DON OFFENSIVE

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 December 1942, Page 5

DON OFFENSIVE

FURTHER GERMAN LOSSES

NEXT FEW DAYS CRITICAL

BATTLE FOR MILLEROVO

LONDON, December 22. The Russians continue to advance in their middle Don offensive, which shows no sign of losing momentum. Russian troops of General Vatoutin’s force, advancing from the east, are now reported to be about 10 miles from Millerovo. Two Russian units have advanced more than 100 miles since the offensive began. The Soviet midday communique says the Germans have been driven from another large inhabited locality. In fighting at this point and in other sectors. German losses in men and material were very high. The Germans arc said to be rushing up reserves and counter-attacking on the middle Don front in a desperate bid to stop the rot. The Germans afe still retiring to the west and south-west. In some sectors islands of resistance have been smashed, blocked off, or by-passed in the Russian advance. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” says: “Unless the Russians on the middle Don front are halted within the next few days, the sole salvation for German forces and the remnant of the Italian troops appears to be a further withdrawal from the Don bend, either towards the Donets basin, or southwards by railwayless routes towards the lower Don. It can scarcely be expected that the Russians will be able to Capture Millerovo without a hard major battle, which is almost certain.” . . , The Russians in the middle Don offensive have now captured more than 300 settlements, including 14 towns and three district centres. Thirty thousand Germans have been killed. , , Further successes by the Soviet forces in the middle Don were claimed in the Moscow Monday night communique. An advance of 20 miles was claimed, and more towns and villages, more prisoners, and more war materials were captured.

The Russians are putting up an air umbrella over their forward troops and are warding off attacks by the Luftwaffe. Soviet dive-bombers are raining down explosives on the hardpressed Germans whenever they get the chance. The ’‘News Chronicle' correspondent in Moscow stated that the momentum of the Russian drive was being maintained, and even increased. He added that in the south the German position had become serious. German divisions trapped in the DonVolga area were completely cut off from the main enemy armies.

LARGE SUPPLIES CAPTURED

RUGBY, December 22

Moscow radio stresses the tact that Russians in the advance of the Don front dislodged the enemy from positions where the Axis intended to dig in for the Winter. The enemy had accumulated large supplies there, and the report savs much booty has been captured. The Germans were unable towhold out against the pressure bv the Russians and are retreating, although they are still making every effort to ’ stem the Soviet advance. “DRIVE IRRESISTIBLE" (Recd. 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 22. The Russians’ two-pronged advance on the middle Don f ront is still steadily pressing the enemy back on a broad front, despite the fact that the Germans and Italians in some sectors have recovered sufficiently from the first shock of the offensive to group their forces for counter-attacks, -the Russians in the first week of the advance on the middle Don front made progress varying from 60 to 90 miles. The British United Press Moscow correspondent says that the Russians in the first six days of the offensive occupied approximately 6,000 square miles between the Don and the Chir rivers and the Voronezh-Rostov railway. The combined Russian forces, after swinging south in the direction of the junctions of Voronezh-Rostov and Stalingrad-Kharkov railways are continuing the pursuit of the shattered enemy over roads and ditches littered with corpses, broken guns, wrecked tanks and vehicles. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent declares that the Russian drive appears to be irresistible. A large township was captured after an eight-hours battle. There is no indication yet whether the town is Millerovo. The Germans and Italians are rolling back westwards and south-westwards m some sectors in disorder. They arc trying, in some areas, to create has-tily-fortified islands of resistance, but the Russians in their onward sweep are by-passing or crushing them with steam-roller tactics. GERMAN ADMISSIONS.

LONDON. December 21

A German High Command communique admits a Russian breakthrough on the middle Don fronl. “The Russians, attacking for days with formidable tank concentrations, succeeded in penetrating the German lines,” the communique states. “In order to meet the threat to our flank we retreated to previously prepared positions, thus preventing the Russians from taking advantage of theninitial successes. Fighting continues with unabated fury.” The German military spokesman, General Dittmar, broadcasting on the German radio, declared that the Russian attacks in the Terek area of the Caucasus and on the Kalmuck steppes were directly connected with the Stalingrad fighting, which were also connected with the Russian attacks on the great Don bend. “The offensive in the Rzhev-Kalinin-Toropets area is geographically separate, but is by no means unconnected,” he sari. “These attacks over the whole larfhmg field must be considered a single large counter-offensive. and the year's main battle.”

