BITTER FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 March 1942, Page 3

BITTER FIGHTING

ON ALL PARTS OF EASTERN FRONT SOVIET TROOPS ATTACKING IN CRIMEA. ENVELOPED ENEMY HELD AT STARAYA RUSSA. LONDON, March 1. Bitter fighting is in progress on all sectors of the Russian front, especially in the south, as the Soviet armies develop their great offensive. Both Russian and German reports speak of heavy attacks in the Crimea, at Sebastopol and from the Kerch Peninsula. The Russians are employing tanks, artillery and infantry. Both sides are making use of the ice on the frozen Sea of Azov. The Germans claim to have captured a Russian position after an advance of 20 miles across the ice. A Russian correspondent says that in their efforts to stem the Soviet advance the Germans are clinging to every building, every village and every hill.

A thaw has set in on the southern front. A "Pravda” correspondent says that where a motor cannot move a horse can and that where a horse cannot move the Soviet troops continue to advance. Some of the soldiers are carrying forward loads of supplies on their backs.

The position of the Germans trapped at Staraya Russa continues to deteriorate. An increase in air activity is becoming a feature of the fighting. Berlin reports that bombers and divebombers are increasingly active in spite of the severity of the Russian, winter. On the Leningrad front Russian tanks are taking part in attacks on the enemy ring round the city. ENEMY LOSSES MORE THAN A MILLION A MONTH. ACCORDING TO “RED STAR.” (By Telegraph—Press Association.) LONDON, February 28. The “Red Star” claims that German casualties, killed, wounded and captured, during the Russian counter-offensive, have been more than 1,000,000 monthly. Russian guerillas in the Leningrad province report, according to a Moscow message, that during the past six months they killed 491 Nazi officers, including two generals, and 10,480 men. They also killed 169 Gestapo agents, spies and traitors. Guerillas also organised 64 train wrecks, resulting in the derailment of 700 coaches and wagons carrying troops, arms and ammunition. They blew up five railway and highway bridges, destroyed 71 planes, 67 tanks, 35 field guns, and 1322 lorries and buses. FLOW OF RESERVES NAZIS RUSHING TROOPS TO RUSSIA. LONDON, February 28. An Ankara message states that heavy Axis troops movements to the Eastern Front are being prepared. An announcement from Bucharest of the suspension of passenger traffic is believed to be the prelude to the passage of 800 military trains, carrying 20 divisions across Rumania to Russia within the next 10 days. The “Pravda” says: "The enemy, with the help of reserves, is counterattacking on a number of sectors. The Nazis are evidently in a great hurry. They have begun to reinforce attacks with tanks and aircraft without waiting for the spring, but the Red Army is inflicting heavy losses.” Staraya Russa is still in German hands, but its capture is to be expected at any moment, says the Moscow radio. The 16th German Army will be annihilated. Russian troops are inflicting one blow after another. Germans have failed in attempts to drop supplies for the 90,000 encircled troops. A great part of them fell into Russian hands. MORE SUCCESSES GAINED BY THE RUSSIANS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.55 a.m.) RUGBY, March 1. A successful raid by Russians against an important sector on the shore of the Sea of Azov, held by the Germans, is stated, in a supplementary communique, to have taken place a few days ago. The raid was made by marine and infantry units. Two enemy artillery batteries, two mortar batteries, two machine-gun nests and a powerful radio station were destroyed. Twelve buildings, with German soldiers in them, were blown up and 160 Germans and Rumanians were killed. Prisoners were also taken. The supplementary communique also gives news of continued Soviet successes, both on the Kalinin and Leningrad fronts, where a number of further strongly-fortified enemy positions have been captured.