NO NEARER DECISION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1942, Page 4

NO NEARER DECISION

TITANIC STRUGGLE AT STALINGRAD GAINS MADE BY GERMANS OFFSET BY RECAPTURES ELSEWHERE. (Ey Telagraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.5 p.m.) LONDON, September 24. German gains at Stalingrad have been offset by the Russian recapture of positions in other parts .of the battlefield, and the titanic struggle for mastery seems to be no nearer a decision than at the beginning of the week. The “Red Star” says the present fighting is the most intense yet, with increasing German artillery and air attacks. One Russian tank unit repelled a German attempt to break into Stalingrad from the south. The attack was launched by German heavy tanks, covered by a big air umbrella, with assault troops following up the tanks at the double. Russian tanks broke up the German tank formation, destroyed 34 tanks and a number of lorries and 'killed a large number of shock troops. One of Stalingrad’s main buildings, occupied by German tommy-gunners, was the centre of a battle lasting for many hours. The Germans, firing from windows and the roof, controlled the approaches from all sides and the Russians decided to blow up the building. Five men, each carrying fifty pounds of dynamite, approached under intensive fire, and with a terrific and deafening roar the giant building blew up, burying a hundred Germans.

The “Red Star’s” front line correspondent, vividly describing the Stalingrad holocaust, says the horizon is covered with the great glare from the burning city, tongues of flame dancing everywhere. The sky is full of burning .ashes. Whole streets have disappeared. Debris and shattered German bombers litter the ground. The Germans are doing their utmost to create a living hell, but ferry boats and other craft are still rushing reinforcements and supplies across the river, despite terrific air attacks.

GERMAN SETBACKS ON STALINGRAD FRONT AND ELSEWHERE. RUSSIANS HITTING BACK HARD (Received This Day, 12.45 p.m.) LONDON, September 24. After Russian bombers, escorted by fighters, had carried out heavy attacks, and under the protection of a powerful artillery barrage, the Russians launched several counterattacks nortff-west of Stalingrad. The enemy counter-attacked in some sectors, but was repelled. The Russians broke into three villages and continue to press the Germans hard.

The Germans in three big counterattacks at Voronezh lost over 1500 killed and were forced back to their original positions. German tanks wiped out a battalion of Austrians on this front. The Austrians broke under Russian fire, and the German tanks, which were sent on to follow them, fired on them from behind.

Russian pressure forced the Germans to discontinue their offensive in the northern Caucasus mountains and to give up several positions they had occupied. The Russians, despite German '-'infiltrating tactics with Alpine troops, have managed to hold on to important heights and.passes, and deteriorating weather has bogged down the Germans. Very fierce fighting is continuing, but the Russians apparently are now on top. The Germans have not slackened their pressure in the Mozdok area or on the Black Sea coast south-east of Novorossisk, but they made no progress in the Mozdok area yesterday despite bringing up fresh reserves. The situation on the Black Sea coast, where the Germans were massing large forces, remains serious.

The Russian Volga flotilla is actively supporting the defenders of Stalingrad. The “Izvestia” says the flotilla' is sweeping up enemy mines and harassing the enemy on the river bank. One flotilla group made a surprise landing at a selected point and captured a populated place in the neighbourhood of Stalingrad. Another in two weeks exterminated two German and Roumanian battalions.

The German propaganda agency at Stockholm reveals that the Russians are bringing up reinforcements across the Don at Voronezh and across the Volga at Stalingrad across “invisible bridges.” The agency attributes Russian successes to the use of dozens of these bridges, which are built a few inches below water level. They are invisible from the air, and the Russians traverse them under cover of fog and darkness. Italian troops discovered the bridges when they saw Russians apparently walking on the water. .

The Russian Air Force on the Leningrad front has for the first time encountered massed formations of Italian Fiats and Capronis. Eighteen Italian planes were shot down in five encounters.