FIERCE FIGHTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 November 1941, Page 5

FIERCE FIGHTING

IN THE TIKHVIN AREA RUSSIANS ATTACKING ALSO ON MOSCOW FRONT. TO PREVENT GERMANS DIGGING IN. f'' (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) ' LONDON, November 17. / In the Crimea the Russians describe the situation as still serious. The Germans claim, the capture of Kerch in the south-east of the peninsula, but this is not confirmed from. Russian sources. At Sabastopol the Russians are counter-at-tacking. On the Moscow front the Russians are attacking at many points to prevent the Germans from digging in. At Tula, 100 miles south of the capital, there is heavy fighting at the southern end of the city. The “Red Star” says: “The Germans in recent days massed reserves and re- • grouped their forces on the Kalinin front, and on November 14 threw in. large formations against one of our most important sectors. We beat off most of the attacks, but the enemy in some areas overwhelmed our small advance posts and moved forward slightly. In other sectors we drove the Germans back and captured villages. One of our advance units captured three villages on the western bank of a river.” The Moscow radio stated that the Germans, after failing to take Tula by a pincers movement, have now penetrated the southern and western suburbs of Tula, where fierce battles are raging. Elsewhere the Russians have held German advances, and west of the Upper Volga River they report successful progress. East of Leningrad at Tikhvin the Russians have forced the Germans to abandon one position after another after savage fighting. Between Tikhvin and Leningrad the German advance has been checked at certain points, but the situation is still tense.