RUSSIAN THRUST AT VORONEZH

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13056, 26 January 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN THRUST AT VORONEZH

GERMANS WITHDRAW

Advance Continued In Caucasus Nazis Admit Defeat At Stalingrad London, Jan. 25. Russian pressure continues on all the main fighting fronts from Leningrad to the Caucasus. The latest German communiques admit a setback on the Voronezh sector. They state that the Voronezh bridgehead has been evacuated by Axis troops. What is meant by this is not quite clear since the town of Voronezh itself was never occupied by the Germans. The Germans had advanced a salient into the northwest suburbs of the town and their statement is taken to indicate that they have probably had to give up this salient. The main fighting is 50 or 60 miles south of the town where strong Russian pincers are thrusting toward it. In the Caucasus the Russians continue to sweep forward and are now advancing on Krapotkin and Tikhoretsk two key railway junctions.

A further German communique about their trapped army at Stalin-

grad states that their men are fighting to the end against overwhelmingodds. The communique adds that the situation of the German army is rapidly getting worse. The Russians

continue to take a heavy toll of the enemy in and before the city. Russian sappers undermined one large building and blew it up together with all the Germans defending it. In other, places the Germans have had to abandon their wounded in hospital and they have frozen to death. Many buildings when recaptured are found full of dead Germans which the enemy had had no time to bury.