MANY THRUSTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 January 1943, Page 4

MANY THRUSTS

BEING WELDED INTO ONE IN RUSSIAN SOUTHERN OFFENSIVE. UNIFIED STRATEGICAL CONCEPTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.25 p.m.) LONDON, January 12. The Russian southern offensive, which began as isolated thrusts, is new welding into one from north of the Don to the Caucasus. Moscow correspondents believe General Yeremenko’s forces, driving down the lower Don, are still separated by 150 miles from General Maslennikove's hard-thrusting divisions in the Caucasus, but a single strategical conception unites them. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the Russians are apparently aiming, with their armies on the Lower Don, and those pushing to Rostov from Simovniki, to form a northern arm of the nutcrackers against which General Maslennikov’s thrust northwestward, on a 75-mile front, is trying to drive the Germans in the Caucasus into the Kuban steppes.

SOVIET ATTACKS ON ENCIRCLED GERMAN DIVISIONS. REPORTED USE OF THOUSAND TANKS. (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, January 12. According to the Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm “Aftonbladet” Russian forces, supported by 1,000 tanks, are crossing the Volga south of Stalingrad and are attacking General von Hoth’s troops. This suggests renewed Russian attacks against 1 the encircled divisions. KUBAN COSSACKS IN SPEARHEAD OF RAPID ADVANCE. SWIFT ATTACKS ON GERMAN REARGUARDS. (Received This Day, 1.15 p.m.) LONDON, January 12. General Maslennikov's troops have covered more than 100 miles in nine days, over rocky valleys, snowbound hills and mountain torrents. and they are increasing the speed of their advance. Cossacks thrust on twelve miles after the capture of Mineralvievodi yesterday. The Russians who occupied Kislovodsk are now driving to Cherkess, a key town in an area southward of the Rostov-Baku railway. Other Moscow correspondents emphasise that the Russians are increasingly exploiting the encirclement by swift attacks against the German rearguards. General Kirichenko’s Kuban Cossacks, who won glory in covering the retreat of the Caucasian Army across the steppes last summer, are now among the spearhead of the advance, which is recovering their homeland. Advancing in company with Russian armoured forces and long columns of motorised infantry are the Cossacks. When the German rearguards before Georgievsk fled in disorder, hundreds of panicstricken infantry were ridden down or sabred. “The Times” Moscow correspondent says the newly-eqipped Russian army is full of fight and dash. The overrunning of the Caucasian foothills provided the most sensational news of the winter campaign in the collapse of the entire German position yesterday. The fact that towns fell so swiftly that the Germans had no time to complete demolitions has caused particular satisfaction. The “Red Star” says the speed of the Russian advance caught the Germans unawares, and Pyatigorsk and other towns were captured intact, and, in some instances, German officers were found in bed. The Germans on the lower’ Don are flinging more powerful forces against the advancing Russians, but progress there and at Simovniki continues. A sharp battle ensued for Kuteinikovo, on the Sal River, but it was taken after violent street fighting. The Russians then captured three villages on a tributary of the Sal, where the Germans had established strong defences, but the river was crossed and the advance went on. The Russian main assault against the north Donetz line has not yet begun. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says a gap of 20 miles separates the two Russian armies driving along the Salyk railway and along the south flank of the lower Don. Advanced Russian columns on the flanks of the force which occupied Kuberle are only 32 miles from Salsk.

A Moscow message reports- that engineers in seven months completed a giant blast furnace in the Urals, the second constructed there since the outbreak of war.