RUSSIAN COUNTER-STROKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 28 August 1942, Page 5

RUSSIAN COUNTER-STROKE

North-west and West of Moscow STUBBORN AND BLOODY BATTLES Nazis Still Advancing on Stalingrad London, Aug. 26. The Russians' counter-stroke north-west and west of Moscow recalls the perfect timing with which M. Stalin launched the winter offensive last December in order to save Moscow. The Russians then held their blow until the danger swept up to the very ramparts of Moscow. Now General Zhukov’s armies have moved a week after the Germans broke through north-eastwards of the Tsmlyanskaya bridgehead over the lower Don and began a fierce drive through Kotelnokovo which to-day is battering against the outer defences of Stalingrad. It is still too early to forecast the effect of General Zhukov’s attack upon the crucial battles within a day’s march of Stalingrad, but figures contained in a special Moscow communique clearly indicate the weight of the Russian attack along a 70-mile front. German official reports in the past fortnight indicated a strong Russian attack in the Rjev and Viazma areas.

Moscow’s communique indicates that these attacks have been on a considerably more substantial scale than the continuous probing activity conducted

throughout the early part of the sum-1 mer at Rjev, Gjatsk and Viazma —all | strongly defended hedgehogs to which i the Germans clung when the Russian j winter offensive was forced westward j —and comprise a formidable triangle j of great strategic importance covering’ Smolensk, which is the pivot of the j German front in Russia. MOSCOW THRILLED News of the Viazma and Rjev offen- j sive thrilled Moscow. Rumours of thej offensive have spread throughout the j capital for days but last night’s com- j munique was the first public reference. "Pravda” says masses of artillery, j trench mortars and planes were involved in stubborn bloody battles. The 1 Russians have broken into Rjev from the north and street fighting is pro- j gressing. Russian tanks more north- j ward are going into the battle in the rear of the German fortifications. Rjev, itself is in ruins. The Germans strongly j fortified this district, and their ferro- ( concrete dugouts are engineering feats. The Germans have orders to stop the Russians at all costs. They are clinging to every inch oi ground but Russian artillery are pounding the fortifications, tanks are destroying German dugouts and automatic riflemen are finishing off the Germans trying to escape from the ruined dugouts. Russian troops move forward yard by yard, occupying trench I after trench. Each trench holds dozens 1 of German dead, many machine-guns! and rifles, and sometimes whole bat-! teries. The Germans are loath to leave 1 their blockhouses and scores are buried beneath the debris thereof. Dozens of, prisoners exhausted and dishevelled are! being sent to the Russian rear. MORE LOCALITIES LIBERATED A special Moscow announcement concerning the Soviet advance westward of Moscow said that among 610 inhabited localities liberated by 20th August were the towns of Zubhov, Karmanovo and Potoroonoye. According to uncompleted figures our troops captured 250 tanks, 750 guns, 567 mortars and much other booty, while 324 tanks were destroyed. In aerial combat 252 planes were shot down and 290 destroyed on | the ground. This Soviet break-through was organised by Generals Zhukov and Koniev.

TO BE HELD AI ALL COSTS M. Stalin ordered Marshal Timoshenko to hold Stalingrad at all costs with the result that the full weight of the Russian armoured reserves first moved up to the front to-day. The Germans replied with more dive-bomb rs and fighterbombers which are swooping in continuously against strongly fortified Russian positions. The carnage on both sides is appalling. The battle for Stalingrad is still moving in favour of the Germans despite the Russians’ valiant efforts.

The Moscow correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” reports that the Russians are still retreating in the Kuban Caucasus where the Germans have established tank and air superiority. Vichy radio declared that the Germans in north Caucasus reached Kras-

naya, on the Rostov-Baku railway.— P.A. and 8.0. W.