RED ARMY FIGHTING HARDEST BATTLES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 293, 10 December 1943, Page 5

RED ARMY FIGHTING HARDEST BATTLES

KIEV STRUGGLE

Nazis Pouring In Hundreds Of Tanks N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 12.30 p.m. LONDON, Dec. 9. German panzers west of Kiev are giving the Red Army one of its hardest fights since the beginning of the Russian campaign, says the Associated Press correspondent in Moscow. The Germans, through two trunk railways from their deep rear, are feeding hundreds of tanks into the battle area, seeking a weak point to break through, but to-night the Red Army lines are still held. Reuter states that German attacks in the Kiev salient are mounting in intensity and have gained more ground. The position there is described as tense, but in no way desperate. The Germans in the Chernyakhov sector at dawn to-day launched new attacks, using 600 tanks in that sector alone. Although the Germans are slamming in attacks along a 50mile front against the Kirv salient, the fighting is occurring mostly along the main r road to Kiev, northeast of Chernyakhov, because elsewhere the difficulties of moving heavy armour are still considerable. It is recalled that it was mud which was largely responsible for the Russians losing Jitomir.

Ground Regained Not Considerable

The ground the Germans have regained during the four weeks' counter-blow against the Kiev bulge cannot be regarded as considerable, but it has restricted the area for manoeuvre available to the Red

Army. The Russian High Command is confidently anticipating a continuance of the enemy's challenge, although it does not underestimate the Wehrmacht's strength. Enemy sources to-night gave versions of the position On the two main fronts. The German News Agency's commentator, von Hammer, said the German operations west of Kiev had led to considerable gains of ground. Berlin radio stated that south-west of Dnepropetrovsk, where the Red Army went over to the attack, the Germans had shortened their portion of the line which was previously full of dents and zigzags. Von Hammer also admitted that the Russians, attacking on a broad front in the Pripet-Beresina area, had succeeded in making three breaches in the German lines, two of which he claimed were sealed off. To-night's Soviet communique states that the Red Army west and south-west of Kremenchug was beating off counter-attacks and had occupied 15 strongly-fortified defence points, including Petrovo, 28 milts north of Krivoi Rog, and the railway station of Mederovo, on the Snamenka-Nikolayev line, 17 miles east of Kiroygrad. The Russians north-east of Chernyakhov repelled large tank and infantry attacks.