Evening star., 1942-10-28
Main Russion Lines
Reported Holding.
In StoIingrod
BY HENRY c. CASSIDY,

Oy HENRI u. cassidy,
Associated Press War Correspondent.
MOSCOW, Oct. 28.-Red Army
defenders of the cliff sided
mountain road to the Black Sea
port of Tuapse have turned the
tables on the Nazis in the West
ern Caucasus with a smashing
counterassault which forced the
Germans into a retreat that
started several days ago, battle
front dispatches reported today.
In Stalingrad German on
slaught renewed at deadly cost
gained the invaders two more
debris-littered streets, but the main
Russian lines held, and northwest
of the hesieged city the Red Army s
relief offensive bit menacingly deep
er into the German flank across the
sodden steppes.
Timed with the resurgent Russian
thrust along the road approaching
Tuapse through passes to the north
east, other Russian forces struc',
determinedly into German guarded
positions east OF the port of Novor-
ossisk, 80 miles farther up the
coast.
Enemy Forced to Fan Out.
The army newspaper Red Star
said that in the fight for the ap-
proach to Tuapse, provisional base
Of the Soviet Black Sea fleet, a
stubborn Red Army defense forced
attacking Alpine troops to fan out
into the wooded mountains in a
f1anking attempt.
When the main body of the at
tackers started to swing southwark
to follow up the original flanking
penetrations the Russian blow was
struck, an important mountain po-
sition was wrested from the Ger
mans, and the entire attack force
was caught off balance and rolled
back with heavy losses, the news
paper reported.
Izvestia, the government news
paper, said autumn rains had turned
the Don-Volga steppes northwest of
Stalingrad into quagmire, where
the enemy's mechanical forces
begged down.
There Marshal Semeon Timo-
shenko's attack on the Nazi flank
was said to have scored steady gains.
Pravda disclosed that the Germans
were driven from key defense po-
sition there three days ago and
had lost 1000 men in a hail Of
mortar and rifle fire which beat
off their attempts to recapture it.
In this salient alone the Germans
were said to have lost 81 tanks
destroyed and $50 damaged and
captured.
Important Hill Taken.
Red Star said the Russians had
recaptured an important hill in the
active defense of the Black Sea
coast and continued to press the
enemy.
Anbushed in a deep ravine, a
regiment of Axis infantry escaped
only with the loss of about two
companies, it was announced. So
Wet marines were credited with
Staying 500 Germans and capturing
documents in an attack on Nazi-
occupied community east of Novor-
ossisk
Stalingrads northern defenses
held against attack after attack by
numerically superior infantry and
tank forces, but "at a cost of heavy
losses, the Germans succeeded in
advancing along two Streets" the
noon communique said.
Vain assaults on Soviet positions
In a recently recaptured community
on the steppes northwest of the
Volga River city cost the lives OF
about $50 Rumanians and Red Army
artillery blasted gaps in the Axis
flank, it was announced.
Infantry Battalion Wiped Out.
Summing up the fight within the
city on the 65th day of the siege
the communique said a battalion
of enemy infantry was wiped out
and five tanks % blockhouses anc
dugouts and 40 supply trucks were
destroyed.
The turn of battle in the Cauca-
sus. where the Germans have beer
pressing an offensive for severa
weeks, was the most important de-
velopment reported in todays mill.
tary dispatches.
Red Star gave details of the
Caucasian campaign northwest o,
Tuapse, which was mentioned in 6
Soviet communique for the frs
time two days ago. The dispatch
said the Germans hoped to breal
through the foothills to the Blacl
Sea in the district of Tuapse.
Fir-clad slopes, lined with ravine'
and bitches. facilitated the Ger
mans flanking maneuver, the dis
patch said. Large forces of infan
try, including specially trainee
Alpine troops, penetrated Russian
defenses in depth with the assist
ance Of massed planes and mortar'
and occupied two villages and sew
eral important heights.
Strike With Force.
The Red Army regrouped, how
ever, and struck with pile drive
force when the Germans swuni
southwestward in an attempt to de-
(See RUSSIA, Page A-6D