STAND MADE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 July 1942, Page 3

STAND MADE

ON SOUTHERN BANKS OF DON POSITIONS CAN AND MUST BE HELD. ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN CORRESPONDENT. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, July 24. Fierce fighting is going on at Zymlyanskaya, a small town midway between Rostov and Stalingrad, where the Don is the last natural barrier before the rolling steppes stretching south to the Caucasian Mountains. The Russians have fought day and night during their seven-day, 100-mile retreat from Millerovo to Zymlyanskaya, and both sides have lost heavily, but Marshal Timoshenko has skilfully avoided every trap, manoeuvring to right and to left to foil all the attempts at encirclement. The Moscow correspondent of the “Daily Express” says the Germans are rushing up reinforcements., to ..Zymlyanskaya at top speed. He quotes a Russian front-line correspondent, who states, “The Red Army has fallen back to its best positions, and it can and must hold them. The Red Army-has pulled up in the withdrawal on the southern banks on the Don. The battle for oil is imminent.” The Germans are now within short bombing range of the oil route from. Baku, in the eastern Caucasus, through Stalingrad to Moscow. BOMBARDMENT OF ROSTOV. German long-range guns are pounding Rostov’s defences, says the Moscow correspondent of the “Daily Express.' The Axis troops are pressing nearer and nearer through the minefields. Stockholm reports say that Marshal Timoshenko’s main forces are taking up positions south and south-east of Rostov, and a rearguard consisting of only two divisions is holding the city to make its capture as costly as possible. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Moscow correspondent says: “The main moral of the Don battles is the enemy superiority not only in tanks but also in air strength, “The Luftwaffe still surpasses . anything that was expected, in spite of the Egyptian battles and the retention of fighters for resisting the British night raids against Germany and also the daylight sweeps over France. The Germans have been heavily bombing Rostov since they were thrown out of the city last November, and also all roads and railways to Rostov. The German air activity on the railways and roads behind Rostov, and also against the bridges across the Don, is almost incredibly strong.” The correspondent concludes: “The position is serious.” Another Moscow message says that the Red Air Force, using Bostons and Boeings, throughout last night pounded the German supply lines south of Voronezh. The Red Air Force is also hammering at the Germans on the lower Don, while Stormoviks (divebombers) are concentrating against the panzers. THREAT TO STALINGRAD. The huge army of Germans, Italians and Hungarians which surged down the Donetz River and the Don Valley is still flooding over the lower Don Basin and engulfing still more of the steppes and industrial territory. The “Red Star” says that huge German reserves are moving up for an assault on Stalingrad. The Germans are regrouping their panzer divisions and bringing up vast quantities of artillery and munitions. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” reported that the Russians on Wednesday night were, making a more determined stand in the arc roughly from the Sea of Azov between Taganrog and Rostov, through Novo Cherkassk to the River Donetz near its junction with the Don. Between the junction of the Donetz and Don and the elbow opposite Stalingrad, German tanks have pressed on faster toward Ozym Yanskaya. The Germans claimed that they had established several bridgeheads across the Don, but there was no evidence that they had crossed the river. They are at present making an effort to prevent

the Russians north of the wedge from crossing. Berlin admitted that the Russians have transported large numbers of men and much material over the river. The Russians are certainly losing much material in the great angle of the Don, but they are continuously inflicting heavy losses on the Germans. NAZI DRIVE THAT FAILED. » The correspondent added, “The terrific German drive from the Voroshilovgrad area which aimed to encircle the Russians in the Donetz Basin has failed completely, as the move was foreseen and the Russians withdrew the major part of their material to positions they now hold at the mouth of the Don and round Rostov. “It is impossible to say whether this arc is tenable for long, or whether the Russians will hold Rostov, which is situated on the right bank of the Don, but it is believed the year's greatest battle is impending along the lower Don, where fresh Russian troops are in positions which have been prepared since Christmas.” Last night’s Russian communique stated: “On July 23 our troops waged fierce battles in the regions of Voronezh, Zymlyanskaya, Novo Cherkassk and Rostov. No important changes occurred in other sectors.” A supplementary communique stated that in the Novo Cherkassk sector the Russians retreated to new positions when the danger of encirclement became great. ,