POWERFUL DEFENCES
BUILT IN RECAPTURED TERRITORIES GERMAN SOLDIERS FREEZING TO DEATH. LOADS OF WINTER COMFORTS REACHING RUSSIANS. LONDON, December 24. The Russians are said to be building powerful defence lines in the recaptured territories, particularly round Rostov, and they are re-establishing the normal life and industry in those territories.
In all sectors of the Russian front German soldiers, clad in flimsy clothes, are freezing to death at their posts while lorry loads of winter comforts, including thick clothing and special Christmas food are leaving Kuibyshev for the Russian soldiers. A division which is formed entirely of Latvian peasants and officers is now in action on the Moscow front. The “Pravda"-says that when the Germans occupied Latvia the freedom-loving Latvians made their way through the native forests and the German lines to the Russian position, where they immediately volunteered for service against the invaders. They have proved themselves brave and skilled fighters. The “Izvestia,” describing the capture of Gorbachevo station, between Tula and Orel, says that the Germans had no time to destroy a large quantity of military supplies, and the Russians captured two trains with ammunition and military equipment and a fuel depot. During the last six days the Russians have captured nearly 600 . enemy lorries and many tanks in this area and liberated 94 populated places. t The Russians are pursuing the remnants of General Guderian’s second ■ tank army, which is retreating to Orel, the newspaper adds. In the southern sector the Red Army has liberated several scores of villages. The Moscow radio reports fierce fighting in the approaches to Sebastopol, which the enemy are striving to occupy at any cost. So far the-Russian troops have repulsed all attacks with heavy losses, but the enemy pressure is very strong and the position of the besieged city remains serious. Today’s Soviet communique states: “During last night our troops fought the enemy on all fronts.” A supplementary communique states: “Soviet patrols operating in the Leningrad district are inflicting losses on the enemy and destroying his lines of Communication, Recently one patriot group destroyed four bridges, a railway track and telephone lines. A German punitive detachment was annihilated by the patrol, 200 German soldiers being killed. Recently another group of patriots three tanks and five lorries.”
NOTABLE SUCCESSES GAINED BY SOVIET AIR FORCE. DESTRUCTION OF ENEMY TANKS & OTHER MATERIAL. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 12.35 p.m.) RUGBY, December 25. A Soviet night war communique states: “During December 25 our troops continued fighting the enemy on all sectors of the front. Our units fighting
in the central, Kalinin and south-west-ern fronts continued their advance, capturing a number of localities. On December 24, twenty-four German planes were destroyed when we lost eleven.” i
A Soviet supplementary communique added: “On December 24 units of our Air Force, operating in the central sector, destroyed twelve enemy tanks, 400 vehicles, 436 motor-cars, four antiaircraft guns, nine anti-aircraft mach-ine-gun posts, 135 cases of ammunition and several ammunition dumps. They also destroyed the railway line at three points and scattered three detachments of infantry and one squadron of cavalry. Soviet units, operating in another sector of the front, destroyed portion of the 267th German Infantry Regiment and large quantities of war material, including 270 motorvehicles and fifteen guns.”
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1941, Page 4
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540POWERFUL DEFENCES Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 December 1941, Page 4
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