Terrific Battle Reaching Climax

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 162, 10 July 1943, Page 5

Terrific Battle Reaching Climax

RUSSIANS HIT HARD

Von Kluge Bringing Up Reinforcements Hourly

(New Zealand Press. Association.—Copyright. Rec. noon.)

LONDON, July 9. Russian tanks are fighting hard as the great battle on the Eastern Front reaches a critical point to throw back the German wedge driven into the defences south of Kursk, says Reuters Moscow correspondent.

The south flank of Kursk is not yet in serious danger, but much depends on who wins the next round. The danger area is the sector somewhere between Byelgorod and' Kursk.

General von Kluge has not gained any big operational success yet, but Soviet military circles emphasise that German pressure is expected to increase and much heavy fighting is still ahead. Von Kluge is now in the position of being "in for a penny, in for a pound." He has about 150,000 ground troops in line and reinforcements are coming up hourly.

The British United Press Moscow correspondent says the Russian toll of German tanks is now nearly 2000, which is reported to be half the force available to Von Kluge. The Germans have lost also nearly 1000 planes, and German killed are believed to equal nearly three divisions.

Throughout all the dispatches to Moscow runs the phrase, "We have tamed the terrible tiger—the much-vaunted German 60-ton tanks." The Russian Air Force continues to hold air mastery.