No important German Gains in Russia

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 160, 8 July 1943, Page 5

No important German Gains in Russia

Heaviest Losses So Far On Eastern Front

By Telegraph—Press Assn.— Copyright.) Received Wednesday, 7.5 p.m. LONDON, July 7.

The results of the first two days' fighting on the central front in Russia cannot he regarded as decisive, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. The Germans made no large-scale breakthrough although they held all the ad vantages of a superior force concentrated at one point. The British United rress T Moscow correspondent says the toll the Ger man 3 have suffered thusfar is the heaviest they have had in any initial engagement of the war. The Germans to noon yesterday had lost over 750 planes and 10,000 men (the official Russian figures give the German plane losses as 314 and the tank losses at 1009 in two days’ fighting). Reuter says: “Russia is meeting the first round of the summer battles in a new and stronger spirit than ever be fore. At the top of one newspaper appear ’s Lenin’s slogan: ‘We are muen stronger than the enemy. Victory is not far off. It will be ours.’

“The double German thrust agains. the Kursk bulge extends in a giant, semicircle with a radius of 50 miles centred on Kursk. The Kursk-Oroi sector lies somewhere between two railways, the first Lgov-Bryansk and tho second Kursk-Orel, part of which is in Russian and part in German hands. The mermans are trying to protect their lef t flank by launching secondary attacks southwest of Mtsensk where probing has been going on for months. “The attach on the southern Bye: gorod sector is developing along a 40-mile front and the German thrust at one point was strong enough to capture two villages hut these were subsequent ly recaptured by the Russians. “The sky is full of Russian fighters, including the latest model Yak-7 which played havoc with successive waves of divebombers. The Russian defences nave been considerably strengthened during the lull and are generally more powerful than last year, adds Reuter. The Germans still say they have not opened an offensive. The Berlin radio describes the reports of a new German offensive as nonsense, and added: “The fierce battles at Eyelgorod which spread to the area north of Kursk are the result of a Russian attack on the morning of July 5. The attack was carried out to counter the German advance which halted northwest of Eyelgorod when a strategic height from which the Russian ninterland could be kept under observation was captured. “If the British now speak about a German offensive this is without foundation. It is likewise a false claim that Moscow is tho final objective oi the German operation. These allegations are put out to enable an announcement later that the German High Command has not reached its objective and suffered a failure. The allegation that the Germans Jbave lost hundreds of tanks is unfounded.” The Berlin radio described the battle area as the pocket between Orel and Byelgorod containing' a network of railways and roads most important to both sides. The radio late last nignt announced that the Russians despite the use of considerable forces of tanks and men had not broken the German lines at any point, and added: “Fighting is fiercest in the Orel sector, especially south of the town where the Russians launched a counterattack.” The Moscow radio announced that a laxv;e force of Soviet aircraft, two of which are missing, on the night of July 5 attacked enemy troops and equipment in the Orel, Kursk and Eyelgorod areas. Big bombloads wero dropped in troop concentrations and a large number of tanks were destroyed, while several ammunition dumps were blown up.

A supplementary Russian communique states: “In the Orel-Kursk direc tfon a Soviet formation for the second daj' repelled incessant attacks by German tanks and infantry. Our troops are firmly holding their positions. In an attack against positions held by this formation of Germans after artillery preparations they threw into battle 400 tanks. In the course of the battle our artillery, infantry and tankbusters destroyed or damaged 110 tanks and wiped out over 3000 troqps.

‘ ‘ On the other sectors in the same di rectiou all enemy attempts to break through our first line defence failed. Soviet troops are showing stubbornness and heroism. In the Byelgorod direction the Germans renewed their attacks from this morning hut our troops by powerful fire from all types of arms repelled the enemy in his initial post tion. In the latter half of the day the enemy brought up large tank forces and renewed the attacks. Over 200 German tanks were destroyed. “At one place at the price of high losses, the Germans succeeded in occupying two localities, hut a further German advance has been stopped by Soviet troops despite all the enemy*3 attacks. In the evening fighting con tinued.” *