MANY CAPTURES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 January 1943, Page 3

MANY CAPTURES

MADE BY RUSSIANS ON NORTHERN & SOUTHERN FRONTS. PROGRESS IN THE CAUCASUS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.25 a.m.) RUGBY, January 20. “Since occupying Cherkessk the Russian troops in the Northern Caucasus have crossed the River Kuban,” states a supplement to the Russian morning communique. ‘The enemy are offering a stubborn resistance, but the Russians, forging ahead, have occupied a number of localities. “South of Lake Ladoga, where the German land blockade of Leningrad has been pierced, the Russians waged offensive engagements. Many prisoners, including a German battalion commander, were taken at Shlusselberg. “In the Stalingrad area, annihilation of the encircled Germans continues. Russian storm detachments have occupied several fortified positions in the city. “On the southern front fierce fighting is in progress for one large locality in an area south-west of Orlovskaya (on the north bank of the River Sal). On another sector of the same front Russian units are mopping up an encircled enemy force. “On the south-west front, the Russians occupied a number of localities. In one sector of this front the Germans, aiming to relieve an encircled garrison, threw into the battle large infantry and tank forces. The Russians repelled several enemy counterattacks and annihilated, in stubborn

engagements, one German infantry regiment. “In Millerovo, the Germans abandoned 500 wounded. In an. area this city more than 3,000 enemy dead r ' ; were left. “The Russians on the Voronezh front have continued their successful offensive. An encircled German garrison in the town of Ostrogozhsk carried out several desperate attempts to break out of the town, but all enemy coun-ter-attacks were beaten.off, with heavy losses. “In the area in the locality of Poyoyaly (20 miles north north-west of Rossosh) our mobile units, after a two hour engagement, captured 5,000 Italian officers and men. In an area in. the locality of Alekseevka cur troops attacked a large Italian lorry column. The Italians offered only slight resistance and surrendered quickly.”