DANGER TO NOVOROSSISK

Evening Star, Issue 24294, 8 September 1942, Page 3

DANGER TO NOVOROSSISK

GERMANS CLAIM CAPTURE LONDON, September 6. A special German High Command communique issued to-night stated that Novorossisk had been captured after several days of heavy fighting. London military writers state that the loss of Novorossisk would be a heavy blow to the Red Fleet, because it is one of the main bases.

When Marshal Timoshenko withdrew the bulk of his forces from the south for the defence of Stalingrad he left only a small force, mainly Cossacks, who have gallantly held out for weeks against overwhelming odds. The Moscow correspondent of ‘ The Times ’ says the German force on the Black Sea is large, and its future movements will need to be carefully watched.

The 350-mile front between the Black Sea and the edge of the Grozny oilfields is the scene of sporadic fighting along the foot of the Caucasus, where the Cossacks are_ conducting active defence. The Russians report that 34 German tanks and a strong force of infantry crossed a river in the Mosdok area, presumably the Terek. Fifteen of the tanks were destroyed, and a battle is raging on the south bank of the river. The Russians routed the Rumanians south of Prokladnaya and recaptured an important height. They also recaptured several more villagesin the Rjev area. Street fighting continues in the city’s outskirts. The Russians on the Bryansk front took two important hill positions and repulsed counter-attacks in the Voronezh area.