Stalingrad also threatened from south by dangerous wedge.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1942, Page 3

Stalingrad also threatened from south by dangerous wedge.

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

Rec. 11.30 p.m. London, Aug. Z4. rJTWO German successes in the Stalingrad sector and another in the Caucasus make the Russian situation even more grave. . In the Don bend the enemy has succeeded m erossmg the river with tanks and infantry. The Russians are making every effort to smash the bridgehead and destroy the tanks but no proV gress is reported by them so far. In the south-west sector of the Stalingrad front another wedge has been driven into the defenders' positions following a German advance along the railway from Kotelnikov. In the Caucasus the Russians report a further withdrawal south-east of Pyatigorsk, bringing the enemy further along the road to the Grozny oilfield.

"Stalingrad's defenders in the upper part of the Don bend have driven the enemy from a number of points and heights," the Times Moscow correspondent said earlier. "This slightly relieved the Russian position on the most dangerous sector. The Germans here control a stretch of the river 's right bank broad enough for several simultaneous crossing attempts. Russian reports indicate that the Germans who are across the Don are getting no freedom of manoeuvre but they admit a critical situation calling for the utmost vigilance along the waterline." General von Bock's southern prong pushing towards Stalingrad north-east of Kotelnikov is reported to possess heavier-weight tanks than at any time since the offensive was intensified on August 5. The Daily Telegraph's Stockholm correspondent says 3000 planes are blasting a way for the German panzer forces converging on Stalingrad from the northwest and south-west. The Russians counter-attacking on the Don's east bank are handicapped by the enemy's superiority in tanks and planes. Fighting around Orel is favourable to the Russians. The enemy's armoured fist was found lacking in strength when the Russians counter-attacked persistently. The Hungarians suffered heavily here and on the Voronezh front. The Russians are holding on to the Voronezh positions won from the Hungarians in

the past fortnight. In addition to a Kaluga offensive mentioned by Berlin, local activity is reported from Viazma, - Rzhev, Lake Ilmen and Volkhov sectors. South-east . of Klietskaya the enemy have apparently reached the western bank of the Don in strength along a considerable stretch of river but in the erea of Klietskaya itself the Russians have counter-attacked with success, (tated earlier messages. Reuter's Moscow correspondent says that bitter fighting is proceeding in one Bector north-east. of Kotelnikov, where after a series of persistent attacks the, Germans. with tanks and motorised infantry, broke through into the depth of the Russian defences. The struggle has been raging since midday on Saturday, with the Germans, attacked from both flanks,. trying to. get reinforcements through. German detachments of tommygunners and infantry which succeeded in crossing to the east bank opposite Stalingrad are reported to have been pinned ©n the bank since Saturday evening by tatense Ruissian shelling and bombing. Fight to Exhaustion. The battle for the approaches to Stalingrad continued throughout tlie Week-end with unabated fury. The man. tier in which the Germans met countergttacks and also the stubborn nature of the Russian counter-attacks confirm an observer's opinion that each side regards j the battle for Stalingrad as the most vital factor of this year's eastern front j campaign. I The Times Stockholm correspondent says that there is no question of any 6udden Russian collapse before Stalin- 1 grad. It is now a fight to exhaustion. The I huge forces engaged on both sides sug- j gest that the battle will continue for j weeks, even at its present intensity. Estimates of the Axis troops engaged , vary between 500,000 and 1,000,000. The supplement to the Russian communique adds: "The Russians improved their positions in the Klietskaya area. Guards ousted the Germans from several points, ' destroyed 14 tanks and destroyed four planes with machine-gun ! fire. South-east of Klietskaya fighting continued for the Don crossings. The enemy in one sector effected a crossing with troops and tanks. Soviet troops are engaged in a fierce struggle with this enemy group. In another sector of the same front an Italian division was attacked and destroyed. In the area northeast of Kotelnikov large enemy forces of infantry and tanks were encountered. In some sectors the Germans broke through at large cost." The Moscow radio says that although the enemy is throwing reserves into the battle he is unable to gain any success |M (n the Klietskaya area. Russian troops ■ are firmly holding their positions. The Russians in several places attacked and H^feuF*vka. number of resistance points ^^^Kyffniinating heights. They captured booty and took many prisoners. the week 347 German planes ^^^^^^ffdestroyed and the Soviet lost 194.