Imperial Valley press., 1942-09-23
BY HENRY SHAPIRO

MOSCOW, Sept 23-CUP)-Front
dispatches reported that a Red
Army counterattack has smashed
through Nazi lines in Northwestern
Stalingrad regaining a dominating
height, but in other sectors German
pressure drove the Russians out Of
positions along several battered
streets.
With the tide of battle flowing
indecisively in the Uttered ruins of
what had once been Russia's mod
ell industrial city, the Red armys
organ, Red Star, proclaimed that
the result of street fighting thus
| far disclosed that:
"Stalingrad can and will be held"
Front reports indicated that the
fighting had taken on a see-saw
aspect Soviet forces were bombing
and blasting their way forward,
particularly in the critical north
western portion of the city. But at
other points, sometimes only a few
blocks distant, they were falling
back before masses of Nazi tanks,
attacking in close order.
BATTLE IN AIR
Red Star reported that in the
northwest sector picked detach-
ments of Red army men smashed
their way through the German for
titled front line POSITIONS and
stormed hill which commanded a
wide surrounding area.
While ground forces fought with
utmost bitterness, one of the great
est air displays Of the war was be-
ing staged in the skies over Stall
ingrad.
The Communist party newspaper
Pravda reported that the LuftWaffe
was throwing unprecedented num-
bers of planes into the support OF
the ground attack.
German Air sorties were said to
be averaging as high as 1000 a
day with the Nazi planes apparent
ly aiming for the complete destruc-
ton of Stalingrad. Many of the
city's new buildings were reported
in ruins, among them a model eye
hospital.
STREETS LOST
The noon communique admitted
that in the flaming, corpse-strewn
streets of the city itself, enemy in
fantry supported by 100 tanks had
pushed the Russians back and cap
tured several streets in one area,
but said that in others German
attacks had been repulsed.
Guards troops were defending
the city house by house and streets
and individual houses changed
houses time and again, dispatches
reported.
A special dispatch to the army
newspaper Red Star said that the
new Russian gains northwest of
Stalingrad were slight but that the
shock troops were making slow but
steady progress which if developed,
would threaten the German left
flank.
The Germans flung in masses Of
tanks and planes in vain attempt
to stop the Red army attacks, Red
Star rported.
Fighting, as the battle for Stall
ingrad entered its 30th day, had
turned the city's streets into hor-
rible cauldron of destruction.
Hand to hand fighting continued
over the bodies of the dead and the
debris of tanks, guns, trucks and
wrecked buildings.
Especially fierce fighting was re-
ported at street intersections.
HOUSES FORTIFIED
Seeking to overcome the historic
Russian defense, the Germans
started to concentrate attacks on
three or four blocks at once, try
ing to level them by a combined
bombardment by field guns, NOR
tars and airplane bombs.
Small groups of sub-machine
gunnerS followed up each lombard
ment, moving from house to house,
and after them come infantrymen
and engineers who fortified such
houses as had escaped destruction.
Both sides used light mortars and