HEAVY FIGHTING IN NORTH

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 249, 18 July 1942, Page 7

HEAVY FIGHTING IN NORTH

Bryansk To Kalinin

(British official Wireless.) (Received July 17, 7 p.m.)

RUGBY, July 16.

It is announced in the supplement to today’s Moscow communique that “1200 Germans have been killed in a single day on the central front. Three companies of Germans penetrated the Soviet line east of Rzhev, but were cut off by au artillery and mortar barrage from their main body. The Russians then charged with tommyguns and annihilated the entire force.” A correspondent of the “Red Star” has visited the Rzhev sector after the German claims to have encircled several Soviet divisions and taken scores of thousands of prisoners. The correspondent says: “The German claims have been wildly exaggerated. Between July 2 and 13. they advanced a few miles,” but made no strategic gain. They lost 200 tanks and cut off 5000 Russian soldiers, many of whom are now in action as guerrillas.” The Tass news agency stated that successive German attacks in the past 24 hours against an inhabited locality on the Kalinin front had been rolled back with enormous losses.

Russian counter-blows completely halted the Germans on the Bryansk front, where the Germans are hastily reinforcing their troops, and are believed to be preparing for large-scale action.