GERMANS PUSHED FURTHER BACK

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23845, 14 January 1943, Page 3

GERMANS PUSHED FURTHER BACK

Russian Forces Now Joined CAUCASUS GAINS CONTINUE (N.Z. Prcii Absociafion—Copyright.) ( r;cc 11 l , ln -) LONDON, January C>. The Russians have achieved further successes in the Caucasus and have occupied several more places. The main Russian army from the northern Caucasus has now linked up with the other Russian army advancing south-west from the Kalmuck steppes. The line now runs from near Budennovsk to Pyatigorsk, and the Russians are now pushing on into the Kuban. One Russian force is now moving up the railway to Armavir, 100 miles away. Another is moving up to Voroshilovsk, 80 miles away. On the lower Don, the Russians are fanning out between the railway and the Sal river in face of determined German resistance. In one area the Germans, by a large-scale attack with infantry and tanks, succeeded at first in improving .their position slightly, but were then thrown back. Here the Russians are only 10 miles from their other forces advancing westward down the Don. »

In Stalingrad the Germans are being driven out of more streets and buildings in the factory sector. The Russians have driven their way through to the western suburbs of the city. The Germans launched several counter-attacks, but these were driven back, a whole battalion being wiped out, and many prisoners and much booty were captured.

On the central front, south-west of Velikye Luki, the Germans are trying vigorously to stem the Russian advance. Further east the Germans attempted a reconnaissance in force in thfc Rzhev area, but were dispersed with considerable losses.

The Russians are speeding up their advance down the Kotelnikov-Krasno-dar railway. They are now within big gun range of Salsk, a railway junction town and a big German base, reports the Moscow correspondent of the British United Press. The Germans in the Salsk region are defending the head of the branch railway to Rostov, and are also trying to hold the Russian thrust from the Manich valley. The Russian Tuesday morning communique states; “During last night our troops on the lower Don, the central sector, and in the North Caucasus area continued to wage fighting in the same direction as before. Our pilots sank a 5000-ton enemy ship." The Russian High Command makes no further reference to Kuberle. a town on the Stalingrad-Tikhoryetsk-Krasno-dar railway, the capture of which was announced on Monday night. The capture of Kuberle indicates an increasing threat to the whole of the German force in the Caucasus, as it is only 50 miles north-east of Salsk and 130 miles northeast of Tikhoryetsk.

The progress made by the Russians on the front from the Don bend down into the Caucasus is shown by this map. The heavy line shows the approximate present line, and the dotted line the position of the front when the new offensives began. Considerable German forces have been isolated behind the front line in some areas.

Describing the operations generally, a supplement to the Russian communiciue states: “In the factory area of Stalingrad our storm detachments destroyed enemy fortifications.

“In the lower Don area our troops continued their offensive. The enemy, in attempts to stem our advance, is launching counter-attacks by large ■forces of tanks and infantry. In one sector the enemy concentrated 40 tanks and launched several counter-attacks, all of which were beaten off. Seventeen enemy tanks were destroyed and 300 Gormans were killed.

“On the Central Front the enemy Foulh-west of Velikye Luki, in spite of the huge losses he has already sustained here, continues to throw large forces into the battle. Our troops are repelling the enemy attacks and inflicting heavy losses.

