German Divisions Captured

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23805, 26 November 1942, Page 5

German Divisions Captured

CONSEQUENCES FOR GERMANS

heavy enemy losses (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) /he. 11 P-m.) LONDON, Nov. 25. k The Russians are still gaining ground in their three main thrusts. They have advanced a further 25 miles in the drive north-west of the Don. On the Stalingrad side of the river they have gained about 12 miles in their advance from the south-west. The position at Stalingrad itself has been relieved by a thrust from the north. Now the men of the Stalingrad garrison are sallying forth and are battering at the enemy from the east. The capture of three German divisions, complete with their generals and staffs, was announced by Moscow last night. This appears to have occurred in the Russian advance from the Kletskaya region. . The speed of the Russian advance is increasing everywhere, gays a message from Moscow. Besides 42,000 dead, the Germans are estimated to have lost at least 120,000 wounded in the last few days. Another message says 36,000 prisoners have been taken. The Berlin radio admits further Russian progress in heavy defensive fighting. The Paris radio says the situation in the Kletskaya area is serious.

“The Red Army on Tuesday continued its successful offensive before Stalingrad,” states Wednesday’s Russian communique. “In the factory area of Stalingrad the Russians continued active operations, while on the southern outskirts of the city they occupied several fortified positions and a height after killing 400 enemy troops. North-west of Stalingrad the Red Army continued to forge ahead, one unit capturing a fortified stronghold, as well as prisoners and equipment. Pursuing the enemy on another sector north-west of Stalingrad, the Russians captured 21 tanks, of which eight were in working order, 32 guns, 30 mortars, and much other booty. South of Stalingrad the Russians successful/ advanced, occupied a number of inhabited localities, and inflicted enormous losses. One unit wiped out 2000 enemy troops in 24 hours, and destroyed 33 armoured cars and 20 guns. “On one sector south-east of Nalchik an Axis attack was repulsed with heavy losses. German tanks, supported by infantry, attempted to break through in a sector in the Maikop area, but were driven back with the loss of 200 men killed. Our detachments north-west of Moscow wiped out a company of German infantry. A counter-attack by a German battalion was repulsed.” The Soviet Army newspaper “Red Star" says: “Hitler not long ago said the Red Army was no longer capable of taking the offensive. Now he has his answer." The gap through which the Germans must pass is being narrowed as the Russian thrusts close in from the north and the south. Thousands of German and Rumanian prisoners are being up, many of them still wearN ing light summer uniforms. “German Position Serious”

man reinforcements. White flags of surrender raised by the Germans flutter over the barren Kalmuck steppes south of Stalingrad. Dispatches from the front state that German dead are piled high round wrecked pillboxes over the whole area south of Stalingrad. Long columns of enemy captives are moving eastwards, shivering in the intense cold. Some prisoners had covered their heads and bodies with ragged shawls and blankets.

The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press states that a big tank battle is in progress round Stalingrad after the Russian break-through into the main German lines. “Red Star” states that the Russians on the Kalmuck steppes have routed two German infantry divisions, one of which only recently arrived, complete with new equipment. Twelve thousand men of both divisions fled, abandoning their arms and ammunition. Reuter’s correspondent reports that the Russians have ferried across the freezing Volga tens of thousands of infantrymen, also tanks, guns, and lorries for the Stalingrad push. Earlier Communiques

The Stockholm correspondent of •The Times" says: "The German position is very serious, and may become disastrous, but all the German troops threatened with envelopment between the Don and the Volga are not yet attempting to withdraw. The decision of their fate is likely to require long and hard fighting, because they have . accumulated large dumps of ammunition and possibly food near the front lines." Soviet newspapers point out that the Allies share in the Russian successes because their operations in North Africa have increased the strategic difficulties of the Axis armies. The newspapers give a warning against any tendency to minimise the stem tasks still ahead on the Don and Volga fronts. The Russians are very familiar with German resilience and defensive fighting power. They are aware that the Germans have been massing reserves, and also that the element of surprise Is no longer helpful. The Germari forces within the area which the Russians are hoping completely to encircle, were reported to be caught to-day in serious and dangerous positions, sometimes in panic, and sometimes surrounded. Nearly everywhere the retreating Germans are losing their weaker elements, like the Rumanians, who are surrendering in thousands. Russian artillery, including masses of self-propelling guns, played a very important part in the initial stages of the break-through south of Stalingrad, which is carrying the Russians down the main railway towards Kotelnokov and towards the Don along a highway by which the Russians yesterday reached Askai. Another message says the Russian two-pronged thrust north-west and south of Stalingrad is plunging deeper into the enemy’s flanks. Its tempo is being maintained, and it is proceeding according to a careful strategic plan, which, according to the Moscow correspondent of “The Times,” is aimed at undermining the position of the German armies in the Caucasus as well as relieving Stalingrad. Enemy Retreat The Germans are retreating southwards from Cherny she vskaya, which is 110 miles west of Stalingrad. Reuter’s correspondent in Moscow quotes the latest reports reaching Moscow for this statement. The northern arm of Marshal Timoshenko’s offensive is sweeping forward over a much greater area than was apparent from earlier reports. With the capture of Chernyshevskaya, the Russians are 80 miles across the Don. Some observers state that the capture of Chernyshevskaya suggests that Marshal Timoshenko is planning a huge sweep south to Rostov with the object of hemming in not only the German forces in the Don-Volga area, but also the whole of the large Axis forces in the Caucasus. The latest report of the German retreat also shows that other German divisions are heading for the banks of me southern Don, but they may find mat their retreat is cut off. Both arimies are interlocked at some points obvious dangers, but the Russians to have the Germans on the The Soviet Command intends to *oep them on the run as long as possible.

