MENACE TO ROSTOV

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 July 1942, Page 3

MENACE TO ROSTOV

NAZI ATTEMPTING GREAT ENCIRCLEMENT RUSSIANS IN VORONEZH REINFORCED. GERMANS IN SOME PLACES ON DEFENSIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 17. The two-pronged German offensive across the Don steppes continues, though there are indications that the pace of the advance has slowed down slightly. The southern arm of the pincers is the more threatening. There has been little news of the northern arm since it reached Boguchar two days ago. The thrust beyond Millerovo is now menacing Rostov in the south, as well as Stalingrad in the east. A Moscow correspondent says there is an obvious danger of an encircling movement to cut off the whole of the Donetz-Rostov area. At the northern end of Marshal Timoshenko’s front the Russians are still battering the jews of the German pincers, which is trying to close round Voronezh. The Russians have had tank and infantry reinforcements, and in parts of the town and the northern sector they have the Germans on the defensive. The Germans are rolling tanks into captured houses and making holes in the walls for their guns. The “Daily Mail’s" Stockholm correspondent says that the Russians, heavily supported by tanks, are offering fierce resistance to the further advance toward Rostov and Stalingrad. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” says that the most important sector of the Don front at present appears to be round the Millerovo railway junction, from which the German spearhead is driving south-east. The Russians admit heavy fighting south-east of Millerovo. The Germans obviously intend to threaten to envelop the Donetz Basin and force the Russians to abandon Voroshilovgrad and other important towns. A Soviet communique stated: “Yesterday our troops were engaged in fighting in the region of Voronezh. In the other sectors of the front no important changes took place.” A supplement to the communique says: “The Russians are attacking in a number of sectors of the Voronezh front. One Soviet unit broke the first line of the enemy defence and destroyed more than 100 anti-tank guns, and they went on to break the second line. “South-east of Millerovo the Russians retreated to new positions under heavy pressure, inflicting heavy losses as they retired. One unit in three days killed 4000 Germans and destroyed 35 tanks.” ‘