KALININ FALLS TO RUSSIA

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 298, 18 December 1941, Page 5

KALININ FALLS TO RUSSIA

HAILED AS GREAT VICTORY

CREATION OF NEW VOLGA ARMIES BY THE SOVIET

• (By Telegraph—rrest Association—Copyright.) (Reed. 11.45 p.m.) London, Dec. IJ. Recapture of Kalinin, important key town bit miles northwest of .Moscow, is haih d as a great Soviet victory. The advance in this region continues. Russia liavinit created new Volga armies. Krom the Crimea come reports of tierce attacks being launched by the Soviet def, ndcr.s of Sebastopol, Russian Black Sea naval base.

Stalin presided over a War Council meeting at w’hicii leading generals nttended. The future of the Russian offensive and the question of co-opera-tion with Britain and America \va< discussed- Marshal Blucher, former Far East commander-in-chief, is now with Marshals Voroshilov and Budenny. commanding the new Volga armies. When the Russians recaptured Kalinin the German Ninth Arnij was heavily defeatwi, six divisions being destroyed. The remnants of these divisions are retreating westwards. The Leningrad radio states that since the defeat at Tikhvin the Germans are speedily retreating towaids Gorodische, 45 miles westward and Chudovo. Russian troops are pursuing I hem and bombers are constantly attacking and guerrillas harassing the rear. The frozen bodies of German soldiers, crippled tanks, arms, ammunition and vehicles litter this area A Moscow communique states; “Ou. troops in the central and south-west-ern fronts continued to advance, occupying several towns and villages, including Kalinin. Vysokoie and Novopetrovsk. westward of Istra." A Finnish communique slates that artillery battles are raging on both sides of the Karelian isthmus. The Russians are pressing home their successful actions in the Moscow and Rostov-on-Don areas by drives at the northern and southern ends of the 2000-mile front. In the extreme south the garrison at Sebastopol, in the Crimea, supported by coastal batteries, have made a violent attack on the Germans. This is reported by the German news ageiu .. which is discreetly silent as to the outcome. There has been no news since Monday of the Russian advance in t’he Rostov area. A 1 ..... I CAi I f ’ ..v.. , n ..fl 1 ..... . .. »> 1 * i

About 6001) German officers and men I were killed and wounded in one area , of the south-western front where the , Russians smashed through and a' ■ now pursuing the German 44th Infan- ‘ try Division, says the Pravda. The Russians complete!} smashed the headquarters of the 13th. and 132nd. i Infantry Regiments, the remnants be- . ing routed. “The division retreated westward in such haste that the medical, veterinary, and supply trains fell into oui hands. General Fiebert, the commander of the division, had no time even to put on his uniform, but fled for life in his shirt. The Russians found his uniform among the boot}. The 44th. Division only recently reached the front to relieve the 297th. Division. which was previously routed." ( A Soviet supplementary communique states that on December 14 the ( Soviet Air Force, operating on the central front, destroyed or damaged 42 tanks and more than 105(1 lorries containing troops and supplies. Also destroyed were 30 field and anti-air-craft guns. 300 ammunition wagons. 24 oil tanks. Routed and annihilated were infantry regiments.

Russian units operating in one sector of the Kalinin front in seven days destroyed seven tanks. 33 field-guns. 57 machine-guns. 41 mortars, and a great number of lorries. They captured three tanks. 44 guns, 35 mortars, 117 machine-guns, 65 automatic rifles. 24 lorries, 4500 shells, and about 20 000 rifle cartridges, flour flags and a quantity of other war material. During th. 1 period German losses in killed and wounded were 8000 officers and men. One group of Soviet partisans on the Moscow front on December 10 destroyed a big ammunition transport, which was on the way to the front. This group in the past few days has inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in men and material and has damaged lines of communication to the front. “About 6000 German officers and men were kille 1 or wounded in one iarca on the south-western front, where the Russians smashed and are now pursuing the German Fortyfourth Infantry Division, says Pravda. The Russians completely smashed headquarters of the Thirteenth and 132nd. Infantry Regiments. Remnants of the routed division retreated westward with such haste that mediril and veterinary supply trains fell into Russian hands. The Forty-fourth Division only recently reached th? front to relieve the 2971 h Division, which had previously been routed. The Soviet Information Bureau sa‘ I the Germans lost 13.000 killed or wounded at Klin and also 122 tanks. 18 armoured cars. 80 guns. 2.000 <)« »o cartridges. 1000 lorries, more than 10 000 shells and a large number of trench mortars and automatics. The Moscow radio stated that 20 villages in the Donelz area have be n recaptured in the past two days Russians in the Leningrad area in the past 24 hours have recaptured 52 vil- , iages and towns. The Russian* who ; recaptured Tikh'in have linked un with the Russian right flank on the Moscow front.