SOVIET PROGRESS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1943, Page 3

SOVIET PROGRESS

CONTINUED ON ALL FIVE FRONTS PRESSURE GN ENCIRCLED GARRISONS. HARD FIGHTING INSIDE STALINGRAD. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9:50 a.m.) RUGBY January 5. it appears from a supplement to last night’s Soviet communique, which recorded continued Russian progress on all five fronts, that other enemy strongpoints in the Chernyshevskaya salient are now encircled and are being mopped up. Soviet units are continuing to press a ring around encircled

enemy garrisons. . . The communique adds that, aiming at the relief of one encircled garrison, the Germans launched repeated coun-ter-attacks, by large infantry/and tank forces. They were repelled by the deadly fire of the Soviet troops and left on the battlefield more than 100 dead, and 24 German tanks burnt out. One thousand miles further north, south-west of Velikiye Luki, one Rea Army unit pentrated a locality and is conducting street fighting. The Stalingrad ruins are clearly affording the enemy strong defensive positions, as they did the Russians. The enemy is still fighting tenaciously in the city outskirts, but gradually is being pushed In the factory area of Stalingrad Soviet storm detachments wrecked enemy fortifications, infiltrated enemy positions and blew them up. Some 200 Germans were killed and prisoners and booty were captured.