RED SUCCESSES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24134, 28 November 1941, Page 7

RED SUCCESSES

INITIATIVE TAKEN SEVERAL FRONT AREAS TULA SECTOR CRITICAL (Reed. 8.30 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 27 Whereas the initiative in the Moscow zone still rests with the invaders, says the Stockholm correspondent of the Times, the Russians have wrested it fi-om them in a larger part, not only of the Black Sea area, but on the Leningrad front, and have recovered important ground from von Leeb, particularly in the Tikhvin area, where the Leningrad-Vologda railway appears already to be wholly or almost wholly cleared of Germans, who swooped down on it in the first half i of November. Russian counter - aggression has stretched farther south, at least to the Bologoie-Pskov railway, where the Russians are pressing the Germans toward Lake Ilraan. The Germans hereabouts apparently released part of their troops to support the operations in the Klin area. Fighting in the Klin area has been raging for nearly a week on or near tlie railway and the main road to Moscow. The next important thoroughfare which the would-be besiegers must encounter Is the Moscow-Volga Canal, about 20 miles away. Presumably the fighting zone has not approached this appreciably, as neither side has yet mentioned the canal. All German attacks to the west of Moscow have been beaten off. Strong German infantry and tank forces hurled forward in the Stalinogorsk sector have broken through and reached the outskirts of the town of "V" with about 130 tanks. Russian troops are fighting to prevent the enemy advancing further to the north-east. The position on the Tula wing is critical, as German forces from the direction of Kursk are striking hard to get round to the eastward in a wide sweep. This movement, which is facilitated by hard ground, has been long prepared, and reinforcements are believed to have been brought up, even from the area northward of Kharkov. After desperate fighting in the Tula direction, the Red Army was forced to retreat in the face of superior enemy forces, says the Moscow radio. The Germans occupied the town of "X," and are now trying to turn the Tula flank and cut the Tula-Serpukhov highway, with the intention of joining forces -with the Germans to the westward of the highway. Tula is preparing for decisive battles in defence of the city. DONETZ ADVANCE REPULSE OF GERMANS ENEMY SUFFERS SEVERELY (Reed. 8.15 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 27 According to accounts from Berlin, the Germans had actually reached the River Don at Nakhicheven, just above Rostov, before the Russians launched their successful counter-stroke in' the Donetz Basin. Renter's correspondent at Kuibyshev says that, if the Soviet advance in the Donetz Basin continues, the Germans may bo pinched against the Don River. The Germans so far have failed to cross the river, in spite of the Berlin claims to have established a bridgehead. Thus the repulse of von Kleist's corps north of Rostov means a serious weakening of the German forces, both in numbers and strategically. i Von Kleist, after failing to come i round behind Rostov on the Novo3herkask road, tried a new direction, but it is obvious that, with a large section of his forces now driven back and badly mauled, he will have to regroup iiis units. This heartening Soviet success comes ' it the right time from a military viewjoint and psychologically, 1 j MALTA'S 1000 RAIDS J MAIZCA, Nov. 26 . Sir William Dobbie, Governor of ilalta. iti a speech, said that since the i intbreak of war Malta had had 972 • ir raids. Bombs fell on 350 occasions, J 44 persons were killed, 685 seriously ! ijured and 2552 houses were destroyed r badly damaged. He added: "I am ? ertain that the people in many cities g a Great Britain have suffered far more t everoly from saids/*- P