EBB & FLOW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 September 1942, Page 3

EBB & FLOW

IN FURIOUS FIGHTING ENEMY CONCENTRATION TACTICS. CONTINUED SOVIET PROGRESS WEST OF MOSCOW. " (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.45 a.m.) RUGBY, September 13. No new place names are mentioned in today’s Soviet communique, but a further withdrawal by the Russians in one sector west of Stalingrad is announced in a supplementary communique. Particularly fierce fighting occurred here, during which seven German tanks were destroyed. Three times the Germans penetrated the Russian positions, and each time they were driven back by counter-attacks. However, after new German reserves had been brought up, a fresh attack was launched, compelling the Russians to withdraw to new positions. South-west of Stalingrad enemy tanks and infantry penetrated the Russian defence line at one place, but, by a strong counter-attack, the enemy was forced to retreat to his original position. The Germans followed up their capture of a settlement south-west of Stalingrad by three successive attacks, all of which the Russians repelled, having strongly fortified every height, hill and ravine, says a Moscow message. The .battle, which lasted for several days, ended in favour of the Russians, who wiped out over 4000 German troops. The enemy is continuing his usual method of attack, by concentrating huge masses of tanks, infantry and aircraft on narrow sectors of the front, in attempts to force wedges into the Sov-’ iet defences. The steppe west of Stalingrad is bounded by hills and gullies, and the Red Army is contesting every inch of ground in the face of increasing enemy pressure, and is launching frequent counter-attacks. The “Red Star” reports that, as a result of counter-attacks, the Soviet troops broke into an enemy stronghold. The Germans are hastily constructing defences around every strip of captured territory, and these defences serve as points for the concentration of enemy forces in preparation for further attacks; also as a protection against Soviet counter-thrusts. In the air, largescale dogfights and raids on troop concentrations are taking place. In one sector of the Stalingrad front there have been 55 air battles in the past three days, resulting in 46 enemy air-

craft being destroyed. In addition, fifteen Axis planes were burned on an aerodrome and others were damaged. Tank battles in this area have also been on a large scale, with hundreds _ of machines participating on either side. In the Mosdok region the Russians have repelled enemy counter-attacks, says a supplementary communique, destroving a number of enemy tanks, killing 150 troops and taking booty. A Moscow message adds that Soviet troops, with artillery assistance, were making every effort to wipe out enemy forces on the south bank of the Terek River vesterday. The Germans made a desperate attempt to crush the Sovietbatteries, hurling against them every available tank. The Soviet artillerymen, however, succeeded in destroying 26 tanks and forced the remainder to turn back towards the river. The Red Army 'has advanced in two sectors on this front, where a fierce fight is raging for mountain passes and villages. On one sector the Germans, withdi awing north, are mining the path of their retl? In* one sector on the central front, fighting for an important locality took place, and eighteen enemy tanks were destroyed and over 1000 enemy troops were killed.

Messages from Moscow make it clear that, in spite of heavy German counterattacks and rain, which is now falling, the Russian advance on this front has not been halted. The Germans, it is reported, are bringing up reinforcements by land and air.