EARLIER NEWS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1942, Page 3

EARLIER NEWS

SOME ENEMY GAINS TWO STREETS IN SOUTHERN PART OF CITY HITLER’S PLANS FOR WINTER (Special P.A. Correspondent.) LONDON, September 23. Against encouraging development of the Russian counter-offen-sive north-west of Stalingrad must be set a further deterioration in the city, where the Germans have increased their grip on the builtup area. > The Moscow correspondent of the I “Daily Telegraph” says the Germans 1 captured two streets in southern Stalingrad. this morning and stormed several more this afternoon. The}' used a strong force of shock infantry, which poured into a breach prepared by 100 tanks.' It is obviously disquieting, says the correspondent, to see how massed tanks, against which no complete defence has yet been found, can still by sheer weight barge into an area where the Russians cannot afford to lose much ground. Once the Germans are in a thoroughly built-up area it is a different story. Streets have been changing hands time after time, and the German assaults have been repulsed everywhere else along the defence arc, while the Russians are still regaining ground in the north-western suburbs. The Russians are not merely nibbling at the dreadfully dangerous German wedge, but are making heavy attacks, at crucial points. The co-ordination of all Russian arms is reported to be exceptionally good. In the Russians’ counter-offensive north-west of Stalingrad, says another Moscow message, powerful and sustained German counter-attacks supported vigorously by the Luftwaffe have so far not halted the steady advance by waves of Soviet riflemen, strongly supported by tanks, artillery and planes. The Moscow correspondent of “The Times” says the most satisfactory feature of this Russian counter-offen-sive is the activity of Russian aviation. The Russian planes are in such strength that fighters are able to cover the infantry during their consolidation and break up large formations of dive-bombers, while others are heavily attacking the enemy lines and also seriously interfering with the supply columns. Stormoviks, aided by artillery, smashed a convoy of 200 tanks and 500 vehicles which was moving to the front after crossing the Don.

The situation on the other fronts is summarised as follows: — The Germans in the Mozdok region on the Caucasus front are apparently preparing another large-scale attempt to break through to Grozny. According to Vichy radio, the Germans have reached the bend in the Terek River, enabling them to neutralise the defence ' system round the Grozny oilfields and also opening the way for a direct attack against the military road across the Caucasus. The Russians at present have the situation in hand south of Novorossisk, but Axis reinforcements are moving up from the Crimea. Heavy fighting is going on west, north-west,, and south-west of Moscow, and also in the areas of Lake Ladoga, the Volkhov River, and the Karelian Isthmus. The British United Press correspondent in Stockholm reports that Hitler is building an “east wall” in Russia. It is not a continuous line, but a series of strong citadels, which are sometimes as much as 30 miles apart. Each will hold a division with food for the winter.