NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH CRITICAL DAYS OF WAR

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23717, 15 August 1942, Page 5

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN NORTH

CRITICAL DAYS OF WAR

(Heccivcd August 14, 11 p.m.) (N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, August 14. The general situation on the Russian fronts remains unhanged, with the Germans apparently making no progress towards Stalingrad, but gaining some ground in the Caucasus. Moscow newspapers generally present a rather brighter picture of the situation, although they still emphasise the need for a supreme effort. On the Stalingrad front the Germans were pushed back after making slight progress on both the Kletskaya (northwest) and Kotelnikov (south-east) sectors. A bitter engagement has been renewed on the Kotelnikov sector. The Germans have been bringing in considerable reserves, and Rumanian troops have been taking a prominent part in the attacks. In the Caucasus the German effort is being made in two directions, one towards the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk from the Krasnodar area, and the other south-east along the mountains towards Grozny!, -with a side thrust beginning near Cherkesk, on to the Sukhum military highway across the Caucasus. On both sectors of the Caucasus front the Russians , are putting up fairly strong resistance. Russian successes in the north, near Leningrad, and at Voronezh are reported.

The latest Soviet communique states; "During August 13 our troops were engaged in fierce fighting in the areas of Kletskaya, north-east of Kotelnikov, Krasnodar, Maikop, Cherkesk, and in the Mineralnycvody area (on the Ros-tov-Baku railway, 10 miles north of Pyatigorsk). There has been no change in other sectors, "Soviet warships sank an enemy submarine in (he Gulf of Finland. In the Barents Sea Soviet warships sank three transports, totalling 28,000 tons. “In the Krasnodar area a fierce enemy attack was repulsed. We fought a defensive battle in the Mineralnyevody area. In the Voronezh area we wiped out a German regiment/ On a sector of the Bryansk front our troops broke enemy resistance, forced a river crossing, and occupied several inhabited localities.” The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says: "Two facts emerge from the confused north Caucasian position—Marshal von Bock has begun his assault on the Caucasus and the Russians are slowly but surely being driven back to the mountains. We shall now see whether the Russians have the strength left to turn at bay and beat their tormentors, or whether the' Suggestion is true that Marshal Timoshenko, faced with a choice between two evils, has concentrated everything to save Stalingrad and has left the Caucasus and "'the Holding of the oilfields to a handful of Russian divisions, backed by British forces from Iran. The Russian Black Sea fleet has arrived at Batum, which will be its base for further operations.” Kotelnikov Battle Marshal von Bock’s thrust against Stalingrad, now in its fifth week, is being held in all sectors. The latest indicate that the great KotclnikM battle, which was resumed on '• scale yesterday morning after ■lK"irv,nAans and the Rumanians had suffered a sharp reverse, is still moving slightly in favour of the Russians. The Russians have succeeded in restoring a position at Kletskaya after an important German advance in one sector. Details are now available of the phase of the Kotelnikov battle which ended on the morning of August 12 with a disorderly retreat of the German and Rumanian forces from positions they had gained at great cost in the preceding few days. After hauling great forces of tanks and lorry-borne infantry against the Russian defence lines, losing many machines to Russian tanks which awaited them in ambush, and being driven back by a decisive counter-blow, the German Command on Tuesday morning accumulated a force of 300 tanks. These bore down in two waves on a line of hills where the Russians had established a main fire point. The defenders held their fire uhtil the shock troops could be seen clinging to the sides of the tanks. The Russian guns and mortars then opened Up a murderous fire. The German tanks were seen to recoil, and many of them burst into flames as thermite shells found their mark. Others broke formation, took cover in small valleys, turned tail, and retreated in confusion. Then the Germans in an adjacent sector threw in infantry which edged the Russians off a number of heights. Before the Gormans had time to Consolidate the Russians counter-at-tacked, regained lost territory, and drove the entire force, except one regiment, off the battlefield. This regiment was engaged all night. The Russians, by daybreak on Wednesday, held their original linos intact. The Kotelnikov battles are at present among the most sanguinary in the entire southern campaign, as the Axis forces attempt to drive along the railway towards Stalingrad. street fighting is occurring in many townships; and the fields are strewn Uuth hundreds of dead. Another account of the Kotclrkov fighting states that Marshal Timoshenko, outnumbered in men and ranks, brought up large reserves of arjillery and set up a terrific barrage. Correspondents tell how this intensive artillery fire broke up the advancing «errnan tank columns. Then Soviet tanks tore into the battle supported by dive-bombers. The brunt nf the attack and the fieavy losses incurred were borne by Rumanian troops. Defence at Krasnodar The Russians at Maikop and Krasfiodar, in the Caucasus, arc taking full of terrain more favour- “ Ole for defence. The strongest stand « being made at Krasnodar, where “larshal Timoshenko’s forces are preventing the Germans from crossing the Kuban rive?- in strength for an all-out ®ttack against Novorossiisk. There is th of the Vichy report tnat the Germans have captured Krymskaya. although it is possible that weak Gorman advanced guards have into this area. The fighting “l Krasnodar is going on in tropical Cherk eavv battles are raging at j A* Kc c | ar t ] v , R uss i ans ar e fighttag fie# / in attempts to stop the «ermai£.r-iTflr n crossing the Kuban fiver, and carrying out an attack on novorossiisk, a naval base on the Sea. A German communique says: "The mermans, in spite of stubborn resistance, have pushed back the Russians * n the Caucasus area, captured Elistra, ana gained further- ground between the vojga and die Don,” The Vichy radio declared that the Germans have reached Krymskaya, and are now contacting the Russian fines of resistance before Novorossiisk Itself. The Germans captured "atalpashinsk ton the Sukhum road across the mountains) after hard fighting, Axis forces, the radio states, have reached a point 28 miles from Grozny!, Heavy fighting is now taking place •t a point 50 miles east of Cherkesk, Jnd 120 miles from the Grozny! oilelds, according to the midnight com-