Tuesday’s midnight Soviet communique states: "The Russians fighting m Stalingrad’s factory area to-day slowly forged ahead. The enemy lost 1000 killed. On the southern Stalingrad front the Russians overcame the enemy and occupied a number of fications. The enemy brought up reinforcements north-west of Stalingrad but failed to halt our advance. On one sector alone we wiped out more than 4000 Axis troops. On another sector of the same front the Russians surrounded an enemy force and took 2000 prisoners, including the staff of an enemy infantry division. “To the south of Stalingrad our troops continued their advance, dislodging the enemy from a number of localities. The enemy left more than 3000 dead on the battlefield on one sector alone. , "The Russians south-west of Nalchik repelled enemy counter-attacks and wiped out two infantry companies. In local fighting north-east of Tuapse we destroyed a number of enemy blockhouses and pillboxes and killed more than 100 Germans. Our patrols on the Kalinin front killed 127 Germans in the last two days.” The German communique says that counter-measures are being taken _ to resist the Russians outside the city, but these counter-measures for the most part consist of rushing up reinforcements and throwing them haphazardly into the battle. On some parts of the front, the Germans appear to have lost their grip of the situation, and to have become demoralised. This is indicated by the large numbers of prisoners now being The Berlin radio admits that the Russians, by massing rapid mobile units, have achieved major gains at several points to the south of Stalingrad. Tuesday’s German communique admits that the Russians in the great Don bend and south-west of Stalingrad have penetrated the Axis defensive front.

OUTCOME OF NEW OFFENSIVE (N.Z. Press Association— Copyright.) (Rec. 1.15 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 25. The great possibilities of the Russian offensive are being emphasised by London commentators. The military correspondent of the “Daily Express” (Mr Morley Richards) says: “I have the best authority for asserting that the Russian encircling movement will succeed, and its completion will entail a military disaster for Hitler greater than any that has befallen his army during the war. There is also another problem which he may find insoluble—the relief of his army - in the Caucasus, one of whose supply lines is cut, and whose flank is now open to attack.” “Germany’s entire Caucasian army stands in ultimate jeopardy, but this is only the beginning,” says the "Daily Mail.” “The Russians are atstride the two railways supplying the German armies, and a drive by the Red Army down these railways to the Don would confront the enemy with a terrible dilemma. The Germans have either to stand and. face encirclement, or abandon the Caucasus altogether and retreat as best they can through the narrow gate of Rostov, or even by the more perilous exit of the Kerch strait.” British Army Training.— The House of Commons held a secret session yesterday to- consider an amendment to the address moved fay Mr Robert Barnays “regretting that the King’s Speech contains no proposals for improving the organisation for training the Army in the British Isles.”—Rugby. Nov. 25.

Closing the Gap

.The gap between the advancing Rus- | la hj forces north-west and south of otalingrad is closing steadily, endangering upwards of 400,000 Germans wio are threatened with the greatest huhtary disaster the Nazis have suffered.

Streams of Soviet troops, with great numbers of tanks and cavalry, are arriving to strengthen the drives, and the advance is receiving extensive air support. The Germans officially describe the Russian attack as an all•®f offensive. Many of the enemy are in full repeat, and one correspondent states mat in areas south of Stalingrad the Leman withdrawal has become disordered.

The Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain declares that the Red Army advance is sweeping on from six to 12 miles ® day, in spite of fierce resistance, «nd the throwing in of further Ger-