ON LARGE SCALE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 September 1942, Page 3

ON LARGE SCALE

VORONEZH OFFENSIVE SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS MADE BY RUSSIANS. GERMAN RESERVES CUT UP. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, September 19. The Russian offensive at Voronezh, on the Don River 300 miles to the north-west, is beginning to loom through the reeking dust and smoke of the battle of Stalingrad. The Russians, according to correspondent in Moscow, launched a large-scale offensive from four directions,, with attacks northward of Voronezh in addition to the south, where the Russians are firmly astride the Don with well-establish-ed positions on the west bank. The Russians have encountered strong German resistance, but they have already captured an inhabitated place and inflicted heavy losses in men and war materials. The Germans _ are stubbornly defending strongly-fortified positions which are made up of a close network of blockhouses, well wired and studded with minefields, and they are also frequently counter-attacking. The Moscow radio says that fierce fighting is going on south of Voronezh bn the west bank of the Don. Air combats are occurring continuously. The Moscow “Pravda” says the Germans are throwing in fresh reserves which had been brought from occupied countries, but they are being cut up immediately they go into battle. The Russians are slowly and steadily advancing. Germans and Hungarians who have been taken prisoner south of Voronezh state that the Axis losses have been generally extremely high. Meanwhile, according to Vichy radio, the Russians are defending Stalingrad with unparalleled fanaticism. Battalions of Russian women are fighting alongside the men in the-streets. In the Mosdok area the Russians are gradually gaining the upper hand in spite of German reserves having been brought up from the deep rear. Two German infantry divisions are said to have been completely smashed on this front, while two panzer divisions have suffered terrible losses.

DEATH OF VON KLEIST REPORTED BY MOSCOW. BUT DENIED IN BERLIN. LONDON, September 19. General von Kleist, commander of the First German Tank Army, has been killed in the Mosdok area 'in the Caucasus, it is officially announced from Moscow'. He was in command of the Rostov-Caucastis offensive. (The death of von Kleist is denied in a Berlin announcement). The Moscow announcement says that von Kleist fell to a bullet fired by a Soviet rifleman. Von Kleist was considered Hitler s best tank expert since Guderian. Von Kleist commanded the German troops which captured Belgrade last spring, but he was reported to have been dismissed after Marshal Timoshenko beat him at Rostov last November. Then he vzas recalled with Field-Marshal von Bock early this year. He was aged 60. ______