The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-06
RUSSIA FIGHTS
 DESPERATELY
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 Russion counter attacks, by tanks and infantry, wiped out the enemy spearhead, however, and forced the others to retire, according to a dispatch to Pravda.
 The Germans have been attacking with great force from Kursk and Belgorod on a front of some 15O miles, aimed toward the Voronezh area, on the Don. Two important railroads running from the Ukraine to Moscow are in this sector and the enemy apparently is attempt ing to cut Soviet communications as 8 preliminary to 8 new offensive toward Rostov and the Caucasus.
 Dispatches emphasized that diffi- cult times and great sacrifices lie ahead, not only on the Ukraine front but in the area northwest of Moscow.
 Pravda said that German attacks on the Kalinin sector, probably around Rzhev, continued and that several stabs had resulted in pene- tration of two villages by Ger man force with 126 tanks. A strong Soviet counter attack pushed the enemy back and re-captured four other villages with considerable German loss in men and machines
 Bitter Battles Raging
 The Soviet information bureau reported bitter fighting at Kursk, and Volchansk and admitted that the Germans had driven spear head through the Red army's de- lenses near Belgorod, 100 miles south of KurSk.
 Front line dispatches to the Sov- jet newspaper Pravda said the Ger mans had intensified their drive to the east, and described the Rus- sian situation as "hard-pressed." In some sectors, the newspaper said the Red army was holding while at other points it counter attacked, taking a mounting toll of Axis tanks, planes and men.
 The Germans pierced the Soviet defenseS on one sector near Kursk, 1t said, and immediately brought up operating and tactical reserves. They were successful in widening the breach.
 Fighting against overwhelming numbers and under the most dif- ficult conditions, Pravda said, the Russians retired to new lines.
 Then the Soviet tanks were sent into the most dangerous sectors of the front. Maneuvering into posi- tion for counter-attack, the dis patches said, they pushed back the enemy for some distance andapre- vented it from advancing into the gap on a wider front.
 Preliminary reports indicated that Russian tank units had destroyed four German infantry regiments (about 12,00O men), Pravda said. in addition to an artillery regiment and SO tanks.
 Humiliation of one regiment was claimed officially in the noon con- munique, which said the only changes were on the southwest front | where the Germans apparently were driving to reach Voronezh on the Don river, in preparation for a thrust into the Caucasus.
 "In the Kursk direction bloody l battles are underway" it said "The enemy is suffering huge losses. On one sector, our tank units annihil- | ated regiment of German infantry and one artillery brigade. On an- other sector of the Kursk direction, our tank crews killed about 800 off, cers and men and destroyed several tanks, 16 heavy machine guns, Il guns and IT motor vehicles"
 Earlied dispatches had indicated | that the numerically superior Ger mans, using upwards of 1650 900 men on the Kursk sector alone, had | driven spearheaG3 into the Russian lines both there and at Belgorod aiming for the Don river and the Moscow-R -RoStov railway, chief com- munication lines to the Caucasus.
 Claim Break Through
 (German communiques claimed that break-throughs had been ef- fected at several points, and that German troops had reached the Don Ion wide front" Bridgeheads were said to have been established | on the east bank of the strategic Don.)
 Stubborn fighting was infiicting disproportionate losses of men and machines on the Germans along the entire blazing southwestern front. front lines dispatches said. Heavy battles were being fought at Vol chansk as well as at Kursk and | Beigorod. and the German losses were said to be probably greater than in any other engagements of the war.
 Tn the Kursk direction, our troops are repelling continuous Ger man attacks" the midnight Soviet communique said. "The enemy is suffering enormous losses and was forced to bring up endorsements"
 "On one of the sectors of the Bell gorod frcnt, the Germans worked | into our defense lines at the cost of great losses"
 On the ninth day of the south- western offensive, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock's campaign was de- veloping clearly. Military observers believed he was stalking all his strength on severing the Soviet | army's communications 50 he could | send his massed forces through the | Dan Basin into the oil rich Cau- | Hasala