MAMMOTH BATTLE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20827, 4 July 1942, Page 5

MAMMOTH BATTLE

TANKS IN RUSSIA PLANS OF~VON BOCK DIVIDE SOVIET ARMIES (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) (2 p.m.) ’ LONDON; July 2. The' mammoth tank battle which started on the Kursk front on Monday has been raging at full strength for the past 24 hours, with General von Bock making an ellort to isolate Marshal Timoshenko’s southern army from General Zhukov’s central front forces. Russian reinforcements have reached Kursk, arid the fighting is mounting to a climax. The Germans arc employing new methods and using 12 and six-barrel mortars and also employing tanks with trapdoors which open when passing over the trenches, enabling the crew to fire on the Russians crouching in the trenches. The Russians formerly waited until the tanks passed them and then attacked them with Molotov cocktails. Novv it is a race to see who fires first. The Russians energetically counterattacked and recaptured positions on several sectors.' The Germans were forced to fling in reserves. General von Bock is switching his attacks from 1 one section to another in an attempt to find a weak spot. Germans’ Heavy Losses One of the most important actions has been the German attempts to cross a river. The Russians in two days knocked out 170 tanks 7 when throwing back the : Germans. They" also clairn that 7000 Germans were killed in two days on one sector. The Russian air force retains air superiority. The Germans already have lost 150 planes. : ’ Front-line despatches from Sebastopol to Moscow say that the Germans overwhelmed the garrison in one sector of the defences and thought that this was the end of Sebastopol, hence they announced its fall; but the Russians continue to fight for every inch of the streets, while elsewhere they are still, launching counter-attacks which devastate the Nazi-ranks; :t The Soviet Army paper Red Star stated that the Germans are advancing slowly towards Sebastopol, and the situation is exceptionally grave. The Berlin radio declared that individual Russian groups in Sebastopol continue to put up-a desperate resistance in isolated defence works, deep gorges and cellars; The German communique repeats the claim that Sebastopol has fallen. It adds: “Our heavy artillery shelled strategically important installations in Leningrad and shipping in Krondstadt Bay. Extensive fires were observed.”