GERMAN TANK WEDGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24633, 12 July 1943, Page 3

GERMAN TANK WEDGES

PRESSURE ON RUSSIAN LINES DETERMINED COUNTER ATTACKS ENEMY AGAIN SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES (Received July 11, a.50 p.m.) LONDON, July 11 t The latest front line reports from Russia show that there has been a considerable increase in the German pressure through the two wedges driven into the Russian lines south and south-east of Kursk, says Reuter's Moscow correspondent. The heaviest fighting is going on around a township which already has changed hands three or four times. The Moscow correspondent of the Sunday Times says that the Russians are in a difficult position in the Bielgorod area, south of the Kursk salient. The penetrations of two tank wedges , are' some miles deep and the Russian defence lines have broken up. It is freely admitted in Moscow that the situation at Bielgorod is less favourable than at any time since the opening of the German offensive on July 5. The Red Star says: "There were cases where individual Russian units were forced to retire to new positions, but we subsequently brought in reserves and by determined counter-attacks . forced the enemy back to their original positions."

A Moscow communique says: "The Russians yesterday on the Orel, Kursk and Bielgorod fronts repulsed many attacks from large enemy forces and during the day's fighting destroyed or-: damaged 272 German tanks. The Red Army in the Orel-Kursk sector held an enemy attack. The Germans in one sector attacked at several points simultaneously. Our units repelled 10 attacks and" held on to their positions. They killed about 1 500 Germans and destroyed 40 tanks. "The Russians in the Bielgorod sector are engaged in stubborn battles. The Germans brought up fresh reserves and attempted to develop an offensive in a sector where their tanks had previously* driven in a wedge. The Russians held and immobilised the enemy, inflicting enormous losses." . The Germans lost another 272 tanks and 83 planes on the Kursk front yesterday, according to last night's Soviet communique, which says that according to figures now completed the enemy on Friday lost 223 tanks destroyed or damaged and 144 planes brought down. The Germans therefore in the six days' offensive have lost 2338 tanks and 1037 planes.