ENCIRCLED NAZIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20966, 14 December 1942, Page 3

ENCIRCLED NAZIS

OFFICERS EVACUATED AN AIR OF SUSPENSE (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (12.30 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 13. An atmosphere of suspense hangs over the Stalingrad front, where the Germans are ceaselessly fighting, to wrest themselves from the Russian grip. Despatches state that the situation is fraught with many possibilities. The Times correspondent in Moscow emphasises that a significant pointer to German expectations is that although the Germans are flying in food to the encircled army, the Russians possess proof that they are evacuating high rank officers. The Germans are using both railroads to Stalingrad across the Don bend and south of the Kuban River to reinforce the army for an attack on a 60-mile deep line with which the Russians have surrounded General von Hoth. The Germans are utilising every source of man-power over a wide area, including the Luftwaffe’s ground staff and railwaymen. The Russians are experiencing heaviei German pressure from the west of the encirclement as enemy reinforcement arrive The Germans may attempt to hack a way through when the Russian attention is distracted, but they are reliably reported at the moment to be limiting the attacks tc regain the more favourable defensive positions from which they were driven. South of Rjev, the Russians are still firmly astride the railway to Viazma where positional warfare has develop ed into fierce battles raging deep within the Rjev-Viazma-Velikie Luk triangle. The Germans are contest* ing every foot. A German countei * attack before Velikie Luki was unprofitable. The Russians are consolidating over a considerable area. The German News Agency says tha, General Zhukov’s forces reached the Byeloi area.

The initiative in the Caucasus ha: passed to the Russians in seveial sectors. The Russians, in a moonlight battle fought at 10,000 ft., ir. which they used Howitzers, heavily defeated German alpinists, lulling 501 and driving the remainder down the mountainside. They were followec by an avalanche of rocks, causing the complete abandonment of the position