TANK ATTACK REPELLED

Southland Times, Issue 24889, 31 October 1942, Page 5

TANK ATTACK REPELLED

NAZIS BEATEN AT STALINGRAD (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 30. Fresh Russian reinforcements have arrived at Stalingrad, where a Russian force of tanks smashed an attack by a numerically superior force of German tanks on the factory area of the city. The Germans had to withdraw. They lost 16 tanks. Another report says that fresh German forces are being employed in the third concentrated attack since October 15 against Stalingrad’s factory area. A terrific artillery and inortar barrage is churning up the narrow area, but according to the Stockholm correspondent of The Times the position has not appreciably changed. The Germans no longer believe that infantry and light arms alone can take the “Red October” factory. Moscow radio reports that the Russians northwest of Stalingrad have captured a large inhabited locality by storm, completely wiping out the defenders, who were the Rumanian 13th Division. The Russians in the West Caucasus have launched a new series of counterattacks to prevent a further enemy penetration towards the Black Sea'. The Russians captured an important height. Moscow radio says that a snowstorm has been raging for several days in the Caucasus. Hundreds of Germans have been frozen to death. A Soviet communique says: In the area of Stalingrad Russian troops repulsed enemy attacks. Six hundred enemy dead were left on the battlefield. On the southern outskirts of the city a Soviet unit nenetrated to enemy positions during the night, blew up seven pill boxes and 10 dug-outs and killed 70 Germans. In the 24 hours Soviet pilots shot down 15 German planes. North-west of Stalingrad Soviet troops attacked and captured 16 pillboxes and dug-outs, wiped out two infantry companies and destroyed a number of guns. On another sector of the same front an enemy counter-attack was repulsed and 220 Germans were killed and two tanks destroyed. BLACK WITH PLANES

A Press Association message states that the Germans, after concentrating' huge infantry and tank forces, have renewed their offensive against the Stalingrad factory area. They have flung two panzer and four infantry divisions, totalling 50,000 men, into the new assault on this district. The sky over Stalingrad is black with German planes showering bombs on the narrow, Russian-held northern area. Moscow radio says that there are always from 50 to 60 enemy planes overhead dropping hundreds of bombs in an effort to demoralize the defenders but the Russians, standing up to the fierce German onslaught, have repelled all attacks. A company of enemy motorized infantry which broke through to the south-western outskirts of the factory area has been wiped out and Red Army units are launching counter-attacks which frequently develop into hand-to-hand fighting. The Columbia Radio System’s Moscow correspondent states that the Germans yesterday made 10 separate assaults against the factory area of Stalingrad but by the evening had advanced only 150 yards. The German News Agency reports that the Russians, counter-attacking south of Stalingrad, have reached the outskirts of Kuporossnoye which is a village near the Volga on the southern outskirts of Stalingrad. FLARE UP IN CAUCASUS Despite blizzards and heavy snowfalls which are causing deep drifts and avalanches, front-line dispatches to Moscow report a new flare-up along the whole Caucasus front where the Germans are employing large contingents of Alpine troops in a vigorous effort to smash the Russian defences before the winter deadlock sets in. The Germans arc using ski and sleigh detachments in fighting for the snowbound mountain slopes and passes. The Red Army northeast of Tuapse, also equipped with skis and sleighs, have repelled fierce attacks and have captured a height. A vast battle continues east of the Black Sea port of Novorossisk where the Russians, after routing the Third Rumanian Alpine Division, are fighting a fresh Rumanian division and also Austrian and Hungarian troops. According to a Soviet communique north-east of Tuapse an enemy attempt to advance along the main road was routed and 200 of the enemy were killed. In the area of Nalchik, 55 miles from Mozdok, Soviet troops conducted defensive operations. The enemy succeeded in one place, driving a wedge into the Russian defences but Red Army troops routed the enemy. Later the Germans were reinforced and the Russian troops withdrew to new positions. . . A German communique claims the capture of Nalchik and the wiping out of a Russian force in this area.