NEW DRIVE ON CAUCASUS

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21583, 20 November 1941, Page 5

NEW DRIVE ON CAUCASUS

DETERMINED PRESSURE BY GERMANS FURIOUS ASSAULTS BY THE INVADERS LARGE-SCALE BATTLES IN FELL SWING LONDON, Nov. 9 There is every indication that the Germans have commenced a determined drive in the south of Russia to place themselves in a position to make an attempt on the Caucasus oilfields. Pushing along the coast of the Sea of Azov, the Nazi forces are making furious assaults on Rostov and the Donetz Basin and large-scale battles are in full swing. The Russians are resisting strongly and inflicting very heavy losses on the enemy. On all other fronts there appears to be little change in the situation, though the Russians claim to have recaptured some strategic heights in the Crimea. Little news of the fighting on the Crimea front has reached London since the German claim that their forces had over-run the Kerch Peninsula. The Russians have made no mention of a withdrawal, although if they did decide to do so it would cause no surprise in London. However, the Soviet spokesman, M. Lozovsky, announced today that Kerch is still in Russian hands. He said that fighting is still going on in the approaches to the town.

Importance of Kerch The Times’ correspondent on the German frontier says: “The iron deposits of Kerch were the most important in the whole of Russia. Kerch also possesed huge blast furnaces, an aeroplane factory, two electric power stations and two miles of quays, but the Russians entirely destroyed Kerch before the evacuation. Most of the troops and all the skilled workers reached the mainland.” The Moscow radio reports that all German attempts to cross the Volga in the Kalinin area have been heavily repulsed. There has been fierce fighting around Kalinin since last Saturday, in which the air force effectively co-operated with the Soviet • troops, resulting in the wiping-out of 2800 of the enemy and the destruction of about 70 tanks and armoured cars in addition to scores of field guns and machine-guns. Heavy German attacks on Volokalamsk have been checked, while the Sovet forces have strengthened their positions at Mojaisk ar.d Maloyaroslavets. Bitter fighting is still in progress in ; the Leningrad area, with the Russians | steadily advancing at some points. Russian Factories Shifted * British and American members of Sir Walter Monckton’s party, who have arrived in the Middle East from Kuibyshev, are unanimous concerning the stubbornness of the Russian’s resolve to beat the Germans. They saw train after train travelling eastward carrying dismantled factories. The first trucks contained the machine tools, then came the steel work and even the brickwork of the factory, and finally came the workers with their families and furniture. j All were cheerful and undismayed. | Sir Walter Monckton, who has arrived in Cairo to take up his post as head of the propaganda and information services, said that in Kuibyshev | there was no sign of worry or depression, only patience, perserverance and determination to win the war. He thought the position of Moscow was better than it was a month ago. j German Major-General Killed

The Berlin newspapers announce that Major-General Georg Braum has been killed in the Ukraine.

The Soviet news agency reports that 13 German aeroplanes attempting to raid Moscow were shot down on Monday night. On Tuesday several raiders which managed to penetrate the defences dropped high explosives, but there was no military damage and only a small number of . casualties. I

ATTACK ON HANKO

BRISK RUSSIAN TRAFFIC (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright, LONDON, Nov. 18 Although the Germans have many times claimed that Russian merchant vessels and warships are j bottled up in the eastern end of tiie j Gulf of Finland, the Finns report , j that brisk Russian sea traffic con- 1 tinues practically without interrup- ! tion between the Russian garrisons; at the naval base of Hanko and Leningrad. The Stockholm correspondent of j the Times says Finnish troops, aug- j mented by volunteers from neigh- I bouring countries, have scarcely progressed a yard since they began their J operations against the peninsula of j Hanko. The bombing of the Mur- ‘ mansk railway between Lake Onega i and the White Sea continues, but J only approximately one-third of the j railway, between Petrozavodsk and ; the White Sea, has been occupied, j The most advanced Finnish forces 1 are still among the intricate inlets ■ of the north of Lake Onega. The Finns have pushed northward 1 along the railway from Petrozavodsk to a point some 150 miles south of j Soroka, the junction with the rail- j way to Archangel, and therefore j communication between Murmansk j and Archangel through Soroka is not j yet immediately threatened by the 1 Finns from this direction. German 1 and Finnish forces co-operating 1 j from Salla toward Kandalaksha are J I at present believed to be within 50 miles of the Murmansk railway. NEW AIR OFFENSIVE j i FREPARATI NS BY GERMANS j (United Tress Assn. —LTec. Te!. Copyright> j LONDON, Nov. 19 j Reports from Dutch and Belgian sources, not confirmed, state that the Germans are preparing for a new air offensive again Britain. Aerodromes in Belgium and Holland are said to be filling up gradually with j German fighters and bombers. A few enemy raiders were over i * Britain last night. They operated ■ J mainly over East Anglia and the south-east of England. Bombs i caused some damage and a small j number of casualties has been re- | ported, including some deaths.

