Russians’ Relentless Advance

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 22, 27 January 1942, Page 5

Russians’ Relentless Advance

Nazis Sustain Further Heavy Losses Physical Condition of Germans Described as Terrible United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Monday, 10 p.m. LONDON, Jan. 25. The Moscow radio reports that fierce battles have been raging for several days in the vicinity of Kjev, on which the Russians are relentlessly advancing, inflicting heavy losses in men and material. .Russian infantrymen breached the Kjev defences at one point and captured hundreds of lorries, motorcycles and much ammunition. The Kussians have cleared the Germans out of 54 more places on the central front. The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm Social Demokrateu su l' s the Germans admit the Kussians have driven a wedge in the German position at Kholm. The Germans say this is the biggest dent the Kussians have yet achieved, but the German lines are unbroken. The Berlin radio reports fierce battles south-eastwards of Lake Ilmen, where the Kussians launched several tank attacks after considerable artillery preparation. The Kussians attempted to land in force in the rear of the German troops around Sebastopol, but the German coast defences compelled the Kussian ships to turn back. It is announced in Moscow that the Russians have occupied several more inhabited localities, including Netidovo, and have sunk a 5000-ton enemy transport in the Barents Sea. The Kuibyshev radio said the recapture of Andreapol, 80 miles eastwards of Veliki Yeluki, cost the Germans 9000 dead, and a German Death’s Head cavalry brigade was wiped out. The Daily Mail says it is reported from Vichy that the German losses on the Kussian front during January have been oyer 500,000, of whom 300,000 died of typhus, pneumonia, frostbite and exposure. Much of the disease resulted from the slowing down of food transport, in consequence of which the men were constantly on short rations. The physical condition of the troops is described as terrible. Their uniforms are in tatters and sandbags are often wrapped round their feet to keep their snow-rotted boots intact. The Soviet Information Bureau, refuting a German claim that the Russians had lost over 1,000,000 dead in the past six weeks, says the Soviet losses in killed in this period were 30.000. A special communique issued in Moscow lists the booty captured on the central front between January 16 and 25, in which period the 694 inhabited localities were liberated and over 12,000 Germans killed. The booty includes 69 tanks, five armoured cars, 268 guns. 384 machine-guns, 1942 rifles, 17,979 motor vehicles, over 100,000 shells, 20,000 air bombs and nearly 2,000,000 cartridges. Marshal Timoshenko’s armies, operating southward of Kharkov, are reported to have advanced 50 miles in two days.