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Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1942, Page 3

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TO ABOUT 100 MILES AXIS SOUTHERN SUPPLY CORRIDOR. ll— ■ ESTIMATES OF HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, December 28. The Russians have made a further advance on the middle Don front where, according to the Moscow correspondent of “The Times.” the corridor through which the German southern armies are supplied has now narrowed to about 100 miles. How many Germans remain in the eastern part of the great Don bend between the trans-Don railway and the lower stretches of the river uncertain, but the situation which is developing promises the capture of large areas of steepe. \ The correspondent says that the trapped army’s position here is rapidly deteriorating. There are indications that the Russials are beginning to hammer harder, both from the air and the ground. The distance the German relief planes fly has been doubled in the last week, as the Luftwaffe cannot risk using airfields close to the front, where Russian tanks are audaciously thrusting through. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent estimates thejosses of the Germans and their vassals since the beginning of the Soviet autumn offensive at about 400, 000 killed and taken prisoner. Losses in tanks and planes are sufficiently high to present an awkward problem for the Germans.

The “Daily Express” correspondent at Stockholm says that Russian official reports at present are veiling all opera-

tions, but it is clear that part of the army is pushing south-west toward the giant industrial Donetz city of Voroshilovgrad. A late cablegram from Moscow reports that the Russians today captured Sharnutovsky, 22 miles east of Kotelnikovo and Verkhneablonsky, 15 miles north of Kotelnikovo. A special announcement from Moscow tonight says that south-west of Stalingrad Soviet forces have advanced from 12 to 15 miles in the direction of Kotelnikovo making a total advance of about 53 miles in four days. In 16 day’s fighting on this front the Germans have lost 17,000 men killed.