STALINGRAD’S DANGER

Southland Times, Issue 24879, 20 October 1942, Page 5

STALINGRAD’S DANGER

ATTACKS ARE CEASELESS FRESH GERMAN FORCES (Rec. 7 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 18. All reports indicate that Stalingrad’s position is more critical than at any stage in the two months’ assault on the city. The Russians continue their tenacious defence, but the Germans are clearly determined to occupy the city before the winter closes in and they are launching ceaseless assaults with renewed forces. It is generally agreed now that it will be another Russian “miracle” if the Germans are held. A German communique states that the troops at Stalingrad broke the stubborn resistance and captured all parts of the “Red Barricade” factory and threw the Russians out of the neighbouring district. Berlin radio stated that the Russians are still desperately resisting in the remaining parts of the “Red October” factory. The German High Command claims that the Germans continued their attacks in the Novorossisk-Tuapse sector and at one point captured 60 fortified positions. Hie Germans also advanced south of the Terek river. The defenders of Stalingrad are maintaining the Volga crossing despite ceaseless fire from German artillery and trench mortars and under constant air attack. At one place 28,000 civilians have already crossed by one pontoon bridge constructed on benzine barrels. This pontoon bridge has also served for the evacuation of the wounded and for the conveyance of about 7000 men to reinforce the Soviet infantry in Stalingrad. IMPORTANT SUPPLY-LINE The Germans are trying desperately to sever this fragile life-line by which Stalingrad is connected with the Russian mainland. The Luftwaffe has dropped 740 demolition bombs and thousands of incendiaries, but the slight damage caused occasionally has been quickly repaired. Ammunition and equipment continue to pour into the city over this precarious supply line, which pitches and tosses amid the explosion of shells, bombs and mines. The Russian Army newspaper Red Star says that in the vitality of Stalingrad the Soviet troops show the symbol of their own stamina and determination. Very fierce fighting continues on the north side of Stalingrad, where during a three day battle the Germans have lost 150 tanks. The enemy, however, is keeping up a terrific pressure and is concentrating most of his armoured forces and his planes in this area. Major-General Redimtsev, the heroic defender of Stalingrad, recently had a narrow escape when an enemy tank nearly broke through to his command post, 300 metres from the front line. The tank flat-ironed the bunker housing the headquarters of the division, but the general and his staff were unhurt. GALLANT GUARDSMEN His guardsmen are sent to the most dangerous spots in Stalingrad and more than once have saved the situation. At one place they repelled a charge by two divisions supported by 70 tanks, 42 of which were crippled by the guardsmen. Major-General Rodimtsev is a 36-year-old graduate of the Kremlin Military School and the Russian Military Academy, where he was a pupil of Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov, the present Chief of the Russian General Staff. Major-General Rodimtsev fought as a volunteer against the Germans and the Italians in Spain and was promoted to the rank of major-general last year. UNREST IN RUMANIA Eastern Front Casualties (Rec. 8.40 p.m.) LONDON, October 18. Presumably to allay increasing Rumanian unrest, interested parties are sedulously spreading a story that all Axis allied troops are being withdrawn from the Eastern Front this winter on the ground that they are not sufficiently reliable for defence, says the Lisbon correspondent of The Times. While this probably is untrue some form of soothing syrup is needed in Rumania which, despite casualties conservatively estimated at 350,000 in killed, wounded and prisoners, still has more than 20 divisions totalling about 400,000 men in Russia. The correspondent refers to reports that the Rumanian dictator, General lon Antonescu, is seriously ill and that the Maniu and Bratianu opposition groups are still active. He suggests that Germany might establish a protectorate if General Antonescu dies.

GERMANS CLOSE TO VOLGA FERRIES ENDANGERED (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 18. The Germans are perilously close to the Volga in northern Stalingrad. They have the Volga bank under direct fire, endangering the Russian ferries, says the Moscow correspondent of the Columbia Broadcasting System. The German guns are carrying on a duel with Russian field-guns mounted in steel barges, which are towed by motor-boats. These small ships swarm close to the shore in surprise night attacks. The Russians call them “river tanks.” The Luftwaffe is again making mass raids on Stalingrad. The Germans are relentlessly pounding the city in an attempt to pulverize the remaining defences. The Germans today threw a third infantry division into the gap gouged on Friday by the capture of the workers’ settlement on the northern outskirts of Stalingrad, says the Moscow correspondent of The Daily Express. The Germans have made 28 attacks since Fri-

day night, all of which have been reptilsed. The twenty-ninth attack is now in progress. The Germans claim to have reached the Volga bank in three places. This is untrue, but it must be recognized that they are not far from the river. PERFORMANCE OF GUARDS The most notable of all the defending units is the Guards infantry division, commanded by Major-General Rodimtsev. They crossed the Volga in pontoons and boats on September 27 and went straight into battle. They have been fighting without pause for 21 days. They went over to the offensive on Saturday, held a new German thrust and forced the Germans to fall back in one sector. The Moscow correspondent of The Times says that the Germans, after driving a narrow salient into northern Stalingrad, are now attempting to drive north and south from the salient parallel to the Volga. They are making some progress in the southern drive, where a critical situation developed until a Russian flank attack restored the situation. Russian reports indicate that the situation has not deteriorated in the past 24 hours, but the Germans clearly are in a strong position and have the river crossings under mortar and artillery fire. The Rusrians have reinforced the Volga flotilla. Even shabby old ferryboats and slow wood-burning craft have been mobilized.