VIOLENT BATTLE FOR ROSTOV

Southland Times, Issue 24600, 24 November 1941, Page 5

VIOLENT BATTLE FOR ROSTOV

CAPTURE CLAIMED BY GERMANS (Rec. 10 p.m.) LONDON, November 22. The German High Command claims the capture of Rostov on the Don after violent fighting. Red Star says that in the new offensive against Rostov. the Germans hurled in large forces, including a great number of vehicles, especially tanks. The defenders are fighting courageously, but are being forced to retreat under the pressure of numerically superior forces. The Germans, sustaining heavy losses, in two days lost more than 50 tanks, large numbers of infantry and much artillery. The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper Svenskadagbladets says that the war in the east is gradually developing into a war of attrition. The German military authorities are now engaged in working out details for an attack against the Caucasus. Troops are specially training for mountain warfare. The losses in Russia are particularly heavy among German officers and many members of historic families have fallen on th« battlefields.

GERMAN FORCES STRENGTHENED

The German forces on the Moscow front have been powerfully reinforced, particularly with artillery. The German objective is still the encirclement of Moscow, but progress is dangerously slow in proportion to the losses. Pravda says the situation on the Moscow front is more serious than last month and it is necessary for the Russians still further to increase their strong resistance. The Germans are attempting to take Moscow at all costs to escape the cold of winter. The Russians are stronger than last month. They must hold the enemy now and inflict such a blow that the enemy will be defeated.

According to the Moscow radio, the German forces engaged at the approaches to Moscow are probably the largest ever used there. Concentrations of tanks and infantry opened an offensive in the Volokalams direction, resulting in a 24-hour battle with the Germans constantly throwing in fresh forces. Russian tanks retreated to new fortified lines on the highway which the Germans are trying to use for the advance. Russian coun-ter-attacks checked the enemy.

Important fighting continued in the direction of Mojaisk throughout the night with the Axis using four divisions. The enemy attacked incessantly, completely disregarding their losses, which amounted to 20 tanks and half a battalion of infantry in one sector alone. There are no important developments in Maloyaroslavets, but there is bitter street fighting in the Tula sector. Soviet units counter-attacking met considerable German resistance at a railway station near Tula. 800 GERMANS ANNIHILATED A Russian gun battery on the Leningrad front annihilated 800 Germans and destroyed six enemy forts. A unit operating on the southern front wiped out 2000 German “Vikings.” British tanks are now in action on the Ukraine front.

Commenting on the British offensive in Libya M. Solomon Lozovsky, the Russian Spokesman, said any blow on any front was doubtless a positive factor for both Britain and Russia. It was difficult to estimate its influence on the Russian front until the scope of the action was known. He added that the food position in Germany was grave and Royal Air Force bombing had reduced the German war potential. It was announced in Berlin that the German infantry general, von Briesen, has been killed on the Russian front. A British Official Wireless message says that still more intense fighting is developing on sections of the eastern front before Moscow. The Germans increased their pressure on the Tula front on Thursday, says the Moscow radio, throwing great numbers of tanks into the battle, as well as motorized infantry. Especially fierce fighting took place south of Tula, where the fighting is growing in intensity. At one place the Germans attacked with 30 tanks and lost 17 in two days’ fighting, and at another point they used 50 tanks. Despite the numerical superiority of the enemy the Russian units repulsed the attacks and the German losses were described as very heavy. SITUATION SERIOUS The 3rd and 4th German Tank Divisions are being used in the battle with the 167th Infantry Division and also the “Great German S.S. Division.” The situation here is described as serious. The Russian troops are offering a heroic resistance and are counterattacking the enemy and inflicting heavy losses in men and material. In the Mojaisk direction on Thursday the Germans concentrated their attacks on the flanks of the Russian defence lines and threw in a great number of tanks and infantry. They attacked simultaneously at several points. Fierce fighting is still in progress. Moscow radio, reporting on the fighting on Friday stated: “Intensive fighting is still going on. The enemy is bleeding, but is still attempting to break through to Moscow.” In spite of a numerical superiority in tanks, the Germans failed to break through the Soviet defence lines, but at several places the Soviet troops have retreated to newly-prepared defence positions and are strongly counter-attacking. In the Mojaisk sector the enemy threw

into the battle four infantry divisions and a great number of tanks, attempting to take the village “L.” However, the artillery repulsed their attacks. ATTACKS REPULSED On the southern part of the central front, in spite of several attempts to push forward, the enemy failed to advance, and in the Malo Yaroslavets sector enemy attacks were also repulsed. Pravda refers in an article to the central front where the position, is considered to have, become more serious. The paper states that the enemy is developing his advance in some sectors of the front without considering his losses and the situation has become more serious than it was in October. The article adds that the enemy is attempting at all costs to take Moscow.