RELENTLESS ADVANCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 308, 31 December 1942, Page 5

RELENTLESS ADVANCE

RUSSIANS ON SIX FRONTS

REDS’ CAPTURE OF KEY TOWN IN DRIVE TOWARD ROSTOV

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) London, Dec. 29. Relentlessly thrusting over a huge arc on six fronts from north of Voroshilovgrad to south-east of Kotelnikovo, Red Armies are co-ordinately sweeping toward Rostov. They have almost reached the gates of Millerovo and have captured Kotelnikovo, two key towns which Hitler counted on holding during the winter. The threat in the vicinity of both places is so acute that the Grennans are rushing up reinforcements, but the Russian advance is unabated in all main areas. There is no sign of a successful German rally south-west of Stalingrad, despite their desperate attempts to disengage the Russians.

Kotelnikovo is 95 miles sout a German counter-attack througl attempt to force its way througl Stalingrad, but the Germans fade advance in the same area. A special Russian communique •announcing the capture of Kotelnikovo said: Soviet troops occupied the town and the railway station on December 29. They captured large quantities of stores, including supplies and tank equipment, 17 planes in good order, and one train loaded with tanks. The booty is now being counted. In the areas of the middle and central Don our troops are continuing their offensive. The Russians have driven further into the Ukraine west and north-west of Chertkovo. 30 miles north of Millerovo, and have cap.ured the towns of Krizkoie (17 miles westward of Chertkovo), Prosiany (four miles to the northward of Kriszkoie). and Vysochanov (11 miles northward of Kantimirovka). The Associated Press correspondent reports that the Russians south of Stalingrad have driven deeply into the wind-swept and frozen Kalmuk steppes and have captured Kichkino. 42 miles north of Elista. The Associated Press correspondent at Moscow reports that the Russians have captured Nagolny (three miles due south of Kotelnikovo), atso Maiorsky (nine miles to the northwest), and Karachev (121 miles east of the same town). An indication ol the wide sweep of this encircling movement was given in a special Moscow announcement. It named newlyoccupied localities south-west of Stalingrad, including Verkhne-Kur-moyarskaya (on the Don 16 miles north-west of Kotelnikovo), Biriukov (on the right bank of the Don 22 miles south-west of Potemkinsk). Krylov (25 miles south-east of Kotelnikovo), and Zavetnaya (60 miles south-east of Kotelnikovo). The British United Press Moscow correspondent declared earlier that the Russians had cut five of the six highways leading into Kotelnikovo. which was almost encircled. With the occunation of Ternovy and Novoyaspaskova. the Russians now are only four miles north-west and south-east respectively from Millerovo. The Moscow correspondent of The Times says the Germans are able to halt the rapid Russian advance only when they entrenched s'rong garrisons. Elsewhere their field defences apparentlv are useless. Russian tanks are Quitting the roads, making long and terribly destructive lunges. The Russians are not allowing the resisting garrisons to check the advance of the tanks, whose main task is to b°at down the rearguards, preventing them from disengaging and counter-attack-ing. but the Red Army also intends to annihilate the Germans and destroy their equipment. Imm°diatefv a sufficient weight of artillery is. brought up the garrisons are reso-; lutelv assaulted. One of the most satisfactory features of the campaign compared with last winter’s is the rapidity with which isolated strongpoints are broken down. An example of this is the capture of Chertkovo, which was ringed with defended villages and strong anti-tank guns. The fall of Chertkovo is most important. It joins two patches of the Voronej-Rostov railway into one long stretch now in Russian hands. It is also situated on the main highway to Starobyelsk, inside the railway-less quadrangle. Its capture absorbed for a week strong Russian forces which are now free for service elsewhere. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says the Russians are not allowing the fresh German reserves which Hitler is moving into the middle Don area time to concentrate and organise effective defences. German reserves at many places are marching straight from rear bases into the battiefront, and they are meeting Russians fighting under orders not only to roll back the enemy, but if the enemy tries to stand and fight, to kill them to a man. Russian Guards arc pounding piecemeal a large German force . split into two isolated groups southk west of Stalingrad, while remnants of the relief army of six German K divisions intended to stage a compK back on this front continue io roll V bark under the ’ Russian hamnierV blows. ' Despite the tremendous efforts on the southern sector, the Russians are very active in many other areas. They are progressing slowlv in the Nalchik region, where the Axis is fiercely but fruitlessly counter-jabbin?. Mutual hammering continues in the Vilikiye Luki and Byeloi regions, but there has been no noteworthy shifting of ground. The Finns report lively Russian patrolling on the Karelian Isthmus. STALINGRAD AREA (Recd. 11.15 p.m.) London. Dec 30. The Russians in the Stalingrad factory area advanced a quarter of a mile and occupied several workshops g of one factory. North-west of Stalin- " grad the Russians bombarded and captured German first-line trenches.

