NEW SOVIET ARMIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 September 1942, Page 3

NEW SOVIET ARMIES

ARRIVING TO DEFEND VOLGA GERMAN ATTEMPT TO FORCE CROSSING. SMASHED BY RUSSIANS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 14. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” says the Stalingrad battle has reached an unprecedented pitch of intensity. Fifty-five major actions have been fought in the last three days, mostly in the south-western sector. A German spokesman, the correspon-, dent says, explained that though the final stage has now been definitely initiated, Stalingrad’s far-flung lines and scattered houses stretch over 25 miles, and therefore the storming of the town itself cannot be expected immediately. The correspondent believes that the Russian reinforcements arriving across the Volga are parts of the fresh armies which Marshals Voroshilov and Budenny were commissioned to organise when they relinquished their frontline commands at the beginning of last winter. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Stockholm correspondent reports that German shock troops, supported by Stukas, this morning vainly attempted to force a crossing of the Volga south of Stalingrad in boats driven by powerful outboard motors. Concentrated Russian artillery and machine-gun fire from the eastern bank and from islands smashed the assault, which aimed at cutting Stalingrad’s supply lines. The Germans had hoped to use the islands as half-way houses; instead they found that the undergrowth on the islands concealed dozens of steel casemates and forts, whose guns forced the boats to retire in disorder after at least half had been sunk .

DRIVE ON GROZNY

GERMAN TANKS GET ACROSS - RIVER TEREK. LONDON, September 14. The enemy have advanced south-east-toward the Grozny oilfield. After they had been held up at the Terek River for 10 days and their forces across the river had been finally wiped out, the enemy made a new thrust and got tanks over, forcing the Russians to retire to a new defence line.