FURTHER DETERIORATION

Evening Star, Issue 24290, 3 September 1942, Page 5

FURTHER DETERIORATION

Position Before Stalingrad New Russian Line In South-west Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright (Reo. 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, September 2. The position before Stalingrad has further deteriorated. The British United Press correspondent in Moscow says the Russians have withdrawn to a new line in the southwestern approaches to the city, making their fourth withdrawal in 48 hours. The Germans have drawn in reserve troops and tanks from other points for the north-western drive and Stukas are pounding the Russians’ positions. Both sides are suffering heavily in day and night battles. The Russians are firmly holding the bridgeheads on the west bank of the Don near Kletskaya and have taken a sixth large village. ‘ Izvestia ’ says the Russians at Kletskaya are widening the area reconquered in the territory on the western bank of the Don. German reinforcements were rushed up and thrown in immediately, but the counter-attacks failed. Savage battles are being fought out in the mountain passes ia the west Caucasus, where the Germans are flinging in crack alpine units to burst through to Novorossisk. According to the Vichy radio, the Luftwaffe is incessantly bombing Novorossisk. The Moscow radio declares that the Germans are continuing their efforts to pierce the Russian lines south of Krasnodar in an attempt to reach the Black Sea, but are held in practically every sector and have suffered tremendous losses. Guerrillas on the Bryansk front killed General Guderian's right-hand man, Staff-colonel Botorff. To-night’s Soviet communique states that on September 1 Soviet troops waged fierce battles north-west and southwest of Stalingrad. On other sectors of the front there have been no important changes. A supplement adds that in the region of Kletskaya, inside the bend of the Don, several German and Italian attacks were repelled. In a sector of the central front the enemy launched an attack by an infantry regiment and 40 tanks. The attack was repelled by artillery, and 400 of the enemy were killed and five enemy tanks were destroyed and six damaged. On the Leningrad front reconnaissance activity and artillery duels occurred.