RELENTLESS THRUSTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1942, Page 4

RELENTLESS THRUSTS

PRESSED BY THE RUSSIANS DISMAL STORY TOLD BY SURRENDERED GERMANS. PANIC OF DEFEATED NAZI REGIMENTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day. 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, February 8. The Moscow radio announced that the Russians are relentlessly advancing on the south-western front. After the failure of strong German counter-attacks, the Russians broke through their lines and captured a large inhabited locality, in which many Germans were killed. Captain Rudolf Rundental, commanding the First Battalion of the 81st German Infantry Division, and Lieutenant Heinrich Gunther, of the same regiment, surrendered to the Russians. They said that on December 24 their regiment was still in France, but at the beginning of January it was sent to the Russian-German front. They received an order on January 10 to throw the Russians from Peno, but after three days their regiment was completely routed and its commander, Colonel Rochmeier, was killed. A group of officers and men under Captain Rundental wandered in the woods for five days, while a group of fifty under Lieutenant Gunther lost several men from wounds, exhaustion and cold. Rundental said: “A specially depressing impression was produced on our soldiers by the sight of remnants of a Storm Trooper reconnaissance battalion retreating from Peno. None could have imagined that a German military unit could run in such a panic, but two days later the same fate awaited us.” PRESS GANG POLICY REVEALED IN CAPTURED ENEMY ORDER. REVENGE FOR SABOTAGE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) RUGBY, February 8. An order for the Third German Tank Group, which has fallen into Russian hands, states that civilians must be forced to do heavy work without payment. This peculiarly German press gang policy is also regarded as a kind of revenge for acts of sabotage, both past and future. The latest Russian communique, which gives this information, has nothing to say of fighting except that offensive operations against the Germans were continued last night. FORCED TO RETREAT GERMANS ON CENTRAL FRONT. (Received This Day, 1.25 p.m.) LONDON, February 8. As a result of fierce attacks on the central front, the Russians again forced the Germans to retreat, says the Moscow radio. Cavalry dislodged the Germans from six localities and inflicted heavy casualties. The, Russian Air Force is more intensively bombing and dive-bombing the retreating German forces and also attacking aerodromes.