RUSSIAN ATTACK ON RJEV

Southland Times, Issue 24836, 31 August 1942, Page 5

RUSSIAN ATTACK ON RJEV

Soviet Brings Up Reinforcements (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, August 28. The Germans describe the Russian offensive at Rjev as a gigantic effort. General Zhukov is reported to have brought up troops and masses of tanks from depots deep in Central Russia. The situation in the Caucasus continues to develop critically. The Germans have pushed further southward from Prokhladnaya across the Malka and Terek rivers. The Russians are maintaining steady enfilading fire irom batteries and pill-boxes dug into cults. The Germans claimed to have stormed some of the high passes across the mountains towards Tuapse and Novorossisk. Clearly a situation of the utmost danger has arisen in this area. Berlin radio tonight stated, that the Germans had occupied Lineinoie village, in an inlet of the Caspian sea, 40 miles from Astrakhan, also Karpovka, 20 miles due west of Stalingrad and Gonelnaya, 15 miles from Novorossisk. Demanding the seemingly impossible from airmen and soldiers on both sides, yet another week of slaughter has ended on the Stalingrad front, with the Germans apparently being successfully held on all sectors. The Russian newspaper Pravda says the Russians are launching ever increasing counter-attacks north-west of Stalingrad and are continuing to push back the Germans and are inflicting severe losses. Thousands of German dead lie before the Russian positions. Our troops in other sectors successfully repelled German onslaughts. The Germans are doing their utmost to reach the Volga at all costs and are. bringing in new tanks and troops and hitting one place after another, but the strength of our resistance is growing. GERMAN FORCE BATTERED Telegraph’s Moscow correspondent says Field-Marshal von Bock is still pressing as hard as ' ever against Stalingrad, but the main shock divisions of, his armoured and motorized forces were badly battered in their first attempt to break through. While the shock force was regrouping, Marshal Timoshenko snatched his chance to strengthen the worst sections by vigorous local counter-attacks. He was trying to liquidate the German wedges or build giant cells around them. The air attack by which the Germans tried to blast a path into the city was the most massive ever seen. The Russian front defenders were out-tanked and , completely out-weighted in the air, but they recovered magnificently to stop, out-flank and finally encircle the shock force north-west of the city. The Zurich newspaper National Zeitung’s Berlin correspondent says the Russian resistance at Stalingrad has literally doubled. The Rus- ' sians are flinging in huge numbers of tanks. Pravda reports that General Zhukov’s army in the last three days has recaptured 13 villages and smashed through the first line defences around Rjev. The Russians captured the aerodrome area of Rjev, greatly hindering the assembly of German reserves and supplies. The Germans have converted every street in Rjev into a mine-field and piled every crossing high with tank obstacles. Russian guns continue, to pound the network of pill-boxes around the town. GERMANS SURPRISED Izvestia reveals that Russian marines and airmen dealt a severe blow to a large expeditionary force which the Germans in the last two months have been massing at Lake Ladoga for a new attempt to break Leningrad’s defences. Stormoviks caught the expeditionary fleet at its base with vessels filled with troops, tanks and munitions, sinking five troopships and six warships. An SS division had crept up across boggy ground to launch a simultaneous land thrust, but Russian marines fiercely attacked and wiped out much of the division. A Stockholm message states that a large number of German barges has been concentrated in the Gulf of Finland for an assault on Leningrad. It is officially announced in Helsinki that '0 planes last night bombed the city, causing fires and bomb damage. russians~store oil Present Danger Foreseen (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 28. Commenting on the Russian successes in the central sector The Times says: “General Zhukov and General Koniev have won a substantial victory which should have forestalled any possibility of any immediate resumption of the offensive against Moscow and may well be exploited to great effect in the weeks to come.” The Times, however, doubts if this success will have any immediate effect on Marshal Timoshenko’s armies and adds that the German capture of Stalingrad would undoubtedly be a great disaster. Nevertheless this threat, it says, has been long foreseen and much has been achieved to mitigate such an event. Huge supplies of oil have been built up in other regions. Even if the Germans succeed in capturing Baku itself the reserves already accumulated should suffice to maintain the Russian armies through the winter and far into next year’s campaign when the other forces of the United Nations may reasonably be expected to take their part. >