FIGHTING AT STALINGRAD

Southland Times, Issue 24839, 3 September 1942, Page 5

FIGHTING AT STALINGRAD

SUPREME EFFORT BY BOTH SIDES (Rec. 8.10 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 1. The battle for Stalingrad has been renewed on a scale exceeding even last week’s tremendous collision before the city. German sources state that both sides are making a supreme effort. History has not recorded such tremendous troop concentrations in a comparable area. The Germans have brought up heavy tank reinforcements, including some diverted from the Caucasus, with which Field-Marshal-von Bock has fashioned a great force which is seeking to deepen the dent in the Russian positions south of the city. The Germans are apparently making some progress from the KrasnodarMetsk area. The Russian riposte has been a sally across the Don in the Kletskaya area, where after some days’ bombardment of the Italian positions by artillery and planes the Russians swarmed across the Don during , the night and cut up two Italian divisions. The Germans are rushing up Hungarian, Rumanian and Italian reinforcements to Kletskaya. The Russian drive in this area aimed at cutting off the German route across the Don to Kachelinskaya. RUSSIAN BAYONET CHARGES The Moscow correspondent of The Times says fierce Russian bayonet charges threw the Italians from the high bank of the Don for a considerable distance. The Germans are clearly in considerable difficulties north-west of Kletskaya and are in danger of losing the main part of their forces which struck across the Don if the Russians maintain their pressure, which has almost closed around the Germans. Both sides are swinging tanks freely across the open country in this area where the Germans yielded some positions. They have not advanced anywhere for several days. Field-Marshal von Bock is constantly attempting to provide his endangered force with supplies by transport plane and parachute, also by convoys running the gauntlet in a narrow corridor. The Moscow representative of The Daily Express says the German corridor is maintained by strong patrols of light tanks, lorried infantry and motor-cyclists under an umbrella of Messerschmitts. A great convoy attempted to dash through during the night, but was trapped in a hail of fire and was unable to advance or fall back. Only a few lorries recrossed the Don corridor, which is now a smoking mass of wrecked vehicles. CAPTURE OF KALACH CLAIMED The German News Agency says Kalach was captured after a battle lasting several days. It is the keystone of the Stalingrad fortifications. The Moscow correspondent of The Daily Express says the Russians now hold almost half of Rjev and have taken several more villages. Progress is slow and painful. According to the Moscow radio the Russians, delivering heavy counterblows south of Krasnodar, dispersed and wiped out five infantry battalions and recaptured several commanding heights. The battle continues in the Prophladnaya neighbourhood. The Germans unsuccessfully again attempted to cross the Terek river in the Mosdok area. Heavy local fighting is reported in the Lake Ilmen and Leningrad areas.

GERMAN SEA LOSSES Successes Of Russians LONDON, September 1. Russia continues to take heavy toll of enemy shipping. Moscow says that enemy ships are appearing in increasing numbers in the Sea of Azov and are being engaged by Soviet flotillas. Fighting is still raging for the eastern shores. The Russian Black Sea Fleet without loss has raided by night a port in which the Germans had accumulated a small fleet, apparently intended for use in a landing in the Northern Caucasus. Planes dropped , flares, after which the Russian warships launched a bombardment, sank a number of vessels and destroyed a big ammunition dump. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is still a fighting force and is valiantly aiding the Red Army in the Caucasus. It has carried out raid after raid on enemy held ports and its guns have smashed up German landing parties attempting to cut in behind the Russian forces barring the German pathway to the ports of Taupse and Novorossisk. The Russian coastal defences are also playing a big part against Axis shipping. On Saturday they smashed a German landing attempt on the Black Sea coast, sinking 10 transports with shells. Not a single vessel was able to anchor near the shore. The attempt was launched near the Kerch Peninsula. In all since the war began the Russians have accounted for approaching 350 large enemy vessels. SECOND FRONT URGED LONDON, September 1. The Russian newspaper, Pravda, in an article on the third anniversary of the outbreak of war urges an immediate second front by the United Nations. “Hitler has hurled all his reserves into the battle in Russia and has laid bare the shores of the Atlantic,” it states. “It is most important that his plans should be upset now. The Russians, as well as the British and Americans, know this. They know how important it is to bring a greater activity into the struggle against the common enemy.” The Soviet newspaper Izvestia says: “The last hope of the German imperialists is that they will outpace the anti-Hitler coalition and will achieve decisive success before all the potential resources of the coalition are brought into play, before Allied army activity supports the struggle of the Soviet people. This scheme must—and will be thwarted.”