th-west of Stalingrad. Recently h it met with some success in an h to the surrounded army before ed to hold up for long the Russian KEYPOINT FALLS ' NAZIS’ SIGNAL FAILURE AT KOTELNIKOVO (Recd. 9.30 p.m.) London, Dec. 29. The fall of Kotelnikovo is a most notable development. It was the keypoint of the defences of the Germans, who did their utmost to retain their positions. They repeatedly counter-attacked from longprepared positions, hut signally failed, and finally they retreated, abandoning both damaged and undamaged guns. The Russians rendered Kotelnikovo untenable, by-passing it on the flanks across roadless country and driving in from both sides. The Moscow correspondent of The Times says the campaign for Kotelnikovo was fought out on the Kalmuk steppes, where villages are far apart and there are nomadic cattlebreeders’ settlements around infrequent wells. In the flat, desolate countryside the wind blows up choking clouds of sand and snow. Many Germans preferred the prison camp to retreat in such conditions. Russian Guards were prominent in the operations, delivering sharp, welldirected blows, supported by heavymortars which have played a notable role in all the present fighting, although it is scarcely a year since the Government created a special de partmem to produce these essential weapons. The Daily Express’ correspondent at Moscow says: Secret Russian tank successes are illustrated by 33-year-old Lieut.-General Badanov’s Guards Tank Corps, which, after a daring raid, captured a supposedly impregnable place on which the German defence pivoted. Lieut.-General Eadanov lean-frogged his columns on alternate day r s, one thrusting forward and the other resting and refuelling, and then roaring through their comrades, who were recuperating. Supporting the tank thrusts were Russian divebombers and stormoviks. ceaselessly plastering the retreating columns and preventively bombing the lines where the Germans were preparing to stand. The Russian successes in Vei’kiye Luki are notable in view of the German’s strongly-built fortifications, honeycombing deep glens and bare hills as l a precaution against envelopment. A group of four villages were taken in a pincers movement after a devastating bombardment, following which infantry with bayonets routed two battalions. The German public remains ignorant of the Russians’ crushing blows. The German radio for days has not commented on the military situation, preferring only German local defensive successes. RECENT FIGHTING BRINGS NEW DANGER TO SIXTH ARMY London. Dec. 29. The position of the German Sixth Army in front of Stalingrad is believer in London military circles to be more precarious than ever now that the counter-offensive from the south-west has failed and the six German divisions which were assembled for it at Kotelnikovo have been driven back beyond their I starting point. I Even if the Germans mounted another relief expedition, its task would be harder than that of the first one and it would have further to go. | Meanwhile the problem of supplying ■ the besieged army by air becomes more difficult as the German airfields are pushed further back. Von Hoth's army has been isolated nearly six weeks, during which it has been forced to expend munitions, as well as consuming food. It had verylarge stocks which were accumulated during the summer for the siege of Stalingrad, but it is doubtful now ii supplies of food, ammunition, and petrol transported by air alone would oe sufficient to enable it to fight its way out through the area 6U to 80 miles deep held by Russians. The methodical moves by the Soviet High Commar.l have set the German

chiefs difficult problems concerning I the employment of reserves. The origii nal blow south of Stalingrad proo'aii.v surprised the enemy since the ati tuckers had to ferry everything across i the Volga. The Russians cut both I railways supplying the Stalingrad secitor, and in a few days joined with the | offensive from the direction of Klet1 Then a thaw o*several days produced mud and probably prevented the Russians from consummating their success immediately. Hitler, however, had to decide whether to order his army to fight its way out of the closing ring or stand fast while a counteroffensive was made from the southwest which, if successful, would have turned the tables on the Russians and surrounded them In their turn. Influenced, perhaps, by his intuition ana his famous promise- that Stalingrad would be taken, Hitler ordered the army to stand fast. The

German High Command thus was committed to employing its reserves in the lower Don theatre to rescue the trapped army. The Russians, in order to pin down reserves on the central front, attacked from Rajev to Velikie Luki, turning both towns into besieged garrisons. The Russians then strucK at the satellite troops holding the middle Don at Boguchar, and also west from the re-cently-gained Chir area, in the Don □end. It seems that the Russians reckoned that by this time the German reserves would have been drawn into the Stalingrad sector and committed there. The attack from the middle Bon promised very good results, as any progress would threaten the whole German position at the DonVolga angle, while a deep advance in the same direction would threaten the whole enemy army group in the Caucasus. Finally, as soon as they were certain that any available reserves in the Kostov area had peen committed to the Don fronts, the Russians also struck at the head of the German invasion in the northern Caucasus. Now the Germans report a Russian attack in <.he region of Lake Ilmen, but the Russians have not mentioned it. The Russians continue to push back .he German forces which have been trying to relieve the Stalingrad army. Yesterday another important advance was made on a broad front stretching from the steppes about 120 miles south of Stalingrad to the southern part of the Don bend. 100 miles west-south-west of the city. Kotelnikovo was by-passed. The Russians are now both west and south of the town. They have also captured a series of places stretching 40 miles south-west of Kotelnikovo along the upper reaches of the River Sal, which enters the Don above Rostov. The immobility of the beleaguered German army at Stalingrad suggests that it may lack fuel. Meanwhile, the Russians are mopping up round Millerovo and west ol the railway leading north from the town. The main offensive does not seem to have moved much in the last few days—B.O.W.