NOT YET AT CLIMAX

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 62, 16 March 1943, Page 5

NOT YET AT CLIMAX

DESPERATE KHARKOV BATTLE RED THREAT TO SMOLENSK (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) Recd. 7 p.m. London, March 14. The terrific battle for Kharkov, although critical, has not yet reached its climax. The defenders, hardpressed on all sides, are battling valiantly against ferocious attacks which hourly are gaining in force. Simultaneously the Red Army which lias captured Vizama has swept on to the fringes of the forest belt 50 miles east of Smolensk, which is now threatened with envelopment. The antagonists thus continue to maintain the utmost presinre in advances which menace valuable strategic points in the opponent’s line. There has hitherto been no indication that either colossal attack has affeeted the power with which the Russians or the Germans are carrying on their respective offensives.

The Russians admit the peril in which the Germans have placed Kharkov, asserting that they are continually throwing in fresh troops from the west. Russian newspapers, re-eehoing the adjurations of the heroic epoch of Stalingrad, declare: “We can and must hurl back the German onslaught on Kharkov and the Donetz Basin, no matter what the cost.”

Judging from the Red Army's experience at Voronej and Stalingrad, says Reuter's correspondent, at Moscow, the Germans are capable of keeping up the pressure they are putting on Kharkov for a fortnight, but only five days have elapsed since the start of the real onslaught against Kharkov, where the Russians fire again facing a typical big-scale German panzer movement. Much depends on the ability of the defenders to concentrate sufficient gun-power at points to which the Germans switch and re-concentrate their armour. Much of the terrain over which the fighting is going on is roadless and the thaw necessitates the tanks using the better roads, which to some extent is assisting the Russian gunner. Depite being forced to yield ground northward and westward of Kharkov —where the position is still not clear —the Russians apparently have stemmed strong German thrusts, but masses of German tanks are still battering the Russian flanks. In addition 6C miles southward the Red Army is desperately resisting German attempts to force a passage of the Donetz in the Isym area, where a German success would turn the Kharkov defences. The Russians everywhere are fighting with heroism worthy of the Red Army's traditions.

Red Star says a new danger to Kharkov is developing from the north, where a big German force has been attacking for several days. The Germans have occupied several villages, but the Russians so far have held off the enemy sufficiently to prevent an outflanking move. Enemy pressure is increasing and in the past 24 hours the Russians have been obliged to withdraw at several points. The Germans’ great counter-offen-sive battle is not yet won, says Stockholm correspondent of The Times. Although obliged to give up valuable ground, there are no signs that the Russian resistance is breaking anywhere in the Kharkov area, but the danger of the encirclement of Kharkov is greater than Stalingrad’s, which had an advantage by the fact that the mighty Volga was at its rear. The Germans are staking more at Kharkov than the Russians; a German success would merely avert the disaster menacing the troops in the Donetz Basin without achieving much towards restoring the former position, whereas a failure would be likely to make the delayed disaster much more . comprehensive.

If when the ground improves the Russians are able to launch a heavy offensive against Taganrog, they might sweep along the Sea of Azov towards Dniepropetrovsk. The Germans are aware of the threat and continue their probing of the Russians' strength on the Mius River, where the Russians have accumulated strong artillery and armour, with considerable potentiality. To-day’s German communique states: “The greater part of Kharkov is in German hands. Bitter fighting continues only in the south-eastern area of the city.** Driving on the central sectors on a 50 miles front from Viazma, the Russians have reached the grim Smolensk forests, which, according to the British United Press correspondent, are filled with tough guerrillas who have been waiting nearly two years for such an opportunity of harassing the Germans while they are fighting rearguard actions. The forests run southward from Yelnia and northward across the Viazma-Smolensk railway. The Germans, fearing forest fighting, .built exterior defences which Russian mobile units of ski troops turned, forcing the Germans to make a major retreat by road. This partly accounts for the more rapid advance since the occupation of Viazma.

The victors of Viazma are driving down toward Briansk after a record advance of 56 miles in 48 hours and have reached Miliatinsky Zavod, 95 miles from Briansk. Russians advancing from Sevsk also threaten Briansk in a pincer from the south, where they are within 70 miles of the dty. The Russians in addition are menacing Smolensk from the north, where two columns are operating in the Upper Dnieper and against Nikitinka, with the possibility of cutting off the Germans retreating from Viazma to Smolensk, or pushing on for the envelopment of this valuable German base. Fighting around Kharkov is still I increasing in ferocity, according to the morning communique, and the Russian troops are heroically repelling the attacks of numerically superior enemy tank and infantry forces. "The Germans are throwing in fresh divisions which have just arrived from western Europe,” says the newspaper Red Star. “These have the support of masses of tanks. The defenders of Kharkov are giving the Reichswehr their most fierce battles of the war, and a number of positions are changing hands repeatedly. The Germans are trying to advance at any cost, but are up against a determined resistance. Fighting is especially bitter north of the city, where a German outflanking manoeuvre failed to materialise. Although the enemy succeeded in capturing a numbei of settlements, he was stopped by strong Russian counter attacks. The battle continues in this sector, with every inch of ground stubbornly contested.’ A further Moscow message describes continued bitter fighting in the Don Basin, particularly in the Izyum area where enemy pressure is meeting

with resistance comparable with that of the defenders of Moscow. The Russian drive west and south of Viazma (some 90 miles east-north-east of Smolensk) continues with success. South of the town about 20 localities have been occupied, including the railway station of Medinsky-Zavod. South of Byeloi (north of Smolensk) the Russians have occupied a number of localities. The Russian objective |on this front appears to be to drive wedges into the enemy’s defences, split his lines into parallel sectors and hold him under a constant threat, of encirclement. The Russian pressure is heaviest along the Moscow-Minsk highway in the direction of Smolensk.