rjev are slowly forcing the Germans to the southeast. Along the right bank of the Volga the Germans are repeatedly launching heavy counter-attacks on all sectors. Correspondents state that the Germans in some sectors have lost 60 per cent, of their personnel under Russian barrages in which the new Russian gun, “Katyusha,” figured largely. Correspondents saw craters 30ft in diameter and 15ft deep where the “ Katyusha’s ” projectiles exploded. The “ Katyusha ” i* a big mortar. Before opening the central front offensive the Russians doubled and in some places tripled the main highway going to the west from Volokolamsk to give military traffic the required momentum An unusually wet summer left the heavy clay terrain waterlogged, which threatened to impede the advance. Soviet sappers felled thousands of trees along a forest road, after which they nailed great boards across logs at chassis width. The log-fellers cleared a wide strip on each side which served as a tank highway. SOVIET BLACK SEA FLEET RUMOUR OF SALE TO TURKEY BERNE. September 1. The ‘ Basler Nachrichten ’ quotes a Balkan rumour that Russia intends to sell the Black Sea fleet to Turkey. England and America are stated to be willing to finance the purchase.

Such of the cable news in this issue as is so* headed has appeared in • The Times,’ and is sent to this paper by special permission It should be understood that the opinions are not those of ‘ The Times ' unless expressly stated to be so.