Evening star., 1942-07-03
Penetration 185
Miles Wide, Says
Berlin Command
BY the Associated Press.

BERLIN tFrOm German Broad
casts, July 3-German and
other Axis troops have broken
through the Russian front on a
width of nearly 800 kilometers
(about 1875 niles, the German
high command announced today.
CThe communique did not
locate the section of the front
involved.
1n reporting new German Of
fensives at Belgorod and Vol
chansk and mammoth battle
OF tanks in progress at Kursk,
Russian dispatches referred to
the line from Kursk to Kupyansk.
This front, about $50 miles long
by air but longer by land, may
be the area in which the German
communique claims break
through
Red Attacks Repelled.
The high command said German
and Italian troops in the south re-
PEELED several local attacks" by the
Red Army and that Red tank
brigades had counterattacked on the
300-kilometer front, only to suffer
severe losses.
OF the fighting in the Sevastopol
region of the Crimea the communi-
que said $4,000 prisoners had been
taken at Sevastopol and that 81
tanks. SOB field guns, 662 grenade
throwers and other war material
had been captured or destroyed.
German military dispatches said
the Russians on Khersones PENN
sula had been encircled and again
made desperate counterattacks in
an effort to break through, but were
repulsed with heavy losses"
Bombs Explode in Columns.
"The German Air Force partic-
ipated in this fighting and heavy
caliber bombs exploded in columns
consisting of motorized and horse
drawn vehicles, inflicting the most
severe casualties" 1t was added. "A
hastily constructed field position
and many houses, turned into pill
boxes, were smashed to pieces by
direct hits by heavy bombs.
German pursuit planes made nu-
merous low-altitude attacks, inflict-
ing additional human and material
losses.
simultaneously, the mopping up
of the Sevastopol City district is
being Systematically continued. En-
emy hiding places in cellars, sub
terranean passages and deep caves
in the rocks were searched and
combed of scattered Bolsheviks and
weapons"
The last remnants" of Soviet
troops In the Sevastopol area are
facing annihilation at the ex-
treme end Of the Khersones Pen
insula," the German high command
declared.
Dive Bombers Attack Harbors.
German and italian motor tor
pedo boats were reported to have
destroyed three Russian patrol boats
in Crimean waters and captured
the survivors while dive bombers at
tackled harbors in the Sea of Azov.
In the fighting along the southern
and central front, the high COM
mand said one German division had
destroyed 100 Soviet tanks between
June % and July 2 without suffer-
ing LOSSES.
In the Rzhev area, 12O miles
northwest of Moscow, German
troops broke through tough enemy
resistance" and occupied positions
which the Russians had aban-
doned, the communique declared
Several villages were said to have
been captured.
HarbOrs and Ships Raided.
The high command said German
bombers and fighters heavily raided
harbors and shipping on the Cauca-
sian coast of the Black Sea and in
the Sea OF Azov, sinking a mine
layer and 8 to 10 coastal vessels
and damaging a destroyer, seven
frelghters, a training vessel and a
floating dock.
The DNB agency said in addition
a l0,000-ton transport, 1000 ton
transport, another destroyer and two
small merchant ships were hit.
1t placed the attacks at Novoros-
sisk, Tuapse and Anapa, all on the
Black Sea, and said the port installa-
tions were so badly hit that many
could not be used