SOUTH & CENTRE

Grey River Argus, 25 February 1942, Page 4

SOUTH & CENTRE

Germans Admit Lines Cut [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON,- February 23. , Berlin reports admit that the German line was pierced at several points on the southern front after violent Russian attacks. Moscow radio says 15 places were recaptured in on e day on the southern front. German counter-attacks in the southwest were repulsed, after which the Russians pushed on and recaptured eight more places. Russians- in one sector of the Ukraine front ceased fighting, in celebration of the Red Army anniversary day. In another sector of the same front, however, cavalry freed four inhabited points in the past 24 hours, and. wiped out a squadron of German cavalry. Marshal Timoshenko’s two great attacks are being pressed successfully. In the south of this front, two more villages have been cleared of Germans. To the north-west an important railway centre has been captured; One of the defensive measures adopted bv the Germans in this sector is artificial fog to screen their movements. Soviet forces in one day destroyed four tanks and 12 machineguns. captured considerable quantities of war material, and annihilated 350 German soldiers. The Russian advance continues on the central part of the front, as weh as in the south, where fresh progress was reported last night. This morning's report announces the occupation of an (important place in the Kalinin sector, and an advance m another sector in the centre. Moscow communique announces that on the central front three more places, which are up-named. have been recaptured. Ong Soviet unit in the Kalinin sector, nopth-west of Moscow, killed 350 German troops. Elsewhere .on the central front the Russians report the capture of much war material. Counter-attacking a village from which they were driven a few days ago, the Germans continually threw in new troops, but all the attacks were repulsed. The Germans left 400 dead at the approaches to the village. The “Red Star” states that Russian cavalry units have advanced up to 120 miles at several points between Smolensk and Leningrad. The Tass News Agency telis how 25 Russian ski troops attacked 400 Germans armed with tanks, guns, and mortars. The Russians broke into a village held by the Germans and began hurling hand-grenades into the houses. The fighting went on! all night ancL before the battle ended 23 of the ski troops had given their lives, but they had killed 120 of the enemy. x The Russian Air Force, m a brilliant action, destroyed or damaged 240 German troop-carrying lorries and wiped out two infantry battalions.

The Baltic fleets defending Leningrad have destroyed 1000 fortified points' and' overwhelmed 50 enemy artillery batteries, states a Moscow Press message. It is also announced that, in the course of the seven months of war, 110 soldiers, sailors, and airmen have been awarded the supreme honour of the Soviet Union, and nearly 40,000 have been awarded high battle honours.