VORONEZH BATTLE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20836, 15 July 1942, Page 3

VORONEZH BATTLE

NAZIS REINFORCED POSITION PRECARIOUS MANY CENTRES MENACED (Noon). LONDON, July 14. A Moscow message reports that Voronezh is still in Russian hands, but the situation worsened when the Germans forced their third bridgehead from the, west bank of the Don, steadily passing over reinforcements. The Germans are disregarding terrific losses in the crossings and the position is precarious. The Russians are counter-attacking and have recaptured three places on the Kalinin front, one of which is tactically important. The Russians realise that the battle for the Don is one of the most decisive struggles of the war and do not conceal the menace to many centres of population. Except for the Voronezh sector, the scene of the heaviest fighting switched at the week-end to Boguchar from Katemirovka, which brings the Germans almost to the banks of the Don 200 miles below Voronezh. Russian resistance still appears to be strongest on the sector north-west of Voronezh where, for a week, Russian tanks 'have offered the most determined obstacle, but the German tank superiority in numbers elsewhere is proving decisive. Sebastopol Over Again The Moscow radio says that the Russians at Voronezh are fighting another battle of Sebastopol. Counterattacking with renewed strength, they are throwing back the Panzer and motorised units at the approaches to the town. After heavy fighting on the Kalinin front, General Zhukov’s forces have driven the Germans from several villages and cut an important highway at several points. A special Russian communique admits a withdrawal south-westward of Rjev after inflicting heavy losses on numerically superior German forces. Between July 2 and 13 the Germans lost over 7000 officers and men killed. The Russians lost about 7000 men killed or wounded and 5000 are missing, mostly guerrillas operating in the enemy’s rear. The Soviet air force, attacking four German aerodromes, destroyed 113 planes on the ground. The Vichy radio says that the Russians are violently attacking northwest and north-east of Voronezh. The Russians for the second time have been driven out of Novokhopersk, where the Germans reached the most easterly point of their drive to the I Volga. Another German thrust is being made east of Millerovo.