ONLY BEGINNING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20627, 1 December 1941, Page 6

ONLY BEGINNING

ROSTOV ACTION NEW PHASE OPENING PASSING TO OFFENSIVE [Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Dec. 1, 1.20 p.m.) LONDON. Nov. 20. The Russians' success in the Rostov area constitutes the Soviet's greatest victory so .far in the war against Germany. The Red Army consolidated its position by throwing back the German forces which tried a flanking counter-offensive from the central Don Basin area. Von Kleist’s defeat is of great importance at present, as it has considerably reduced the threat to the north Caucasus. The Izvestia, commenting on the capture of Rostov, says: “This is only a beginning. Correlation of the forces is changing all the time. It is a long process which cannot come to a head in a few days, but the time will come when the whole Red Army will pass from the defensive to the offensive.

“Everywhere, near Moscow, at Leningrad, at Tula and at Rostov the struggle is entering a new phase. The foundation of the rout of Hitler's army is being laid.

“However, while the Soviet armies are trying to seize the initiative on some sectors of the front the Nazi offensive continues. It is a stubborn, fierce, and desperate offensive. The enemy has at his disposal a mighty war machine which is already showing signs of uneven working, but is still advancing and the situation remains serious.”

Smiting Retreating Germans

The Izvestia reports that successful Russian counter-attacks are continuing in the region of the Donetz Basin. The Russian troops are smiting the retreating enemy and inflicting heavy losses and preventing him gaining a strong foothold on the new defence lines. Twenty villages have been freed from Fascist occupation. The Russians in one day killed and wounded 4000 German officers and men.

The German claims to have captured Klin and Volokalamsk remain unconfirmed.

Russian despatches from the front state that the Germans in the Klin and Volokalamsk direction tried to drive wedges in the Soviet line. The Soviet troops counter-attacked, preventing the enemy surrounding or dislodging any of the Russian units. After four days of fighting the Germans were flung back from the town of “K” in the Stalinogorsk area. The Germans, in attempting to seize the town, threw forward a large force of tanks and motorised infantry, hoping to surprise the Red Army. Russian cavalry, supported by tanks, attacked the Germans while on the march and forced them to retreat and pass to the defensive. Heavy Luftwaffe attacks failed to check the Russian cavalry, who were supported by fighter planes. The Germans were cleared from 14 villages.

Invaders’ Reserves

Fighting is proceeding near “K.” The enemy is at present bringing up reserves and concentrating tanks. The Times’ Stockholm correspondent says the Germans at Rostov suffered very seriously. Indeed, it was the first noteworthy defeat of the war. The latest information shows that this was no mere episode, but a major reverse inflicted on one of Rundsted’s elite armies. While the remnants of Von Kleist’s army are retreating along the shore of the Sea of Azov the Hungarians and Italians further inland are falling back to Stalino. The consequences of the operations cannot be assessed beyond tire immediate effect of delaying the Caucasus campaign a few very valuable months for the Russians.

The correspondent adds that the position of Russia has distinctly improved since November 27. The Germans have not succeeded in regaining the general initiative on the Leningrad front and have lost some degree of the initiative on the Moscow front.

Sebastopol is holding as firmly as ever. The defenders are even regaining strong points, despite a determined fresh German assault with reinforcements. New and furious spasms can be expected at any moment against Moscow, where the crisis cannot be considered to have passed.

Berlin Reprisals

The German spokesman in Berlin said: “The reprisals against Rostov are designed to turn the city into a smouldering pile of debris, covering tens of thousands of Russians. The destruction will exceed that of Warsaw. Rotterdam or Coventry. These reprisals are at present being effected by the Luftwaffe attacking in waves and also concentrated artlllery fire.”

The Moscow radio declared that the Germans shot hundreds of women and children and elderly men in Rostrov before they were driven out of the city. The Moscow radio declared the enemy was cleared from the road between Rostov and Taganrog. The Russian forces are stubbornly defending positions in the Klin sector, where a further 50 tanks were destroyed. Fierce battles are raging in the Volokalamsk sector, where new positions have been recaptured and new positions were also retaken at Maloyaroslavets. The Russians defeated repeated German efforts to break through the defences in the Mojaisk' sector.

The British United Press correspondent at Kuibyshev says the Germans are within 36 miles of Moscow at several points in the Mojaisk sector, but. the German attack is Showing signs of slowing down as a result of continuous counter-attacks. The situation, however, remains threatening. particularly in the Klin, Volokalamsk and Stalinogorsk sectors.