TANKS & MEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 July 1942, Page 3

TANKS & MEN

HEAVY GERMAN LOSSES EAST OF KURSK AND ON VOLHOV FRONT. PROBING THRUSTS AT MANY POINTS.' (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 1. Last night’s Moscow communique again refers to heavy German losses east of Kursk. It states: “Today on the Kursk front our troops repelled attacks of enemy infantry and tank units. The enemy suffered enormous losses. Our men put out of action 150 tanks. “On the Sebastopol front,'our troops repelled fierce attacks of large enemy forces. On other sectors of the front no important changes took place.” The Russians on the Volkhov front have massed a tremendous quantity of artillery, and Berlin refers to its ■‘drumfire intensity.” The Soviet admits 10,000 killed in this sector in the past few weeks. Enemy losses are certainly greater, which gives an idea of the magnitude of the preliminary fighting and also an idea of the sort of operations that can be expected in the fight for Leningrad. At least six new German regiments which were thrown into the Sebastopol battle yesterday effected a slight advance, the “Izvestia” states. The Germans lost several thousand men, and advanced only in one sector, where the Russians are now counter-attacking. The Russians report little other activity, but over the whole Eastern Front there. are indications of more lively developments. Reconnaissances are being made in force, sometimes almost tantamount to armoured probing attacks, specially between the Orel and Leningrad sectors. A German communique claims that German divisions moving from the north passed Severnaya Bay, near Sebastopol, and penetrated the inner fortifications east of the town. The German news agency announced that Hitler has promoted ColonelGeneral von Kuechler, Commander-in-Chief of the German armies in the Volkhov sector, to field-marshal in ■‘grateful recognition of his services in the defence against and the destruction of the Russian armies brought up on a broad front for the relief of Leningrad.”