MORE VIOLENT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20861, 13 August 1942, Page 5

MORE VIOLENT

BATTLE IN RUSSIA Mfs SUCCESSES STALINGRAD FIGHT SERIOUS POSSIBILITIES (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (2.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 11. • The battle for the approaches to Stalingrad are. more violent north-east of Kotelnikovo. , All despatches from Moscow and Stockholm, emphasise the gravity of the position and underline the very serious possibilities of a German success hereabouts. The Germans need Stalingrad in order to straddle the Volga River, effectively cleave Russian communications, and cut off the northern armoured forces and planes from the Caucasian oil. Any German success before Stalingrad will menace Marshal Timoshenko, whose, army, while comparatively intact,: constantly threatens the German grip in the territories at present occupied. The Germans meanwhile are fanning out eastwards from Armavir and also closing in on the NovorossiskTuapse sector of the Kuban country. The Russians here are fighting defensive .battles against thousands of German motor-cyclists, armed to the teeth, racing in, hoping to confuse the Russian withdrawal. The military situation, in the western . Kuban sector is clearly irretrievable. The Russians .are fighting back mainly for -time to demolish and evacuate; The. Russians in the sector eastwards of Armavir have slowed up the Germans, but huge columns of armoured forces are still advancing towards the Caspian Sea along the Caucasus foothills. These facts are disheartening but not disastrous, whereas* if the Germans, are not stopped before Stalingrad they could weaken the entire Russian resistance. A Soviet communique reports the continuation of heavy fighting inside the bend of the Don River about Kletskaya and south of the Don elbow, where the Germans are attempting to advance on Stalingrad from the southwest. ,>• ■■ ■ Pressure on Oil Centres In the Caucasus, severe enemy pressure on oil centres in the northeastern corner is again shown. Cherkesk, mentioned for the first time, is about 50 miles east of Armavir and south of the Rostov-Baku railway. The,communique; states: . "Our troops to-day waged fierce fighting in the regions of Kletskaya, north-east of Kotelnikovbr arid in the regions of Cherkesk, Maikop and. Krasnodar. No important changes occurred on other sectors of. the .front. The enemy, around Kletskaya again suffered heavy losses,, hut .continued to bring up fresh reserves.” All types ol weapons are said to be in useijk the fighting to .the. porth-east of Kotelnikovo.. Reference, is also made..to-a large tank battle near a locality; occupied by the Russians on the previous day. This . has forced the enemy on to the defensive. In the region of Krasnodar, Russian troops are .said to .have taken ...up - new positions following an enemy breakthrough. yTbe Vichy radio declared that the spearhead of the German column from Krasnodar is now 40 or 50 miles from Novorossisk. Advanced units of another, column. from Maikop are, 30 miles; from Tuapse: The German forces which occupied Pyatigorsk hay.e ..passed Pcflkhladnaya,. where they split. One group is now in the Mosdok region and the other near the industrial, centre of Ordzhonoidze, 50 miles south-west of Grozny. A German communique claims that the Russians in. the.Maikop area have been,thrown back in several sectors in the riipuntains. The Russian army west of Kalach has been driven together in a narrow base and faces annihilation.: n ■ . The communique reports heavy defensive; fighting, in. the. Rjev area, where, the Russians yesterday attacked with..fresh, reinforcements. -The .Berlin radio claims that German advanced units entered Georglevsk, • ........