TANKS & GUNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 September 1942, Page 4

TANKS & GUNS

SOVIET SUCCESSES AGAINST GERMANS. , SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES. Soviet artillery had outstanding successes in recent battles against German tanks. In many cases the whole character of the fighting was transformed, thanks to the gunners’ cooperation, says “Soviet War News. In one important engagement a powerful German force was attempting to force a break-through and to strike at the flank or rear of advancing Soviet troops. Dozens of tanks were hurled in a solid avalanche against the battery commanded by Senior-Lieutenant Bykov, which was covering the Soviet line. Bykov ordered his gunners to move forward and to fire over open sights. Not a single enemy tank was allowed Lo break through. By direct hits the battery destroyed no less than 18 German machines. In another engagement a gun com : manded by Senior-Sergeant Alexei Smirnov destroyed six German tanks. Gunner Alexei Kulinets, though thrice wounded, succeeded in destroying four German tanks. BOMBERS GET 332 TANKS. Airmen of a unit operating on the Leningrad front have held a meeting in honour of the well-known Soviet aircraft designer Ilyushin, the creator of the famous anti-tank plane “11. 2.” They reported that their formation, using “11. 2” and Stormovik planes, had destroyed 37 German planes, 332 tanks, 178 armoured cars, 1,355 motor lorries and 176 guns. SOVIET TANKS SUPERIOR. Red Army men of a tank unit commanded by Colonel Novikov have sent a letter to young tank-builders of a Stalingrad factory. They describe four recent engagements in which Soviet tanks had to deal with superior forces of enemy machines. In the first battle a Soviet column was attacked by a German division and accounted for 40 tanks; the Nazis left 2,000 killed and wounded on the field. In the second, nine Soviet tanks engaged 30 enemy machines and smashed eight; the remainder fled. In the third engagement eight Red tanks were confronted by 18 Nazi machines and destroyed eight. In the fourth, Soviet tanks smashed 28 German anti-tank guns; the enemy fire failed to penetrate the armour of the Soviet machines.