STRUCK BY THE RUSSIANS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 November 1942, Page 3

STRUCK BY THE RUSSIANS

Enemy Front Breached West of Moscow QUARTER OF A MILLION AXIS TROOPS ENCIRCLED IN STALINGRAD AREA GERMANS ON DEFENSIVE IN CAUCASUS LONDON, November 29. The Russians are making continued progress both in the Stalingrad area and in the new offensive opened on the central front. West of Moscow the Soviet forces are widening and extending four breaches driven in the enemy line. In the Stalingrad area they are mopping up groups of the quarter of a million Axis troops whom they have encircled. In Stalingrad the Germans are being' driven out of many recently-won positions. It is learned in London that the Russian armies from the north and south on the Stalingrad front have joined up near the Don, completing the encirclement of 250,000 enemy troops. The enemy is making a stiff resistance and counter-attack-ing in the full extent his strength will permit, but the Russians have made very definite progress and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. In the Caucasus the Germans are fighting defensive battles and the Russians are persistently attacking. A special Soviet announcement states: “A new blow has been struck against the enemy. An offensive has begun on the central front. . . “A few days ago Soviet troops in the area east of Velikiye Luki and west of Rzhev overcame stubborn resistance by a strongly-fortified defence zone. In the area of the town of Velikiye Luki our troops broke the enemy front on a line 20 miles wide. In the area west of Rzhev our troops broke the enemy line in three places to a breadth of 12, 10 and six miles. “In all these three directions Soviet troops made an advance of between eight and 20 miles. Our troops cut the railway between Velikiye Luki and Nevel, between Velikiye Luki and Novo Sokolniki, and between Rzhev and Viazma. “The enemy, in attempting to stem the advance, is makingstrong counter-attacks, which have been repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy. “In this offensive our troops have liberated more than 300 places and defeated four infantry divisions and one tank division. In three days our troops captured 400 prisoners, 138 guns, 110 mortars, thousands of small arms, several ammunition dumps, and stores of food and military equipment, and destroyed 106 guns, 180 mortars, 300 machine-guns and 50 tanks. The enemy left on the battlefield more than 10,000 dead. “The offensive is continuing.”