KHARKOV BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 15 June 1942, Page 5

KHARKOV BATTLE

ENEMY’S OFFENSIVE Heavier Fighting this Year [Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.) LONDON, June 13. A Soviet communique stated: that on June 12 Soviet troops on the Kharkov front waged defensive operations against attacking enemy tanks and iniantry, and also launched counter-attacks. It still seems doubtful this morning, whether the German attack on the Kharkov front, which made progress yesterday, is the opening of a big offensive. Until full information is available as to its scope opinion in London is that it may be an attempt to retake tire ground lost to the Russians around Kharkov last month, when they moved to forestall the German offensive. Their advance then placed the enemy forces at Kharkov in an awkward position, as it drew tighter their lines round the east side of the city. Consequently, an attempt to disengage Kharkov might well be a parallel operation, with the attacks on Kerch and Sebastopol, designed to clear t'he way for general advances in the Ukraine later.

(Rec. 6.30.) LONDON, June 13. A Russian communique stated: On the Kharkov front on Saturday, our troops fought against enemy tanks and infantry, and repelled enemy attacking trooos. The Moscow “Red Star” says: Kharkov is at present the scene of the heaviest fighting in Russia this year. The enemy is now hurling in fresh masses, of infantry, tanks, and Dianes. He is seking to make a breach in the Russian defences at the narrowest sector. The Russians are however, maintaining their positions practically everywhere. ENEMY HELD AFTER SOME GAINS (Rec. 11.50) MOSCOW, June 14. The' first detailed reports .from Kharkov front show that the Axis forces- have not succeeded in making a surprise break through. Most German attacks have been beaten off. Where the enemy has gained some ground, he is now held. The Germans continually v are bringing in fresh troops. They have lost thousands of dead in the last few days. The Luftwaffe, by bombings,' has prevented Russian tanks from getting close enough to German tanks to engage them. Russian tanks are striking hard at the enemy’s flanks.

1000 GERMAN PLANES ATTACK AT KHARKOV. LONDON, June 13 The importance which the Germans attach to their new fighting on the Kharkov Front c.an be guaged from Moscow messages which describe how .in one sector the enemy attack by tanks Was supported by one thousand planes. They came in waves. This is considered in Moscow as a strong enemy attempt to paralyse the Russian air force, and to drive the Russian tanks from the battlefield. The German air assault was followed by a tank, charge The tanks were met by deadly fire from Soviet tanks, artillery; anti-tank rifles, and bottles of inflammable liquid. The enemy suffered heavy losses. In another sector of the Kharkov Front, a Moscow message stated, sixty enemy tanks were destroyed on Friday. “The Times” Stockholm correspondent says: Heavy clashes between detachments that are striving to probe their opponents’ strength are occurring in the Kharkov-Donetz region. A hard general battle is expected to be resumed here, but the reports of a large scale German offensive are premature and inflated.

HEAVIER FIGHTING BELOW KHARKOV

(Rec. 12.45) LONDON, June 14. A report from Vichy states: New and intense activity is occuring in the Isyum sector. Powerful artillery duels are going on along the Donetz River line.

Other Fronts

LONDON, June 12,

Moscow “Red Star” says: “The situation on a number of sectors is extremely tense. It will need great staunchness and the exertion of every effort and the mobilisation of all available means to throw the enemy back.” The Moscow radio stated that Russian cavalry captured a village or. the Donetz River. The mid-day Soviet communique again reports that there wene no important changes during the night. A RUSSIAN ATTACK. LONDON, June 13. The Berlin radio says.'—Russians fiercely attacked on the Volkhov front, but they were repulsed. A German High Command, statement claims that the Germans yesterday occupied a wide strip of territory in the Volkhov sector. HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES. LONDON, June 13. i A Soviet communique stated:—ln the Sebastopol sector, bitter fightin continues. The , Germans in twc days lost 5,500 officers and men.

In other sectors of the front there has been fighting of local importance, and activity by reconnaissance units took place. A Soviet naval unit sank an enemv transport of six thousand tons off Odessa.

A Moscow message states:—German ambulance trains sometimes take as long as three weeks to travel from Smolensk to Warsaw. A train recently arrived with only 280 out of four hundred men alive, because they did not receive medical attention en route. NORTH OF MOSCOW RUSSIANS IN STRENGTH LONDON, June 13. Operations in the Ilmen, and the Volkhov region beyond it, appear to he gaining scope on Russian initia-j five. The Russians are throwing in heavier units than the Germans, in- j eluding tanks, particularly in a sec-1 tor in the vicinity of Novgorod. The central front is relatively quiet, but the Germans betray uneasmess about Vlkhouskv Forest, between Kalinin and Voliki-Ye’.uki, having evidence that unusual. .Russian forces have long been massing, there.