Joint Planning of Offensives

“In the Northern Caucasus our troops are continuing their offensive. When our troops occupied Mineralnyevody two trains carrying troops and supplies were waiting at the station. The troops were annihilated and the supplies captured. On another sector of the same front our troops, having broken the enemy’s defence line, advanced 12 miles.” The Russian southern offensive, which began as isolated thrusts, is now welding into one from north of the Don to the Caucasus. Moscow correspondents believe that General Yeremenko’s forces, which were driving down the lower Don. are still separated by 150 miles from General Maslennikov’s hard-thrusting divisions in the Caucasus, but a single strategical conception unites them. Reuter’s correspondent in Moscow states that the Russians are apparently aiming, with their armies on the lower Don, and those pushing to Rostov from Zimovniki, to form a northern arm of the nutcrackers against which General Maslennikov’s thrust north-westward on a 75-mile front is trying to drive the Germans in the Caucasus and the Kuban steppes, 100 Miles in Nine Days in Caucasus General Maslennikov’s troops have covered more than 100 miles in nine days over rocky valleys, snowbound hills, and mountain torrents. They are increasing the speed of the advance. Cossacks thrust on 12 miles after the capture of Mineralnyevody on Monday. The Russians who occupied Kislovodsk are now driving to Chcrkess. a key town in the area south of the RostovBaku railway. . _ The Russian armies in the Caucasus are sweeping forward on a 70-muc front and pushing the Germans into the Kuban country. One Russian cavalry unit has advanced 12 miles since yesterday. Another Soviet column has pushed on 20 miles past a bianch line to two of the occupied towns. “Red Star” states that the speed of the Russian advance caught, the Geimans unawares. Pyatigorsk and other towns were captured intact. The advance on Pyatigorsk was so sudden that the Germans had not time to burn a single building, and German stan officers were asleep in bed. The Moscow correspondent of. me Times” states that the newly equipped

Russian Army, full of fight and dash, which is overrunning the Caucasian foothills, provided the most sensational news of the winter campaign in the collapse of an entire German position on Monday. The fact that the towns fell so swiftly that the Germans had no time to complete demolitions, has caused particular satisfaction. General Kirichenko’s Kuban Cossacks, who won glory in covering the retreat of the Caucasian Army across the steppes last summer, arc now among the spearhead of the advance which is recovering their homeland. Advancing in company with Russian armoured forces and long columns of motorised infantry are the Cossacks. ' According to a message from Moscow. Soviet alpine troops have replanted the Soviet flag on the summits of Mount Mashuk and Mount Beshtau. These are respectively 25 miles northeast and 25 miles north-west of Pyatigorsk. “Red Star" states that the graves of those who fell in last summer’s Gorman advance arc now littered with corpses of those killed in the winter retreat. The enemy is suffering losses the replacement of which will be increasingly difficult, and which are undermining the German war machine. Growing Threat to Rostov

The threat to Rostov is growing and the Russian force sweeping down the Stalingrad-Black Sea railway is only 20 miles from the force operating between the river and the railway. Reuter’s correspondent in Moscow states that a gap of 20 miles separates the two Russian armies driving along the Salsk railway and along the south flank of the lower Don. Advanced Russian columns on the flanks of the force which occupied Kuberlc are only 32 miles from Salsk. The Germans on the lower Don arc flinging in more powerful forces against the advancing Russians, but their progress there and at Zimovniki continues A sharp battle .ensued for Tfiitrinikovo on the Ssl river, but it was laken after violent street fighting. The Russians then captured three vil lages on a tributary of the Sal, where the Germans have established strong defences, but the river was crossed th? BuSanl after bitter eantured several more streets ana in Aided severe casualties on the enemy. %c C coS to mo Berlin wfflg; anl of the Stockholm paper Aftonhia det ” Russian forces, supported by 100 tanks, are crossing (he Volgasouthof Stalingrad and attacking General von Hoth s'troops. This suggests renewed Russian attacks against the encirueu e Tmest V fio °?om Moscow reports that Sovirt ohglScers in seven months comnidPd a eiant blast furnace in the Urals? tbc g second to be constructed there since the outbreak of war.

SOVIET APPRECIATION OF AID NEW YORK, Jan. 12. In a broadcast over all United States radio networks the Russian Ambassador <M, Litvinov) paid a tribl t0 British and American aid to Russia. “The Red Army and the Soviet people deeply appreciate the help received from the United States and Britain. hjC “I am sure that the American workers producing munitions and the farmers cultivating foodstuffs to be sent to Russia experience great satisfaction when they realise that in this way they arc contributing to the achievements of the Soviet troops and the victories of the Allied nations.”