FURTHER GAINS BY RUSSIANS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 16 October 1942, Page 5

FURTHER GAINS BY RUSSIANS

Suburbs of Stalingrad ENEMY ACTIVITY IN CAUCASUS London, Oct. 14 Alter a further advance north-west of Stalingrad troop* of Marshal Timoshenko’s relief army are now within sight of the city The Russians also made new gains south of Stalingrad and recaptured five large buildings and a school within the city. The Moscow correspondent of “The dimes' says Germany is still exerting pressure against the north western outskirts where short, sharp battles with thrust and counter-thrust are taking place along battered streets. Fierce hand-to-hand struggles are occurring in factories and other buildings. The Germans launched tank attacks supported by planes in the open country fringing the city, but these attacks were repelled.

Moscow radio declared that the Russians north-west of Stalingrad captured several heights from which the Germans were shelling roads upon which the Russians were bringing up supplies Russian infantry and tommy-gunnei .- broke the German line after several hours’ fighting and fanned out and liquidated German resistance point by point. Operations in the Caucasus are characterised by a marked increase in Ger man air activity and the beating to a standstill of their ground forces. The Luftwaffe is attacking strongly the Novorossii.sk and Mosdok areas, largo bomber formations attacking installations behind the Mosdok front. Twenty six of 70 bombers in one formation arc reported to have been destroyed. The Russians maintain silence regarding the Germans’ claims of progress on the Tuapse road. Paris radio stated that the Germans reached the Black Sea coast and are now only 12 miles from Tuapse. London, Oct. 15. The Moscow correspondent of “The Times” says British-flown long-range reconnaissance planes are now operating in the Soviet in the far north, alongside Russian fliers patrolling for hostile submarines and protecting convoys. —P.A.

GERMAN ATTACKS REPELLED

ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE FACTORIES PiUSSIAN REINFORCEMENTS CROSS VOLGA (Rec. 11.30 a.m.) London, Oct. 15. Though the majority of the latest! Russian reports indicate fighting on! the Russian front is on a reduced scale compared with recent weeks, a Moscow message reports that considerable enemy tank and infantry forces were hurled into a narrow sector of north-west Stalingrad yesterday. They were repelled after heavy fighting. The enemy in these unsuccessful attempts to capture factories—which are reported to be still functioning and repairing tanks—lost 23 tanks and up to 2000 men. Russian reinforcements reaching Stalingrad acros sthe Volga include at least one Soviet Guards division. Fighting in the Mosdok area is concentrated in two localities. In one the Red Army yesterday improved their positions, forcing the second enemy retreat, in two days. In the other locality the Germans on the offensive threw 60 tanks into the battle and succeeded in driving a wedge in the Soviet lines, j The Russians south-east of Novo- : rossiisk yesterday carried out offenI sive action, encountering fierce enemy I resistance.—P.A. 1