CRITICAL STAGE

Southland Times, Issue 24832, 26 August 1942, Page 5

CRITICAL STAGE

FIERCER FIGHTING

LONDON, August 24 According to the News Chronicle correspondent in Moscow the battles in the Stalingrad area have now obviously reached a critical stage. Although they have been in progress for weeks now they continue to grow fiercer every hour. , In the Kletskaya sector the River Don still constitutes a formidable barrier to the enemy, but in the Kotelnikovo area there is no such water barrier and further German advances have here been recorded. The loss of Stalingrad, he says, would be the greatest blow of the war to Russia and would greatly injure both the offensive and defensive strategy of the Soviet. Nevertheless there _ are no grounds for exaggerated pessimism and the events should be kept rigidly in perspective. Both arms of the German pincer movement against Stalingrad have made progress and the latest reports from Moscow state that the position on the approaches to the city has seriously deteriorated in the past 24 hours. The German High Command announces that the great decisive battle for Stalingrad is now starting. WEDGE IN DEFENCES The British United Press correspondent in Moscow says that a huge German tank force is advancing across the blazing steppes north-east of Kotelnikovo, threatening to by-pass Stalingrad and reach the Volga south of the city. The Germans have already driven a wedge into the outer rim of the Russian defences. The vital StalingradMoscow railway is under constant artillery and air bombardment and is now virtually useless. German tanks and infantry which crossed the Don on Saturday in force south-west of Kletskaya are now driving forward in an attempt to reach this railway. The Red Army is making desperate efforts to hold up the German steam roller.

The correspondent adds that the military situation is equally grave in the Northern Caucasus. The German spearhead has moved some distance south from Krasnodar along the railway to Novorossisk and the Luftwaffe has intensified its attempts to wipe out the naval bases at Novorossisk and Tuapse. It is meeting fierce opposition from the Russian Air Force and the Russian Black Sea fleet is shelling German positions on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Moscow radio announces that the Germans have captured Pyatigorsk. A Russian unit between Moscow and Leningrad has dislodged the Germans from 11 blockhouses and has beaten off 13 counter-attacks and has killed 650 Germans.