Evening star., 1942-09-19

ly ferried across the Volga to the
embattled city are high, said dis
patch to the Communist party news
paper Pravda
Field reports said night skies were
bright with explosions. burning
buildings and the light from thou
sands of flares. Tons of bombs were
showered down by German air force
squadrons.
Positions Won Back.
Red Star said that at one place,
after planes had strafed and bombed
a group of buildings, the Russians
were forced to retire before a
charge of two regiments of infantry
and 100 tanks. But the Russians
were declared to have regrouped
quickly and won back their posi-
tions.
With the same violence the Ger
mans attacked a hill which COM
mands the center of the city and
important traffic arteries, the army
newspaper said.
Nazi planes loosed several hundred
bombs in a 45-minute preparatory
bombardment. Fifty tanks then
rumbled up the hill, their guns
pounding at the defenders.
Several of the tanks were camou-
flaged as Russian, even bearing Red
Army insignia, and many OF the
German troops were dressed In Rus
sian uniforms instead of their own
gray-green, Red Star declared.
Nazi automatic riflemen, some OF
them also reported in Russian garb,
swarmed into the fighting and the
Red Army troops were forced from
some positions around the hill.
The Russians counterattacked,
however, Red Star said, and restored
their positions in a five-hour battle.
The Soviet Information Bureau
apparently referred to this hill In q
midnight report on fighting for "a
commanding height
"All German attempts to capture
this valuable position have failed"
the Information Bureau said.
Perhaps referring again to the
d,
that the Germans made repeated
attempts to capture our positions
which covered the approaches to an
important objective"
THE defenders of Stalingrad. with
hand grenades, destroyed six tanks
and then, in a hand-to- hand ell
gagement, killed ITO German off1-
GERS and men," it was stated. The
enemy was compelled to retreat"
Bloody Street Fighting.
Fierce fighting was declared con-
tinuing on the northwestern out
skirts of Stalingrad.
Our NJ unit repulsed several
enemy attacks, destroying four Ger
man tanks and three anti-tank
guns and wiped out over 200 Hitler
ties" communique said.
| Dispatches said the street fight
ing was so bloody 1t probably was
unparalleled in the German Russian
war.
The government newspaper lives
tia said many streets and yards were
Uttered with German dead. 1t said
400 were counted in the yards along
one short street after the Russians
had driven back an attack.
The invaders we're reported forti-
flying houses as swiftly as they
moved up, digging bitches and erect
ing street barricades. Many OF
these positions have been retaken
the newspaper said, but some are
still in Nazi hands.
Soviet Marines were reported to
have accounted for still another
battalion in their fight to hold the
Black Sea coast below German oc.
cupied Novorossisk.
Nazi Attacks Near Mozdok.
A grave turn was evident, how.
ever, in the battle of the Centra
Caucasus, for the information bu-
reau disclosed the Germans hac
launched a series of attacks support.
ed by 100 tanks east Of Mozdok ir
their drive for Grozny's oil. There
was no claim that this massive con,
centration was stopped.
However. Is tanks we're reported
put out of action and 900 German'
were killed in this sector. in th'
Terek River Valley, SO miles or les
west of Grczny. In the area o
Mozdok itself, Nazi counterattack:
were declared repulsed.
Field dispatches said three tanl
divisions and two infantry divisions
had been defeated as they tried t.
eypand German holdings in tina