Evening star., 1942-09-08
British Bolster Forces in Iran
And Iraq to Aid Reds Churchill
Says in Optimistic War Report
StoIingrod Army
Regrouped;; kozi
Units Reinforced
Ey the Associated Press.


MOSCOW, Sept. 8.-Defenders
Of Stalingrad were reported
firmly regrouped today against
reinforced German shock troops
seeking to enlarge a new and
dangerous salient in the western
defenses by nonstop attacks,
and southwestern lines also held
overnight on battlefields stained
with blood.
A Red Army detachment took the
initiative in night raid, destroyed
the headquarters of a Rumanian
battalion below the city, slew 80
Rumanian officers and men and
blew up seven Axis ammunition
trucks, the midday communique
said.
Germans wedged into Russian DO
sitions In the Novorossisk area of
the Western Caucasus, but were
either driven back or held fast in
the Mozdok region of the Central
Caucasus and they lost additional
positions to the Russians on the
central and northwestern fronts. 1t
was announced.
Reds Yield, but Preserve Lines.
Scores of Nazi planes were re-
ported by Red Star to have failed
to soften Russian lines appreciably
west Of Stalingrad, but the Soviet
Information Bureau acknowledged a
penetration by ground forces in that
area. The Russian lines yielded, but
remained intact.
The Germans brought up fresh
forces and. with tank support, tried
to pierce our defenses for several
hours, but all the attacks were re-
pulsed" 1t said. THE enemy left
six tanks disabled on the battlefield
and more than 200 officers and men
killed"
While Field Marshal Fedor Won
Book thus resorted to ever-costly
frontal assault tactics, the army
newspaper Red Star declared the
tempo of attacks southwest of the
city had been stepped up.
The Germans and Rumanians
making up, the, assault forces were
reported to outnumber the Russians
at some points as much as Ave
to one. The 5th Rumanian Cavalry
Division lost, 10 per cent of it's per-
sonnel and was replaced by the 9th
Division, from the deep rear, and it.,
IN turn, lost about 1000 men in its
first battle, Red Star said.
Gunboats Assist Battle.
Gunboats of Russia's Black Sea
meet and an armored train assisted
Red marines, sailors and soldiers
nghting with enemy tanks and au-
tomato rifiemen who wedged into
Soviet positions in the area of the
Novorossisk naval station, (The
Germans claimed possession Of
Novorossisk Sunday.)
Russian bomber crews reported
sinking three German cutters from
flotilla of five which sailed from
the Kerch Peninsula.
One Russian force was credited
with destroying five German tanks
and IA trucks and killing more than
800 Germans while another am
pushed an invasion column, knocked
out seven tanks and II trucks and
wiped out about 200 officers and men.
An invasion force was driven into
retreat south of the Terek River in
the Mozdok area and other Nazi
Efforts to extend their gains failed,
the information bureau said.
Attacks Repulsed.
The drive on Stalingrad from
the west gained only after repeated
Efforts and then was contained, the
Russians indicated.
Five or more attacks on Stalin-
grad from the west were repulssd.
but one Red Army force then was
compelled to retreat to new posi-
tions and Nazi formations flowed
into the gap, the midnight COM
munique announced.
Southwestern lines were declared
10 nave neid nrmly against several
large-scale assaults. The informa-
ton bureau said eight German
tanks were blown from formation
Of 80 which made a vain attack on
Red Army artillery battery.
British military and diplomatic
sources In London expressed belief
that more depends on the battle
for Stalingrad than on any battle in
Russia since the Germans were
thrown back before Moscow early
last December.
The fall OF the Volga River indus
trial center, producer Of many of
the Red Army's tanks, would split
Russia's forces for the first time
in the war. Loss of the rich Baku
oil fields would force the Russians
to rely on the Ural-Volga wells, with
an annual production estimated at
1000, 900 tons.
Strategically, the occupation of
Stalingrad would secure the German
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