STALINGRAD’S STRUGGLE

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1942, Page 5

STALINGRAD’S STRUGGLE

FURTHER ATTACKS REPULSED GERMANS REACH VOLGA LONDON, October 21. There is no slackening of the German onslaught on Stalingrad. Today’s midday Soviet communique reports fierce fighting, in which all further German attacks were repelled. Enemy infantry and tanks in a number of attacks made some progress, but Soviet forces later drove them back to their starting point. The Red Army newspaper, “Red Star,” says the position remains critical. The air bombardment of Stalingrad and of its communications across the Volga continues to be intense. The Volga river crossings are under the the nre of long-range German guns. According to another report a new threat to the defenders has come from an attack in their rear by German gunners, who have succeeded in penetrating to the west bank of the Volga near the point where food, ammuniuon. and supplies reach the city. This report says the river crossing is being swept by heavy fire and the enemy has mined the river. In “the Mozdok area of the Caucasus the Germans are still held, and the Russian troops have improved their positions. In the Tuapse area the Russians are resisting enemy attacks, all of which have been held. In one sector the Russians drove the enemy from two fortified positions. The Berlin radio said: “Groups o± Russian riflemen entrenched in cellars and buried under masses of masonry are still holding out in the ruins of the Red Barricade Factory. They are being destroyed or forced to surrender. The position of the defenders of the Red October Works has become hopeless. The German occupation of further stretches of the bank of the Volga has completely stopped the arrival of Russian reinforcements. “Women and children who were forced to stay in the centre of the fighting area inside Stalingrad are still emerging from their hiding places among the ruins.” The Berlin radio also stated that continuous rain on the central sector of the Russian front was flooding trenches and the dug-outs, and making roads impassable, but the Russians continued to attack German advanced positions. Berlin radio states: The Germans have occupied the whole of the Volga bank behind a Stalingrad factory by first cutting off the garrison from supplies. PERMANENT FURNACE. The Rome radio, quoting an Italian special correspondent, says: “The road leading to Stalingrad can be compared to a huge crater. The course of the battle is marked by an uninterrupted chain of cemeteries of machines and artillery. Flying over the area one sees enormous masses of tanks destroyed in battle and by bombers. Miles. of columns of motor vehicles are nailed down to the ground, and parts of light, medium, and heavy artillery are all converted into a shapeless mass of iron

“Stalingrad has m ent furnace. The w l or hie city is dark because of tne dark clouds ol smoke reaching 6500 feet up. The heat from the furnace is felt several miles away. Even the rains of the last few days have not lowered the temperature or decreased the extent of the fires, which the fighting continually sets going again.” In the 24 hours up to Tuesday afternoon, the Germans foiled to make any headway at Stalingrad. A change in the weather has brought torrential rain, and as German airfields are now quagmires, there has been a lessening in air activity over the city. The heavy rains explain why the fighting north and south of. Stalingrad has come to a standstill. Marshal Timoshenko’s forces arc now floundering through a swamp. Russian patrols made raids behind the German lines, blowing up ammunition and supply clumps. RAIN LIMITS LUFTWAFFE (Reed. 12.45 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 21. There is no sign of any Hag. in the German assault against Stalingrad. Despite the heavy losses of the past few days, the Germans arc- pouring In reinforcements and maintaining heavy pressure. Incessant, rain continues to hamper air activity, but the tempo of the land battles is as fieico as ever. Rain resulted in grounding the majority of the Luftwaffe on the mud-swamped aerodromes, and the Germans, without the tremendous air umbrella, was compelled to meet the Russian Guards on equal terms. The fiercest fighting is occurring around a large factory in the north suburbs, against which two German divisions and 60 tanks on Monday started an attack. The enemy reached the very walls of the factory, ami only hesitated when they feared a blow against the flank. The Russians, taking "advantage of the lull, counterattacked and drove the Germans back to the original positions. Fighting has swayed in this area ever since. “Red Star”- to-day reports that the Russians were pressed back slightly in a narrow sector, where a serious breach is threatened. ’The Gormans penetrated to a strategic railway, but Russian reinforcements rushed in and are holding the drive. A German communique reports that the Russians between the Volga and the Don resumed relief attacks from the north, with strong reinforcements of infantry and tanks. The communique says the attacks collapsed with high losses. Another Berlin report says that Timoshenko’s new relief thrust was launched with three divisions and over 100 tanks against a front only a few miles wide.

CAUCASUS AND BLACK SEA. LONDON, October 21. General Diet mar, broadcasting on the Berlin radio, said: “The task of the German troops in the Caucasus is to protect the rich territories between the Don and the Kuban Rivers, without which /the Soviet Union will be unable to survive. The enemy is using many fresh troops, including trainees and O.G.P.Uites. We face a formidable task. There is no question of storming forward and overrunning the enemy positions.: We can only advance .yard by yard through seemingly endless Soviet fortifications.” Some success has been achieved by the Germans in their drive towards Tuapse, on the black Sea coast. Advancing south-east of Novorossiisk, they forced the Soviet defenders to evacuate two localities after heavy fighting. The Berlin radio states: Two German columns which are attacking north and south of the road which leads over the pass to Tuapse, have joined up. BRITISH BA~~* 7Tr <- LONDON, October 21. It is officially stated that the new British battleships Anson and Howe are in full commission, and are serving with the Fleet. They already have been in action, while escorting a convoy to Russia.