RAIN AND SNOW

Evening Star, Issue 24333, 23 October 1942, Page 3

RAIN AND SNOW

FALLING ON STALINGRAD FRONT RUSSIANS ATTACKING NIGHT AND DAY (British Official Wireless.) (Bee. 11 a.m.) BUG BY, Oct. 22. Moscow messages say the steppes in the Stalingrad region are swept by rain and occasional snowstorms, but the .Russians are attacking night and day northwest of the city. The battle lias broken up into countless skirmishes for heights and vantage points. The Germans have thoroughly fortified their positions, and are using heights to command approaches to villages and cross roads. The rain has not damped the fury of the fighting, but is interfering with mechanised warfare, as the surface of the roads has been washed away. Stockholm reports say the renewed Russian attacks are occupying the chief interest in Berlin, where the might of men and machines striving to roll up the German line is stressed. ' South-east of Novorossisk the Germans appear to bo still attacking. There have been heavy snowfalls in the mountains.

There is little news from the Mosdok area, but the following description of German tactics is given in a Moscow message:—“ After weeks of heavy tank losses caused by Russian artillery and anti-tank rifles, tho Germans have sharply reduced the scale of their tank operations. German tanks take up initial positions three or four miles from the front lines, with guards on the look out for tank hunters with their armour-piercing bullets. The Germans simulate mass tank attacks to draw Soviet artillery fire, then withdraw the main body of tanks and throw in infantry. On one sector tanks attacked Soviet positions, and were turned back in face of heavy fire. After a . short interval the real assault was made by motorised infantry, supported by only five tanks. This was repulsed with heavy losses. Soviet infantry, with armourpiercing two-man rifles, not only meet the German tank attacks with volleys from trenches, but go out hunting tanks on light trucks. One sergeant crippled six tanks in four hours. The infantry attack German tanks even with ordinary rifles,” The ‘ Red Star ’ says: “ Last week s fighting clearly shows that the enemy strength is petering out. The Germans only have force enough to concentrate on narrow sectors, thereby weakening the power of the offensive as a whole.” Tho Moscow radio reports that the Russians south-east of Novorossisk have cleared tho enemy from two heights and captured a populated place and a neigh-' bouring height in the Mosdok region. A strange, murderous war is being fought out in the Caucasus Mountains and in the passes. The Russians fire at rocks over the enemy positions to bring dbwn an avalanche or send blazing logs hurtling down on groups of German and Rumanian alpine troops painfully climbing the slopes.

POSITION IMPROVED

RUSSIAN RELIEF ARMY

. LONDON, October 21. The Moscow rsdio to-night declared that the relief army north-west of Stalingrad had improved its position, the Russians having widened the gap previously made in the German corridor. The newspaper 1 Izvcstia ’ states that during- the latest German assault the Luftwaffe dropped 1,000 tons of bombs during 1,800 air attacks against a milelong sector north of Stalingrad. “ The earth was scarred and wrecked with white-hot metal, ’’ says the paper, “ hut the Germans achieved only local successes, and they failed in their objective of splitting the defences. The Russians are firmly entrenched arid are still barring the way.” -According to the ‘ Red Star ’ the Germans have lost 60 tanks in the past two days in attacks on North Stalingrad. ■While deadly fighting is going on at both ends of Stalingrad, which is probably the longest city in the world, life in the centre is practically normal. The newspaper ‘ Pravda says the size of the city, stretching 40 miles along the Volga, permits a contiifuanco of life in the central section. Shells sometimes interrupt life in these parts, but normally some ciidren still play in the streets and women tend the The electric power station is still working, and a newspaper is appearing every day. The Moscow ccr;espondent of ‘The Times ’ says a battle of a very different character is being fought on a billiard table steppe to the south of Stalingrad, where the villages are from 10 to 15 miles apart. The struggles here’are for the rare water wells, and the Germans and Rumanians are “ sounding ” village after village in an effort to drive to Astrakhan via the Lower Volga. The Russians are countering with small cavalry and motor cycle natrols audaciously swooping on the Germans.’ A Stockholm nussago fays German panzer officers brought to Berlin reports about a new Russian tank armed with several cannon and machine guns and carrying a crew of-nearly 30.

COURAGEOUS RESISTANCE

NEW YORK, Oct. 21. After making his first report to President Roosevelt since his return from Moscow, Admiral W. H. Standley said he did not think there was any question about Russia’s will to fight and power to resist to the end of the war. ' The Moscow radio read a message from President Roosevelt to the Soviet people: “Your courageoos resistance has given us time to produce our arms so_ that at the appointed time we may join in your triumph. We American people are proud to be your allies.”-

LIBERIA AND AXIS

BFiEAK IN DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

(Rec. 8 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 22,

The Rome radio announced that Liberia had decided to break off diplomatic relations with the Axis and had asked the Axis representatives there to leave.

PETROL ECONOMY IN BRITAIN (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 22. The joint Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Fuel Power (Mr G. W. Lloyd) announced in the House of Commons that the increasing needs of the armed forces made it necessary for a further general reduction in petrol allowances for business hud professional purposes. The reduction would be for December, January, and February. He added that the fighting services were continuing to make' drastic economies in all petrol consumption other than was necessary for operations and essential training.

RUBBER SHORTAGE (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.45 a.m.) "RUGBY, Oct. 21. The Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Production stated in the House of Commons that many normal sources of natural rubber were now closed, no efforts being spared to exploit to the full all accessible sources in plantations and wild rubber, but to balance the minimum requirements there must be a drawing upon stocks until the synthetic rubber becomes available in quantity from America. The utmost economy in use was therefore necessary.