TULA BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 November 1941, Page 6

TULA BATTLE

SUCCESSFUL SOVIET FLANK ATTACK GERMANS HURLED BACK FOR MILES. LEAVING TRAIL OF DEAD & WOUNDED. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, November 12. . The battle for Tula has been intensified in the past three days. Fifteen German attempts to break through forced the Russians to withdraw slightly, but a counterattack on the flank put the Germans to flight. The “Red Star,” describing this fighting, says the Germans recently drew up fresh forces in the direction of Tula, including two tank divisions, which had been reformed and reinforced after their rout near Bryansk, and also several divisions or motorised infantry and large numbers of minethrowers and planes. These enabled the . Germans to undertake new attempts to I capture Tula, but they changed their tactics. Instead of attacking Tula in front and from the south, as they did for the ten days previously, they consistently attacked south-eastwards and north-westward of Tula. For the past three days they have brought strong pressure to bear on our troops in the neighbourhood of a river crossing,” the “Red Star” 'adds, “and units fell back slightly. A Russian unit commanded by Fokanov, closely co-op-erating with artillery and tanks, then struck against the flank of the German force, on the southern outskirts of Tula. Fearing an encircling movement, the Germans fled, abandoning arms and ammunition. The fleeing Germans afforded an easy target for the Russian artillery and machinegunners, who made the most of the opportunity. In the hamlet of Rogozhinsky, only five miles from Tula, a German general succeeded in halting and mustering the remnants of four German battalions, but not for long. Continuing its pursuit, Fokanov’s unit attacked Rogozinsky, whereupon the Germans again took to their heels. Only when the arrival of reinforce-

ments restored some kind of balance did the Germans cease retreating and take up defensive positions. Along the route of their flight the Germans left over 500 dead and a large number of, wounded.”