The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-07-24

bank, under a heavy German bom- bardment. Three German counter attacks were broken and more than 1000 Germans killed. German pris- oners were quoted that their lines had been over-extended, and be- cause of that fact and the operations of Russian guerillas, the Germans were unable to bring in fuel and had to use their tanks as pillboxes. Tn the Voronezh area, fighting continues with the same 1lerceness. The enemy stubbornly resists the advance of our troops" the noon communique said. Various defense points and several inhabited points changed hands frequently in hand to-hand fighting"
 Numerically superior German and Hungarian forces engaged Russians units at one crossing of the Don, the communique said. The enemy made three strong counter attacks. The Russians crushed all three, killing several hundred Germans. On an- other sector, nine German tanks were destroyed.
 The communique revealed new outbursts at Leningrad, fairly quiescent front lately. The Germans have lost more than 300 men killed and wounded on that front in two days, 1t said.
 Communiques left little doubt of the critical Russian situation on the lower Don river. Last midnight's communique reported that Soviet forces in the Novocherkassk area threatened with encirclement, had withdrawn to new positions. It was the second withdrawal reported in as many days around Novocherk- assk, g miles northeast of Rostov, gateway to the Caucasus.
 German tanks, planes and men ceaselessly pounded at Russian de- lenses, both at NovocherkasEk, and Tsimlyanskaya, 115 miles southeast of Stalingrad and 100 miles east of Novocherskassk.
 Germany Claims Fall
 Berlin, July A = German broad caS Recorded by United Press n New York) = Capture of strategic Rostov in storming assault after hard fighting" was reported today In q special German communique and Axis troops were said to have crossed the Don River "at several points" into the oil-rich Caucasus
 A communique from Adolf Hitler's headquarters said that German reg ular army and SS shocktroops sup ported by Slovak units and the Ger man air force smashed through strong Russian positions encircling the city and took Rostov by storm.
 German military authorities, elab- orating upon the communique, said that by noon today German troops "also had crossed the lower course of the Don at several points" es- tablishing bridgeheads and striking on into the Caucasus.
 However, these bridgeheads for the time-being are only of local i'm portance; apparently large opera tions have not yet been started in the direction of the Caucasus" the military commentators said.
 The capture of Rostov, railroad and shipping center, was stressed in German quarters which pointed out that the city represents g. "key po- sition of the entire front in the south"
 The Russians, 1t was said, had strongly fortified Rostov during the winter, building a vast network of forts, bunkerS and tank traps.
 Their Heaviest Blow The fall of RoStov was described as "the heaviest blow which Mar Shal (Semyon) Timoshenko has re- ceived so far, and the consequences of this blow will soon be revealed" :"
 The major part of the city is in German hands, 1t was said, and in only one section are the Russians still offering resistance.
 But the breaking of this last resistance is only a question of a very short time," military commen- tators said.
 In the large bend of the Don eastward toward Stalingrad Ger man and other Axis infantry forces and mobile formations were said to be continuing their advance east Ward.'
 "The names of places and other details regarding these operations are not available now. But wherever individual Soviet formations may have remained behind they are be- ing encircled and their numerical strength is too weak to allow the possibility of breaking through again."
 The communique said:
 Troops of the German army, the SS corps and Slovak formations supported by the German air force, pierced strongly and deeply organ lzed defense positions at Rostov. After hard fighting the town, which is important both as traffic and shipping center, was taken by storm.
 "Mopping up of remnants of the enemy in the town is still in pro- gress."