COSTLY NAZI EFFORTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 145, 16 December 1942, Page 5

COSTLY NAZI EFFORTS

HOLDING RED ARMY

RUSSIANS MAKE LOCAL

GAINS

LONDON, December 15. There have been German coun-ter-attacks on the Stalingrad and central fronts in Russia. The Soviet reports more local successes in both I areas. ! The "News Chronicle" corrcspon- | dent says that the sector southwest of Stalingrad should still command the greatest attention. Enemy counter-attacks succeeded in pushing Soviet troops back a short distance from the vital German positions above Kotelnikovo, but in doing' so the enemy lost over 1000 men and 11 tanks. The correspondent says it is a good sign that in spite of other German counter-attacks the Russians are managing to keep up their own attacks on a neighbouring sector of the same front Today's Russian communique reported another advance and the capture of another supply base. The Soviet forces are making slow j out steady inroads into the positions i defended by the trapped Germans before Stalingrad. The Red Army is not using men uselessly in this task, but is wearing down resistance and destroying blockhouses before sending the infantry forward in a main body to occupy new $ines. REDUCING POSITIONS. . At Stalingrad the Russians are steadily reducing the enemy positions in the outer suburbs. Soviet gains have already been substantial and Russian trains are running again on several lines recaptured from the invader. On the central front, enemy counter-attacks west of Rzhev have been repelled, in spite of the new armoured weight employed. In the Velikie Luki area, the Russian troops continue to mop up the surrounded German garrison. In their communique today the Germans again speak of strong Russian attacks midway between Stalingrad and Rzhev. Moscow announced last night that Russian troops had been probing the enemy defences south of Voronezh, and had occupied some important heights in the Don region. In the Caucasus the Russians gained some ground yesterday in the Nalchik and Tuapse areas, while Russian artillery has shelled enemy positions near Novorossisk.