DECISIVE HOUR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 August 1942, Page 4

DECISIVE HOUR

NEARED IN THE BATTLE FOR STALINGRAD WESTERN BANK OF DON. REACHED BY THE GERMANS IN STRENGTH. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 1.15 p.m.) LONDON, August 23. Reports from Moscow emphasise that the decisive hour is near in the battle for Stalingrad, on the approaches to which x titanic struggle is being waged. The Russians are giving ground in some places under tremendous German pressure. South-east of Kletskaya the enemy apparently has reached the western bank of the Don in strength along a considerable stretch of the river, but in the area of Kletskaya itself the Russians have counter-attacked with success. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says bitter fighting is proceeding on one’ sector north-east of Kotelnikovo, where, after a series of persistent attacks, the Germans with tanks and motorised" infantry, broke through into the depth of the Russian defences. A struggle has been raging since midday on Sunday, with the Germans being attacked from both flanks and trying to get reinforcements through. German detachments of tommy-gun-’ ners and infantry which succeeded in crossing to the east bank of the Don opposite Stalingrad are reported to have been pinned on the bank since Saturday evening by intense Russian shelling and bombing. The German High Command announced that German troops had taken up an offensive south-westward of Kaluga, where the Germans succeeded in driving a large wedge into stronglyfortified Russian positions. Russian counter-attacks on a broad front were repelled. A German communique says Russian thrusts in the Rzhev, Lake Ilmen and Leningrad areas were repulsed. A Soviet communique admits, another message states, that the Germans have succeeded in getting tanks across to the eastern bank of the Don.