THE BATTLE FOR STALINGRAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 August 1942, Page 3

THE BATTLE FOR STALINGRAD

Enemy Attempts to Establish Permanent Bridgeheads on Don SMASHED BY THE RUSSIANS ATTACKS ON AXIS WEDGE FURTHER SOUTH LONDON, August. 23. In Russia, the critical battle for Stalingrad is still undecided. The Russians are smashing all German attempts to establish permanent bridgeheads across the Don elbow and are fiercely attacking the enemy wedge south of the Don. On the Leningrad front the Russians are reported to have captured an important German defence position. Between Leningrad and. the central front local fighting is taking place. South-west of Moscow the Germans claim to have launched an but there is no confirmation of this from Russian sources. There are no recent reports from the Orel sector. In the Voronezh area a big battle is reported in a town west of the Upper Don. Further down the Don, the Russians are holding positions they regained from the enemy in a recent counterattack. They are still holding out in places on the western bank of the Don and the enemy has not yet been able to get heavy equipment across the river. In places he has landed baby tanks but these have been destroyed by the Russians, who have also taken a heavy toll of enemy infantry. South of the Don elbow, the Russians are attacking both sides of the wedge driven by the enemy into their defences. There are no reports of fighting on the 250 miles of difficult country leading up to the Caucasus foothills, where mountain warfare is developing. At the western end of the Caucasus front, where the Germans are driving towards the Black Sea ports, the Russians are outnumbered. The enemy is advancing along the gorges and ravines and the Russians have been compelled to make a further withdrawal.