Progress at Voronezh

The news from Voronezh continues to be satisfactory with the Russians steadily pressing back the enemy south of the town, where a German unit is threatened with encirclement. The Russians, using flame throwers and tommy-guns, drove the Gormans and Hungarians from one locality street by street. They ruthlessly exterminated nests of resistance established in houses. The Moscow correspondent of “The Times” says: “An important Russian offensive, probably with limited objectives, appears to be developing satisfactorily in the Voronezh area. Three Hungarian brigades have been severely mauled. If their advance can be maintained the Russians will enter country only recently conquered by the Germans and not yet fully organised for defence.” The Russians still give less information than the Germans concerning operations at Rzhev, says the Stockholm correspondent of “The Times. The Russians have gained appreciable success in the Lake Ilmen region since July. The Germans in the middle of July consistently reported the battle as being the zone south-east of Lake Ilmen, but at the end of August altered the description to south of the lake. The Qermans are at present reporting hard fighting south-west of Lake Ilmen. On other parts of the vast front there are signs of increased Russian activity. The Russians on the Leningrad front recaptured a strongly fortified railway and road junction after the German positions had been softened by heavy shells from Kronstadt’s long-range batteries. A message from Istanbul says that a proclamation addressed by the Berlin radio to the Turks living in the Azerbaijan district (south of the Caucasus) inviting them to desert Russia and join the German ranks has caused indignation in the Turkish intellectual sphere. A message from Berlin states that a group of Turkish journalists who have been touring Germany have arrived on the Russian front. They wcie tendered a banquet by General von Mannstein.

BRITISH MINISTER’S VIEW

(8.0. W.) RUGBY, August 13. ‘‘The great part of the 80 days which I described as the most critical of the war still remain and indeed there is every sign of the terrible symphony of war rising to a crescendo before winter.” said the Minister of Production (Captain Oliver Lyttelton) today. He added that he saw no reason to alter the opinion he had expressed three weeks ago that the next 80 days would be the most critical in history. Captain Lyttelton said the Russians had been dealt a terrible blow in the south. In Egypt the situation was tense, and he did not think that no could find anywhere a grimmer and more desolate battlefield than that on which the Allied troops were fighting, The Gormans had much shorter lines of communication, but they had a worse desert line to contend with. Allied shipping losses had decreased in July, and the toll of U-boats had increased, but severe attacks must still be expected. . . It was encouraging and heartening to see that the American and Australian forces had assumed the offensive in the Pacific, but critical days were still to come. Never was there a greater need for buoyancy and vitality in Bii* tish industries than now. Captain Lyttelton said that a modern war was immensely long, partly because the democracies always hoped for peace and lack of preparation had to be paid for again and again when others started wars.

Qucen Visits A.T.S.— The Queen recently inspected Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service centres and a junior officers’ school in the Southern Command. Her Majesty expressed pleasure at the goodwill and skill with which the personnel were applying themselves to their tasks and said she was greatly impressed with the splendid esprit do corps built up.