TENSE MOMENTS

Waikato Times, Volume 193, Issue 22204, 25 November 1943, Page 6

TENSE MOMENTS

BATTLES IN RUSSIA

GERMAN COUNTER BLOWS COMBATS (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel Copyright) | (Received Nov. 25. 11.30 am.) j LONDON, Nov. 24 j General Vatutin’s armies on the ' the southern flank of the Kiev salient are facing the most tense moment I sime the Germans' conn- ( ter-blow from Jitomir began eleven days ago. Reuter's Moscow correspondent say c the fiercest fighting '->1 the German counter-attack is racing today 40 or 45 miles west of Kiev. Massed j, German tanks, infantry and planer, ! j at this point are striking up the . Zrivzh river valley, thereby trying!, to drive a wedge through toward.: the Jitomir-Kiev highway, which crosses the river 30 miles west of Kiev. Fresh German reserves have ar-j, rived to strengthen the enemy’s at- ( tack and bittei hand-to-hand com- j. bats are swaying as the enemy’s j! efforts increase Moscow military observers point out that although the Russians have | ' thrice been forced to withdraw to j , new positions the enemy so far has , failed to penetrate the Russian line or encircle any part cf the Red. Army j forces. Claims by Germans The Moscow radio stated that the ■ fighting in the area of Brusilov anJ | ■ Chernyakhov is extraordinarily fierce < but the Germans are nowhere able j ] to drive a wedge into the Russian , i lines. The Russians. however, j < abandoned several inhabited locali-ji ties under pressure from numerical j < superiority. The Berlin radio claimed that the ! Germans have recaptured Cher- i nyakhov and Brusilov. The German News Agency’s military commentator, von Hammer, claims that the Germans in the area . of the Jitomir-Kiev highway have 1 cut off the Russian forces, which are doomed to destruction. , He added that the Russians have . launched relief attacks north and north-east of Jitomir.

Tonight’s Soviet communique says: The Russians in the Kremenchug region captured the district centre of Anufreivka, 15 miles south of Kremenchug, on the main road to Krivoi Rog. and in the Chernyakhov and Brusilov- areas successfully repelled enemy attacks and improved their positions. German Objective

The Russian military commentator. Colonel Akomov. described the German gains- against the Red Army’s southern flank as 'partial successes.” He added that the Germans not so much aimed at capturing Jitomir as striking a blow northwards to cut the communications of the Red Army forces operating in the southern sector of the Pripet marshes, which they had failed to do.

Some Red Army forces fighting in the Gomel sector are within the desolate Pripet marshes area, which is swampy and wooded .intersected by numberless rivers, say Moscow despatches. Guerilla guides are showing the Red - Army troops trails through the wilderness of marshes and welter of confusing tracks.

The Izvestia declared that the Russians are rolling back the German tank units west of Rietchitsa. The Germans are covering their retreat by a powerful screen of fire. According to the Vichy radio the Russian armoured forces succeeded in breaking through in front of Krivoi Rog, Jaut were forced to withdraw after fierce fighting. They are still exerting heavy pressure. Russian pressure has also increased against the Nikopol bridgehead and the Russians on the Dnieper river have redoubled their efforts on the bridgeheads south of Pereyslavl and north-west of Cherkasy.