MADE BY THE GERMANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 August 1942, Page 3

MADE BY THE GERMANS

North-West of Stalingrad RUSSIAN COUNTER-ATTACKS RESTORE POSITION — CONFUSED FIGHTING IN THE CAUCASUS LONDON, August 14. Terrific German pressure in the Don elbow, north-west of Stalingrad, has resulted in some sectors in a withdrawal by the Russian forces to intermediary defence lines. A large force Oi enemy shock troops broke through to the Don and tried to fan out on the western bank of the river. The Russians counterattacked and the position was restored, but on balance the Russians lost some ground. The enemy made hurried concentrations of masses of men and material on this front, including dive-bombers, tanks and motorised machine-gun battalions. The fighting was so confused in places that Russian units attacked the Germans both from front and rear. South-west of Stalingrad the enemy has had some setbacks. Panzer thrusts have been battered and dispersed by a curtain of artillery fire and the progress of the enemy forces has been seriously delayed. The main battle in the Caucasus area is raging on the foothills about 15.0 miles from the Grozny oilfields. In some places the Germans have laid themselves open to attack from the rear. All enemy attempts to cross the Kuban River have so far been defeated and some enemy units which did manage to reach the south bank were broken up and wiped out by artillery and planes. . The tremendous odds against the Russians on this front, it is stated, cannot be ignored in considering future prospects in this area. Berlin claims the capture of several villages 180 miles west of Astrakan and states that German forces are now entering the south, steppes.