GREAT DISASTER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 November 1942, Page 4

GREAT DISASTER

FACED BV THE GERMANS IN RUSSIA IF SCALE OF SOVIET ONSET IS MAINTAINED. MAIN COMMUNICATION LINES CUT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.25 a.m.) LONDON, November 25. The Moscow correspondent of the Columbia Broadcasting system says the road from Stalingrad is now such a confusion of marching columns, routed battalions, broken communications and fleeing men that the best way to describe the battlefield is to divide it into two equal parts. One part, he continues, is the territory lying north of the railway running westward from Stalingrad. The other is the region southwards. The Germans in the south are in a huge angle formed by the railway running west of Stalingrad and the railway running south-west from Stalingrad. Both lines have been cut, but as far as we know, the Germans can still escape by retreating across the open steppe, through a gap about forty miles wide. Many German divisions in the entire region north of the railway are split up into many parts, with their lines of communication cut. “If the Russian offensive continues on the same scale, it looks as if the Germans are facing a disaster far greater than that of last December,” concludes the correspondent. The “Red Star” claims that the Russians shatteringly defeated the enemy at Sunovkhino. The Germans tried to stop their retreat along one line, assembled all their forces and struck back, but the Russians broke them. The Germans retreated in several directions in complete disorder, the Russians pursuing and encircling them and cutting oft' their retreat.

FULL PRESSURE MAINTAINED BY SOVIET ' x AIR FORCE. DEATH AND DESTRUCTION RAINED ON ENEMY. (Received This Day, Noon.) LONDON, November 25. The Russian Air Force is fighting at full pressure, swooping down and dealing death and destruction against the retreating German, Italian, Rumanian and Finnish columns, Reuter’s corres- . pondent says. The snow-covefed - Don Steppes are littered with' the J bodies of thousands of German — and Rumanian dead. The enemy • •is fleeing everywhere in disorder, '" seeking a way of escape, but- always running into Russian fire. ... However, on the whole, the German Command appears to be recovering from its stunned surprise and attempting to use what is left of its artillery to cover up the retreat. The British United Press Moscow correspondent reports that the' Russians in the Doh bend, north-west of Stalingrad, have freed between 40 and 50 villages and also several big regional centres. Columns of. shabby ..and hungry German and Rumanian prisoners are being marched t back to assembly points. Some of these columns are even going without escort, ...as thousands of new prisoners are being rounded up every hour. The German prisoners are particularly depressed by their sudden crushing defeat. The three full divisions which surrendered south-west of Eletskaya are now known to be German. _ The character of the fighting in Stalingrad itself has undergone a radical change. The Germans have ceased launching attacks and are now trying desperately to defend themselves against ceaseless Russian onslaughts. The Russians are systematically clearing up the northern sector of the city. A relieving force has entered Stalingrad from the north-east.

WITHIN SIGHT OF THE GREATEST VICTORY OF THE WAR. RED ARMY TRIUMPH. (Received This Day, Noon.) LONDON Novertibbr 25. The Red Army is within sight of the greatest victory of the war. Stalingrad has been relieved after a three months' siege, and the Russian pincers are more than’ 100 miles west of the city and are steadily closing on about 300,000 Axis troops. The latest messages from Moscow emphasise the magnitude of the Russian successes. Reuter's correspondent says the Red Army today dominates a vast battle area of about 22,000 square miles round about Stalingrad. The “Red Star” declares: “Our Offensive is inflicting fresh and enormous losses on the Germans, bleeding them white and preparing the ground for their final defeat.” The northern army pincers has advanced south beyond Sunovkhino, a key town 90 miles west of Stalingrad, on the main railway to Kharkov. The Russians arO now at many points firmly astride this vital supply line feeding the Germans at Stalingrad. One column of the southern arm of the pincers has captured Kalach. Another column is pushing south along the StalingradTikhoretsk Railway in the direction of Kotelnikovo, thus threatening to outflank the enemy forces in the Caucasus. In Stalingrad itself, thO defenders broke through the German wedge dividing the southern and northern parts of the city. Joining forces, they are now cleaning out German strongholds. “The Telegraph's” Moscovr correspondent says the Russian victory is mounting at such a pace that even eye-v/it-nesses cannot fully absorb it. If the Red Army is able ot continue its drive from. Chernyshcvskaya towards; Millerovo, it will seriously threaten the enemy dispositions at Voronezh and further northwards.

WAV PREPARED EY HAMMERING OF NAZIS AT STALINGRAD. (British Official V/ireiess.) (Received This Day, 12.45 p.m.) RUGBY, November 25, A Russian correspondent v/ith Marshal Timoshenko’s forces, telegraphing from the Stalingrad front, states that the way for the present offensive from Stalingrad was cleared by the three months’ hammering which the Red Army gave the Germans. “Things went like clockwork,” the correspondent adds. "After an initial bombardment of the enemy’s positions, our tanks and infantry went into action. When the enemy recovered from their surprise they put up a heavy barrage, but there was no stopping the onslaught now. The Red Army was <sh the move. . In the sector of the initial break through, the enerfiy triedl to frustrate the' Soviet push by sporadic

counter-attacks. But when these failed, the Germans either fled or surrendered. Supported by an avalanche of armour, our troops pushed rapidly forward, taking populated points, prisoners and equipment in their stride. The armoured forces of both sides locked in a death-grapple 1 , which ended with all that remained of the enc'my tanks being heaps of. mangled and smoking metal, and the track marks of survivors who had fled.” ATTACKS ON RZHEV REPORTED BY GERMANS. (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) LONDON. November 25. The Berlin radio today reported that Russian troops, supported by tanks, three times attacked on the Rzhev front, west of Moscow, arid' temporarily penetrated the German, positions.