FURTHER SUCCESS

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 241, 13 October 1942, Page 5

FURTHER SUCCESS

NORTH-WEST OF STALINGRAD NAZI ORDEAL ON "CURSED TEREK."

P.A. Cable.

LONDON, Oct. 11.

The Russians have had further success in their relief drive north-west of Stalingrad. The Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Express reports that the Russians recaptured a hill which formed a wedge in their lines, and advanced 500 yards. Eerlin radio broadcast a front-line reporter's story of the fighting in the Mosdok area, the latest events in which occurred last week. "The battle had been raging for weeks near the cursed Terek River, which has swallowed so much of our comrades' blood," he said. "The Soviet was using every device of fortification. A German infantry division foreed the Terek River early in September and formed a bridgehead with a radius of two miles. The Russians attacked the bridge-head trenches and minefields with heavy artillery, and prevented us from advancing. We formed a second bridge-head, but all attempts to unite the bridge-heads failed. "Finally we formed a third bridgehead, and the village lay before us. It became hell. Russian gunners poured a hail of shells into the village. We had to iget through at any cost, and succeeded in reaching blood-soaked Hill 404. "Our general suddenly appeared and ordered us back. The Russians had attacked our flank. We raced back and abandoned two localities. It was one of those terrible Soviet flank attacks. Numberless tanks and infantry forced us back yard by yard. "The battle lasted 14 hours, and the countryside for miles was on fire. More than 50 Soviet tanks were left on the battlefield but we lost many a comrade, and many German tanks, which had advanced hundreds of miles, met their fate here. We formed a defensive front next day, and regained two hills." The reporter said that the Germans subsequently seized a rail bridge across the Terek. "Surrounded by dust and smoke, tortured by thirst, without food or drink all day, we fought with only one thought — to v cross the cursed Terek." RUSSIAN OFFENSIVES. German pressure in the Mosdok area has certainly not relaxed and both here and in the Black Sea coastal belt the Russians are called on daily for new efforts in vigilance, courage and tenacity. Their aggressive operations in the western Caucasus remain an inspiration. Their drive north-west of Stalingrad continues to make progress, and according to the German official news agency there is evidence that they are preparing an offensive at other points. The agency says that these are,. firstly, south of Stalingrad; secondly, in the Voronej area; thirdly, in the region north and east of Smolensk. The situation is growing increasingly tense in the eastern Caucasus, where the Germans are throwing in further reinforcements. Resistanee remains firm and some ground has been regained in the main sectors. The Germans in the Mosdok area attacked 19 times within 48 hours. All the attacks were repulsed and 700 Germans were killed. Soviet guards are counter-attacking in another area where the Germans lost 3500 men in the past few days. A German communique states that alpine troops in the north-western Caucasus dislodged the Russians fiom further hill positions and a Russian force which was encircled was pressed into a very narrow area and its destruction imminent. The Luftwaffe continued strong night attacks on Grozny, causing heavy destruction. Berlin radio declared that the Germans seized an important ridge, after which they took in the rear a strong Soviet force which was stationed south of the road to Tuapse. The Soviet force was encircled and was resisting strongly but more than half had been annihilated.