AREA WIDENED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20634, 9 December 1941, Page 9

AREA WIDENED

SOVIET COUNTERS KALININ ZONE RESTORING ROSTOV PRESSURE ON MOSCOW (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Dec. 7, 3 p.m.) LONDpN, Dec. 7. The first day of the Soviet offensive in the Kalinin sector' resulted In' the expansion of the area the Russians hold on the southern bank of the Volga. The Russians also forced their way from the north-west into the northern quarter of the city, while Red Army troops with bayonets seized an important village south-westwards of Kalinin. General Guderian threw in a new tank division north of Stalinogorsk in the effort to rescue the 17th tank division which was already severely punished, but the Russians held the attacks and forced the Germans to retreat. ‘ The Izvestia mentions a point on the Moscow front where the peasants found wounded Germans fatally'shot in the back, presumably by their own comrades, lyingin abandoned field dressing stations.

For six days, said the Moscow radio, the Soviet banner has again been flying over Rostov. Many shops have reopened. Men and women are working day and night to restore transport and communication lines. Goods and equipment hidden during the German occupation are being restored to factories, whither workers are returning. Women are organising hospitals and cooking meals for the soldiers of the Red Army who are wounded or had been taken prisoner. In a few days the inhabitants will have wiped out the last vestige of Fascist occupation.

A Soviet overnight communique states: “During Saturday our troops fought the "enemy on all fronts. On Friday we brought down 14 German planes. Our losses totalled four. On Saturday 'we brought down three planes on the approaches to Moscow.”

The magnificent Russian successes on the southex'n sector of the eastern front are widely praised in the Sunday press.

Mr. J. L. Garvin, writing in the Observer, characterises the Russian achievements in the south as “nothing less than a great' and brilliant victory." Like other writei-s, Mr. Garvin stresses that the Rostov victories are -the first signal defeats inflicted on the German armies anywhere' since' the war began. “The German plans are completely deranged and indefinitely delayed perhaps for a few months, perhaps until the late spring,” he continues. “Our allies, on their side, gain priceless time to enable them to equip and train new armies beyond the Volga and develop their own productive and' defensive systems.”

Of the central sector, Mr. Garvin says: •‘‘•‘-Though the position is grave the Russians are fighting magnificently. In' any case snow will be the winding sheet of more Germans than it has ever covered before.”

The Russians, according to the Moscow radio yesterday, were continuing the 1 advance westwards from Rostov. ■’• toescribing tlie position •in this ' ai'ca, the radio stated: “The German Luftwaffe' carried out a number of concentrated air attacks in order to safeguai'd their retreat, but all these attempts failed and our Cossack units are steadily attacking the enemy. The Russian air force is attacking roads leading westwards from Taganrog, on which the enemy is attempting to reach war equipment and food stores. The roads are overcrowded with lorries, and our pilots are inflicting heavy losses.”

It was stated last night that the situation around Moscow remained dangerous and almost critical. An agency message from Kuibyshev stated: “Murmansk is holding out against three enemy drives' in the Kestenga l-egion. The Russians yesterday recaptured territory which took the Germans two weeks of heavy fighting to conquer originally. The German assault in the direction of Okham seems to be checked, while at Leningrad' and in the distant approaches to Volkhov and Tikhvin the Red Army is counter-attacking. In the Moscow sector 11 days of offensive brought the Germans yesterday within 36 miles of the city. They are making every effort to get closer in order to shell Moscow itself. The situation is especially grave east of Tula, where fighting is raging in the directions of Stalinogorsk and Ryazan.

"A significant development is taking place in the northern corner of the south-west front, where the Russians are' fiei-cely counter-attacking ' the enemy drive, which is costing both sides heavy casualties. Apparently the Russian drive aims to : cut off the Germans striking east of Tula, which, if successful, would be a brilliant feat.

“Marshal Timoshenko’s offensive is developing west of Rostov. It has now been disclosed that in the initial stages of the Russian Rostov offensive the Germans lost, more than 10,000 killed and wounded. One hundred and fifteen tanks were destroyed and 50 tanks captured, and 50 planes brought down. The Germans are gathering reinforcements seeking to stem the Russian offensive, 1 which threatens to cut them off. Sebastopol in the Crimea is being subjected to growingly intensive bombing, which is damaging communications,' transpoi't and power plants. Repair crews are, however, working very fast and the morale of the defenders is unbroken."