DRIVES STILL HELD

Evening Star, Issue 24296, 10 September 1942, Page 5

DRIVES STILL HELD

RUSSIANS' GRIM DEFENCE (Rec. 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 9. The Red Army is still holding the German drives on Stalingrad, although the Russians were forced to withdraw to new lines in one small sector west of the city. The ‘ Red Star ’ says a number ot fresh German troops, tanks, and planes attacked this sector and forced Russian infantry and artillery back to new positions. . A German communique, apparently referring to this same sector, says the Gorman tank forces in the fortified area of Stalingrad broke through stufa-boraly-defendbd positions and after bitter fighting captured the dominating heights immediately west of Stalingrad. ‘ Isvestia,’ admitting the German air superiority in Stalingrad, said; “ The German planes are literally hanging over our front line and bombing our positions. The Russians troops are using dug-out shelters from which to nse up and meet the German land forces with fierce fire.” The thirl dav of bitter street fighting is raging in a settlement in the Novorossisk area, where the Germans ■iavs driven a deep wedge in the Russian defences. The Red Army marines are holding on, but the position is increasingly difficult. A Stockholm message says the Germans claim that detachments which lauded on the night of September 1 at Mikhailovsk have now occumeq a greater part of the road between Tuapse and Mikhailovsk. Moscow reports that the (Russians recaptured the second of three villages which the Germans had seized on the south bank of the river in the Mosdok area. The Russians on the north bank ar» fighting vigorously. Stormoviks swooped through the mountain passes towards Terek and greatly assisted in blocking the German advance. Russian planes west of Prokhladnaya set fire to th* forest and halted German tanks pushing eastwards. The Moscow radio claimed that the Russians, advancing locally on the Leningrad front, reoccupied one inhabited place and repelled several counter-attacks. 'Russian guerrillas operating in the swamps and barren bills of the tundra beyond the Arctic Circle are boldly raiding enemy lines ■tid communications.