Desperate Efforts To Storm Forts

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 272, 17 November 1941, Page 7

Desperate Efforts To Storm Forts

CRIMEAN STRUGGLE

Enemy Held On Moscow And Ukraine Battle Fronts

(United Press Association.—Copyright.—Rec. 1 p.m.) LONDON, November 16. Fighting in 2 7 degrees of frost, the Germans are sacrificing thousands in their attempts to storm the Crimean defences, but apart from their own claim to have captured one fort at Sebastopol there is no indication of progress. M. Lozovsky, Soviet spokesman, said Russian guerillas were particularly strong in the Crimea, and units of the regular army were also fighting behind the German lines. The Berlin radio claims that German infantry have fought their way into the streets of Kerch and are now overcoming the last of the Russian resistance. The latest German communique says the German troops attacking Sebastopol took a strongly reinforced and stoutly defended fort. The Luftwaffe continues to attack Sebastopol and Kerch. The Moscow newspaper Izvestia reports that General Rokossovsky's troops in the past two days have forced the Germans back in several sectors and have captured several villages. Russian units in the Maloyaroslavets region yesterday launched a surprise attack, ousting the Germans from three villages. Fighting was intense in the Serpukhov area, where the Germans attacked with fresh forces, and after several hours forced the Russians from one village. The Russians in other sectors of the Serpukhov area overcame German resistance and captured four villages and a railway station. The Kuibyshev correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain says the Red Army to-day pressed counter-attacks in the Tula sector, where the Germans are reported to have abandoned several settlements. German efforts to reach the TulaSerpukhov highway have been repulsed with the loss of 2000 dead and wounded. Rostov Bars Way to Caucasus The position on the central front is unchanged. The Germans are held at Kalinin and Volokalamsk, while the Tula front holds despite pressure from the north-west and south-east. Soviet resistance on the south-west front and on the south is stiffening. The daily message from Kuibyshev says that for the Germans, Italians and Rumanians in the Don Basin it is dreary and hard progress from one burnt out or flooded coalpit to the next wrecked factory, and the hopes of the Germans of a swift move from the Don Basin, passing by Rostov, have proved false, while the frontal move from Taganrog remains halted. The German news agency stated that German forces driving toward Tikhvin had cut the Leningrad-Vologda railway. Kuibyshev admits that the railway has been cut, but claims that the German drive in the Tikhvin region is held and that the enemy is suffering great losses in men and material. The vicious German thrust towards Tikhvin, aimed at cutting the vital railway linking Archangel with the main centres, has resulted in a fierce battle, which has been raging for several days. All the indications are that the Soviet Command is determined to block the enemy* at any cost in order to protect the vital railway.