Evening star., 1942-07-18
Enemy Protecting
Crossings Hit in
Surprise Assaults
D, TIT Associated Fress.

NldIlS VcCIGu SUuJIlWdIQ OH Gllcl
drive across the Don steppes be
low Millerovo today as the Re
Army, striking savagely in tn
battle of Voronezh, recapture,
five communities and attacke'
surprised Nazi garrisons protect
ing Don River crossings.
The Moscow radio reported tha
Nazi troops had fled back acros
the river in one sector south of tn
city, pursued by counterattackin
Soviet shock troops who engage
the Germans early today on tn
high west bank.
This gain was not mentioned i
the midday communique, however
indicating the action was regards
as insufflciently developed or tina
the Russian thrust had been neu
tralized.
American-made Douglas bomber
took part in the struggle of tn
Russians to stem the onrushin,
German tanks
fThe Douglas Boston is a two
engined light attack bomber
carrying crew of three or four
men. 1t is the type chosen by
the United States Army Air
Forces for their first raid on
German-held Western Europe
July 4. 1t is extensively used by
the British Raj but how widely
it is used on the Russian battle
front has not been disclosed)
The danger to Voronezh, a pro.
vincial administrative center 800
miles south of Moscow, still was
great.
The Germans, who broke into the
city's approaches last week, were
ciinging to every building and try
Ing to erect barricades.
Expelling Invaders.
South of the city, fresh troops
we're reinforcing the badly mauled
Hungarian 7th Division. But the
Russians doggedly were expelling
the invaders. Red air souadrons CO.
operating with tanks, artillery and
Infantry aground.
fSoviet attacks on a German
bridgehead on the Voronezh front
were repulsed, the Germans as
serted) JA@
The heavy German forces below
Millerovo appeared aiming down the
Moscow-Rostov Railway in the
direction OF Rostov, toward the way
stations of Likhaya, Sulin and
Shakhty.
(The German high command
declared Nazi forces had reached
the lower Don east of Rostov on
wide front)
Dispatches stressed that German
planes were bombing cities, towns
and villages repeatedly before the
advancing mechanical hordes.
Heavy Losses Inflicted.
"On several sectors of the front
our troops went over to the counter
attack, infiicting heavy losses on the
enemy" the Soviet Information Blu
reau announced.
From the active theaters came re-
ports of 1900 more German casual
ties.
Tank-led Soviet infantrymen were
declared to have gained ground in
violent combat in the Voronezh area
despite the Germans effort to hold
on to their positions at all costs"
Three German artillery batteries
and two mortar batteries were
routed by tanks, the Information
Bureau said, and $50 invaders were
killed in a fighting retreat, the sur
vivors leaving behind three disabled
tanks. seven guns, nine mortars
four machine guns and an ammuni-
ton dump.
Tn another sector" it said, EN-
emy infantry supported by tanks at
tackled our positions. In beating of
this attack our artillerymen de-
stroyed three German tanks AND
wiped out about 800 Hitlerites.
Defense Stiffened.
A stiffening of detenses across the
hot. level grain fields within the big
bend of the Don was implied, even
while Soviet foot troops fell back
again before the armored vanguards
of a 1000, ,O00-man army massed by
Field Marshal Gen. Fedor Won Book
Major fighting in that area was re-
ported centered not southeast OF
Millerovo, as it had been for three
days, but south-in the direction OF
Rostov. Russian bastion before the
Caucasus oil fields.
Germans declared they had
A,tt Ln oct 1iv,l, to
tween the coal and ore centers of
the Donets Basin and Stalingrad,
munitions city on the lower Volga
This would indicate the invaders
had almost halved the 130-mile
route between Millerovo and
Rostov)
Our men are repulsing fierce
enemy attacks" communique de.
clared. Not far from the village OF
* our tanks, covering the retreat
of our infantry, launched counter
attack, annihilating 1900 Hitlerites.
Perhaps ominously, however, there
was no news from the sector of NaZi
occupied Boguchar, 10 miles north
east of Millerovo, where the Ger
mans were last reported driving
down the Don on Stalingrad.
Definite Red Army advantages
we're indicated in the l0-day-old
battle of Voronezh
The 222d German Regiment was
reported wiped out, adding to the
tens of thousands of invaders killed
An elite Soviet guard force wa.
(See RUSSIA, Page ABB
Traffic Advisors Nnnod