GERMANS HELD

KERCH NOT TAKEN SOVIET COUNTER=ATTACKS SUPPLIES FROM BRITAIN (United Press Assn.—dec. Tel. Copyright) (Received Nov. 20, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19 Reviewing the war position at a press conference at Kuibyshev, M. Lozovsky, the Soviet spokesman, stated that the Germans have not taken Kerch. Battles are going on near the town. The Italian and German troops have not made progress near Rostov. Ihe situation on the Moscow front continues to improve. Soviet counter-attacks are developing. Fierce fighting is proceeding in the region of Tikhvia. The German and Finnish troops have not made progress in the direction of Murmansk. M. Lozovsky said England and America were faithfully executing their decisions at the Moscow conference. The German hopes that the supply routes would be unavailable have been shattered. Both countries can deliver, and are delivering, regularly. The war will end, only when the invaders have been exterminated. The question of whether Russia will share the British attitude in the event of a Japanese-American conflict is not one for reply at a press conference, said M. Lozovsky, but it was necessary to remember that the Soviet maintains a policy based on the Russian-Japanese neutrality pact. Germans' Failure German attempts to capture Rostov by a surprise flank attack ended in complete failure, says the Tass Agency. General von Kleist tried to drive through Novochekhtinsk, after which he intended to swing southwards toward Rostov. Against a Russian force under the command of General Kharitonov General von Kleist flung two tank divisions, one mechanised and one S.S. division. The German tanks, outnumbering the Russian tanks by six to one, pierced the first and second Soviet defence lines, but the Russian infantry, concealed deep in dug-outs, held their ground. From all sides the Soviet artillery poured in a withering fire, while tanks fell into camouflaged pits and mines blew off their caterpillar treads. The first days fighting upset General von Kleist’s plans, which depended on a quick break-through. The German force wheeled in all directions in efforts to find a weak spot in the Soviet ring, but was pushed back everywhere. Soviet planes carried out hundreds of low-flying attacks on German tanks, mechanised columns and artillery. Over half the German tanks were out of action when the offensive was brought to a standstill. The enemy lost thousands of men. Russians' Stubborn Advance The Moscow radio says that despite the Germans’ powerful fortifications the Russians are stubbornly advancing on the Leningrad front, with strong support from heavy artillery and the air force. One Russian detachment has occupied important new positions in the past 24 hours. FIERCE FIGHTING STRUGGLE FOR TI'LA GERMAN FORCE DISLODGED (omcial Wireless) (Received Nov. 20, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, Nov. 19 A continuance of heavy fighting in the central area of the Russian front is reported in London, where it is considered that the Germans are still searching for a weak spot in this important sector. It appears also that the Germans are renewing their offensive in the Donetz industrial region. A Soviet communique does not specify the areas “along the whole front” in which the greatest activity is taking place.

A supplementary communique states: In one sector of the central front one of our units destroyed 65 enemy tanks and armoured cars and j 35 guns. Our troops in another j sector destroyed 56 enemy guns and i killed about 2500 men. i The radio reports particularly • fierce fighting around Tula. The 1 Germans were dislodged from sevi eral strongly-defended positions, j with the destruction of vast fighting I equipment, also the loss of 6000 j officers and nwn