Evening star., 1942-06-25
Huge Nazi Drive
On Sevastopo|
.S|dckening
Russians Report Defeat
Of 6 Enemy Divisions
In 21-Doy Bottle
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, June 25.-The gi-
gantic German offensive against
Sevastopol is slackening some
what, because of the great losses
suffered by the attackers, Rus
sian dispatches said today, but
the battle still is violent against
a severely outnumbered garrison
Of the Crimean port.
Already in the 21-day assault, six
German and Rumanian divisions
have been defeated, three others
have suffered staggering losses. and
$50 Nazi tanks and hundreds of
planes have been destroyed, the
Russian accounts said.
The defeated divisions were listed
as the German 22d, 50th, 1920 and
72o, and the Rumanian lst and
18th: those suffering great losses
were named as the German oath
and 117th and the Rumanian 4th.
In the last few days the Germans
have weakened a little in their
attacks on our positions as result
of immense losses" the army news
paper Red Star said. But they still
are superior in number, thus per-
mitting them to carry on violent
battles in number of sectors"
Inner Defenses Held.
Dispatches from the beleaguered
port said the Germans had pene-
trated into Notifications at the
north ard south of the city, but said
the Russian Army and naval in
fantry still held the inner defenses.
The intensity of the fire the Ger
mans have directed on Sevastopol
for 81 days was described as surpass-
ing anything so far in the war.
In addition to dropping more than
1000 bombs a day on the city. the
Germans have been shelling it
steadily with the heaviest of artil-
lery.
Among the heavy artillery trained
on the city, Russian dispatches said
was "a 615-millimeter weapon never
before used"
(This would be a 24-inch gun,
far larger than any artillery rifle
or howitzer known. Such wea-
pom n<>ht be mortar, used for
hurting large mines)
A Russian Black Sea warship was
reported to have entered Sevastopol
Bay with supplies and reinforce
ments and taken away the wounded
after turning its own heavy guns
for two hours on the nearest German
positions.
Developing Battle.
While the Russians thus held dog
gedly on at Sevastopol, there was a
developing struggle for the Donets
and Osgol Basin southeast of
Kharkov in the Ukraine.
GA Reuters dispatch from
Stockholm said two regiments of
Soviet troops had been landed in
Southern Crimea by strongly
escorted convoy from Caucasus
ports.
In spite Of violent fire from
German coastal artillery, the
dispatch said, the Russian de-
tachments not only succeeded in
landing, but advanced at some
points, getting behind positions
of the Germans attacking
Sevastopol
Fighting continued in the
Yaila Mountains, which fringe
the southern and eastern shore of
the Crimean Peninsula, it was
said in London, while the Ger
mans hurried reinrorcements
from Simferopol and Feodosiya
to the scene of the landingsD
A Russian communique which told
Of overnight operations on the Khar-
kov front, where the Germans have
been attacking since June %, said
only that our troops fought against
the enemy" but gave no details of
the course of the battle.
The war bulletin added, however,
that ION other sectors of the front
no substantial changes took place"
1t declared the defenders of
Sevastopol in the Crimea we're dis
playing unparalleled heroism" and
were waging self sacrificing
struggle against superior forces"
(The German high command
acknowledged today for the first
time that its forces had under
taken a Ukraine offensive south
east of Kharkov on June %. an
niversary of the invasion of Rus
sia. The Berlin communique re-
ported further gains into the
Sevastopol de1enses In bitter
(See RUSSIAN. PAGE A-3)