Evening star., 1942-05-27
Reds Fighting
Germans 10
Standsti|I
Counteruttucks Gain
Ground in Khurkov
Area, Soviet Says
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 27.-The Red
Army, fighting with It's back to
river, has brought the German
offensive in the IZyum -Barven-
kova sector to a standstill in the
most important sector and has
gained new ground in immediate
counterattacks, the Russians re-
ported today.
Qn Berlin the German high
command reported rapid progress
in annihilation of Soviet armies
it said were encircled south of
Kharkov)
simultaneously the Russian forces
about 30 miles northward continued
their persistent pounding of the
Germans who are clinging to new
positions on the Kharkov front.
While the deadly conflict in the
Ukraine thus progressed after two
furious weeks, the Arctic end OF the
2,OOO-mile front also quickened to
life.
The Germans renewed their efforts
to bomb Murmansk, an entry port
for supplies from the United States
and Britain, and fresh Nazi troops
were concentrating in the northern
sectors.
Red Fleet. Soviet Navy paper, said
six German planes were downed and
six damaged in large-scale air bat
ties over the approaches to Muir
mansk and that land artillery OF
the Soviet northern feet blasted II
underground shelters and numerous
other winter quarters where Nazi
soldiers were massing.
Pocket Being Enlarged.
Red Star, the army paper, telling
of the Ukrainian fighting, said the
Russians were enlarging a pocket
along the river bend where they
stopped the Germans in the IZyum-
BarVenkova sector.
Russian infantry, with artillery
and tank support, have taken the
slope of a hill dominating the sec
tor and now are fighting at the gates
of village several miles from their
starting point, Red Star said.
Two German counterattacks have
failed to halt this movement, it
added.
(Reuters reported In London
that Marshal Semeon Timoshen-
kos troops have broken through
the flank Of the German wedge
into the Izyum-
front. Marshal Timoshenko's
men are advancing in IAN impor-
tant sector" and the counterat-
tack has stopped the main Ger
man offensive, it was said.
Tank Fights Continue.
In many sectors Of the Kharkov
front tank encounters continue. with
the Germans sending out groups Of
20 to 80 machines and the Russians
meeting them with equal numbers.
so that the Germans are holding
their positions only at immense"
losses, the army organ declared.
A two-day battle has resulted IN
repulse of German efforts to drive
wedge into the Russian lines near
Kharkov, while in another nearby
spot the Germans failed to recap
ture village in a two-day combat
with tanks, the report continued.
While these dispatches indicated
that the Ukraine conflict ragged on,
others suggested that 1t was a
breathing spell by comparison with
the titanic struggle Of the past two
weeks in which the Russians pressed
hard on Kharkov and blocked Ger
man counterblows against their left
flank.
2.100 Germans Killed.
Soviet cavalrymen. on a raid COW
ering about 40 miles far behind the
southern front lines. killed some
2,l00 Germans, the government an
nounced.
A northwestern front detachment
was credited with killing 300 of an
SIS (Elite) division in two days OF
fighting for an important height.
Fighting for favorable positions
continued both around Kharkov. q
(See RUSSIA, Page A-3D