CLEARED OF ENEMY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 90, 26 January 1943, Page 3

CLEARED OF ENEMY

THE AREA NEAR VORONEZH.

HEAVY BLOWS BY RUSSIANS.

USELESS COUNTER-ATTACKS. f (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) (Rec. 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 25. A special Soviet communique issued to-night states: “The town of Voronezh has been completely cleaied ot the enemy. The number of prisoners taken has been increased by 11,000 and the total prisoners in this area is now 75,000. —British Official Wireless.

The east bank of the Don in area west to south-west of Voronezh has been cleared of German troops. The German High Command, in a communique stated: “To shorten the front we, without enemy pressure, evacuated the Voronezh bridge according to plan.”

The German High Command plans to shorten the whole Russian front and build up a new defence line. This admission, which will be cold comfort to the Germans, already alarmed after the declarations that the military situation is critical, was made to-night by the German News Agency's military commentator. He added that the winter battle is daily increasing in fury. No other power in the world could have faced the Russians in the onslaught during the last two months as the Germans have done. The Russians are far superior in manpower and material compared to the Germans, yet they had to conquer the territory step by step. While German propagandists are thus preparing the Germans for more retreats the Moscow correspondents say that the whole left wing of the German southern armies is bending under the blows of the Red Army. General Golikov’s drive westward and north-westward from new positions south-west of Voronezh is threatening Hitler’s bases at Kursk and Kharkov .and the Russians are within sight of cutting the vital VoronezhJXursk railway. Six hundred miles to the south the Russians are within 20 miles of Kavakaskaya, an important., railway junction between Armavir and Tikhoretslc. t 1

As the Germans more, strongly oppose the Russian drive against Rostov from the Caucasus and from Salsk they are using more armour, which they have hitherto conserved. From front-line dispatches there are reports of a heavy battle on the lower Don in which the Germans lost 78 tanks in persistent, useless counter-attacks. Cossack squadrons, driving on Kropotkin, advanced j 25 miles, outflanked the retreating enemy and cut the rear coin✓munications between Rostov and the Black Sea. The Red Air Force is taking a prominent part in the fighting. It finds many targets in Junkers transports, which are always active During the retreat 10 were shot down in one swoop. The Russians in the north are very active, widening the already substantial bridgehead at fieningr;ad and forcing the Germans back on the Volkhov area.