MOJAISK BATTLES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 January 1942, Page 4

MOJAISK BATTLES

DESCRIBED BY RUSSIAN COMMANDER DESPERATE NAZI DEFENCE BROKEN. ONSLAUGHT now opened AGAINST NOVGOROD. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day. 11.35 a.in.) LONDON. January 21. It is announced in Moscow that the Germans between December 6 and January 15 lost 300,000 men killed in Russia. The “Evening Standard’s” correspondent on the Eastern front reports that the Russians .have begun a massive onslaught against Novgorod, from Lake Ilmen. The Germans are fighting off wave after wave of Russian tanks. The Russians admit heavy losses, but claim satisfactory progress. General Govorov, broadcasting on the Moscow radio, told how his troops took Mojaisk. He said the Russians entered the town on the morning of January <l9, thus ending the second stage of the offensive operations in the Mojaisk direction which began in December. In the first stage, the enemy was pushed from Zvenigorod. Russian units on January 10 broke through the enemy defence line in the area southwards of Kublina. The Germans attempted a stand on an intermediate line of defence. The Russians by-passed strong points and infiltrated with great skill behind the German supply lines, causing a panic. The Germans retreated. Fighting began for Mojaisk proper on January 18. The Germans had constructed blockhouses on the northern, eastern and southern outskirts of the town, and had also transformed lirick houses m the centre of the town into strong points. This formidable defence system could only be overcome by a concentrated artillery and trench mortal’ attack. The Russian artillery smashed strong points in the eastern sector with terrific point-blank fire. The Russians then began a pincer attack and considerably advanced in the area northwards and southwards of Mojaisk. The enemy was forced to evacuate the town under a threat of being surrounded. The Germans left a small unit to cover the retreat. The Rusians charged, entered the town, and cleared out German snipers and mach-ine-gunners. The Germans had already been drven back another six miles from Mojaisk. According to Russian railwaymen, five or six trains of wounded and frostbitten Germans were sent away from Mojaisk daily, while there are German cemeteries all around the town. ADVANCE CONTINUES HEAVY LOSSES INFLICTED ON ENEMY. MANY TANKS & VEHICLES CAPTURED. LONDON, January 21. Soviet troops continued to advance today, reports 2 Russian communique, occupied 2 number of inhabited places and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. Many tanks and transport vehicles have been captured at Mojaisk and on nearby sections of the front. There was much rejoicing behind the lines about the recapture of Mojaisk, which even 72 degrees of frost could not chill. The Germans report a Russian attack south-east of Kerch, in the Crimea, on Monday. The attack was supported by tanks of the latest type.