VON HOTH’S ARM'S'

LONDON, December 22

The Germans are still making strenuous efforts to relieve their forces trapped before Stalingrad. The toughest fighting is south-west of the chy, but the Russians are still in control of the situation. North-west of Stalingrad the Russians report slight gains; Inside the city dogged fighting continues, with the Russians gaining further limited areas. According to an earlier report there is still violent fighting in the Stalingrad factory area, where the German defences are proving stubborn. How-

ever the Soviet forces are making; progress and German counter-attacks; were beaten off with heavy losses., The Germans have been counter-’ attacking south-west and north-wesi of the city. They were hurled back in the north-west, but m the south-, west Moscow admits they had some! success, though at a high cost. i The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” says:. “General von Hoth’s increased activity against the. Russian ring between the Don and the Volga has symptoms of desperate improvisation. General von Hoth doubtless expected relief and reinforcement.” Moscow correspondents report that General von Hoth’s army is being

PURSUIT CONTINUED.

ATROCITIES ALLEGED

slowly pushed back from the Don elbow. Meanwhile General Zhukov s offensive on the central front appears to have slowed down temporarily while the Red Army consolidates its newly-won positions. The Russians in Stalingrad city are still advancing but only by yards. On the central front the Russians have been consolidating their big gains. The Germans continue their counter-attacks, but have failed to win back any ground. The Russians are stated to be digging in, attacking, and counter-attacking. “MAMMOTH GRAVEYARD” (Rccd. 2 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 22. Describing a visit to the Stalingrad front, the British United Press correspondent says: “The moment I crossed the north bank of the Don and entered the territory wrested from the Germans, the immensity of the rout of the Axis forces was evident. I entered an area, which is a mammoth graveyard of Nazi men, machines and horses extending over hundreds of square miles, surpassing anything seen last Winter, in the wake of the Red Army’s previous offensive. The Russian offensive was so unexpected and so crushing that it shattered all the German-Rumanian Commands’ plans. A Rumanian General captured on the Stalingrad front said: ‘We did not think the Red Army could mount a counter-offensive on anything like such a scale.’ Bewildered hordes of Rumanian prisoners, practically unescorted, -trudged northwards on the way to prison camps. I met supreme confidence when I listened to discussions between highly-placed field officers, who all confirmed the general opinion that the Germans probably won’t be able to extricate themselves from the Don-Volga trap, and they face inevitable surrender, or extermination. Major-General Christiankov told me the' conclusion of what may prove to be the most decisive battle of the war was merely a question of time.’

RUGBY, December 22

A special Soviet communique announces that the offensive in the middle Don is continuing. Russian troops, pursuing the disorganised and, routed German forces, have occupied many inhabited localities, including several large ones. The danger to the Germans trapped between the Don and Volga is becoming clearer. Strong natural barriers no longer defend the German north flank from the Voronezh-Rostov railway towards the Don Bend and down to Kotelnikovo. The Russian thrusts are liable at any moment to break in and slash across the German columns advancing eastwards in the continued effort to relieve the troops before Stalingrad. The Germans are fully aware of the danger, and have rushed up troops steadily during the past ten days, and are hammering between Berkhneuumsky and the North Caucasus railway. Fresh Red Army men were brought into this battle, meeting the German tanks and motorised units rushed from Rostov. “Pravda” reports that a warm spell after the sub-zero temperatures of the last few days made fighting easier. Russian guerrillas are causing havoc behind the German battlefront, between the Don and Millerovo. They killed several thousand in the last few days. , , , , A message from Stockholm reports that General Kesselring has been transferred to the Don front.

LONDON, Dec. 21

The recapture of Boguchar revealed that Germans were still carrying on a campaign of brutality against civilians. The Red Army men found bodies of men ana women lying shot in streets. According to a statement issued by the Ukraine Council of Soviet Commissars. a Moscow message stated: The Germans murdered two million people in the Ukraine. The Germans in one village snot all men and hacked sixtv-two women and children to death. “ Ten men and women were hanged in the public square. The bodies of a young woman and her baby swung on gallows lor several days.

BRITAIN’S APPRECIATION. RUGBY, December 22. Mr. Churchill, in a telegram of birthday greetings to Premier Stalin, said that Britain was watching witn admiration the magnificent offensive of the Red Army.