TENACIOUS DEFENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1942, Page 7

TENACIOUS DEFENCE

GERMANS IN SOUTH

(Rec. 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 18. The Germans are making every effort to stem the Russians' advance on the southern fronts. They brought up reserves on the Donets front, but the Russians inflicted severe casualties on them. The Germans also reinforced the Crimean front.

The Germans south of Kharkov are finding great difficulty in maintaining their forward positions, which presumably are important in the plans for the spring offensive. The tenacity with which they are defending these positions supports the belief that they have been ordered to hold them at all costs. Russian frontal attacks, on this part of the front have not produced any general German withdrawal, but the Germans defending Taganrog failed to take adequate precautions against attack across the ice. The Russians, according to the Germans, came in unexpectedly strong force across the ice on the Sea of Azov and a large part of them were able, to infiltrate, with plentiful and various equipment. This has implanted a feeling of insecurity in the Germans manning the frontal zones, especially those around Taganrog, who were already disturbed by Marshal Budenny's cavalry descending from Losovaga, threatening all the Germans* rear lines in the Donets Basin.

What these well-armed raiders have already accomplished cannot f be summarised, owing to paucity of detail, but German headaches appear to be due to the realisation that junction of these forces with the forces from the Sea. of Azov, which is highly possible, if it has not already been achieved, would virtually encircle large units of Germans. The German anxiety seems to confirm that Marshal Timoshenko's energy and initiative have already greatly complicated and even frustrated the German plans for an early push to recover Rostov before a general offensive is initiated towards the Caucasus. The Russians, according to the Associated Press, are threatening Novgorod after crushing the formidable German counter-attacks. Leningrad radio declared that active operations on this front are in full swing. "Our units in General Feduninsky's sectors," it said, "killed 700 Germans in the past two days and destroyed or captured much war material." GERMAN INFANTRY ROUTED. Moscow radio stated that the Russians on the Kalinin front routed a concentration of German infantry by a sudden thrust. The remnants ran towards a village to rejoin other German units, but the Russians rushed the village and threw them out. The "Red Star" says that Russians operating in the German rear on the Kalinin front have killed 1400 Germans in the past three months. The German radio reports that heavy fighting is in progress on the RzhevVyazma front, and admits that German forces have been moved to that part in considerable numbers from the Orel front. A German military spokesman stated: "The Eastern Front is now consolidated. We have overcome the December crisis and improved our supply lines, which are quite safe, and, brought reserves into action. The present defence lines are strong and .well j