Imperial Valley press., 1942-12-13

Observers were unwilling to pre-
dict the outcome of the German
attempts to break the trap but 1t
was believed that their ch2nccS
were steadily diminishing.
GUEHILLAS VICTORIOUS
Within Staltnerad Itself heavy
lighting was reported ON the south
crn outskirts and i'll the northern
factory district.
Guerilla fighters in the Smol-
enSk area were reported to have
killed AGO Germans, wrecked AZ
military trains. dcrailed an ar
uored train and blown up five
bridges in the last six weeks.
Stolming the Stronglv fortified
German positions in this key area
on the central front west OF Mos
COW. the Russians fought their way
in hand to hand fighting throuph
successive strong points and, the
noon communiquc SAID, destroyed
Is enemy block houses and lG gun
emplacements and killed 800 CieE-
man
In the Vclikie-Luki area TO the
west about IS miles from LatVia'
the Russians continued lightlhs
for the annihilation Of III t5tcd
German garriSonS,' the noon ,2i'-
munique said, III addition tC re-
pulsing enemy countcr-attacHs.
SERIES OF TRAPS
This meant that the Ru"Sia'l'
we're continuing their steady worn
Ct cutting into the German hnc3
and isolating det2chmcntS VIA n
they then attacked and disposed OIL
one by one.
Russian planes were active oVHf
the battle area and, the COMMIT
rioue said. shot down seven en- =
nv planes in fighting este tSJ
and during the night.
The mnidnight cCmnuniquc It
ported the capture by the Ru5sl+' =,
in a savage fight of a hoight -
great tactical Importance II nc
Velikie Luki area, and aald fopo
army men held their gains oeS l'c
many counter-attacks in WnlcE y
enemy lost heavily iii men Ia
materials. ,.4
West Of Rzhev. the miGn!ah0
communicate said, the RGsfl9nS oc-
cupied number OF German az
rense points. killed GcVeE2l no -
cred Germans and destroyed /
enemy tanks.
FORT CAPTURED
The communicate noted tha' vi
the Leningrad from TO the l'lC''
thc Russians had killed about 3oV
Germans in the last three Gays
and thcir artillery had destro@eo
I'd enemy gun emplacem"nt@' t""
field guns eight machine guns 2nu
AN ammunition dump.
In the northern part ol o"diih-
Grad city, the noon commuli!quc
said. the Russians during the nleii'
threw the Germans from lof'-
fed position while in tho factory
area they captured seven oioch
,orses and killed more than 3oo
Germans. ,
Emphasizing the scale of German
attempts to reinforce and supply
tteir forces on the general stall
iugrad front, the midnlght con-
munique sad the Nu9ol"iio
stroyed 60 giant German trans
pert planes yesterday. -.
In fighting yesterday accoroilS
tc the midnight communlquc' inc
Russians demolished several enc
nv block houses and gun cmplace-
mcnts in the Stalingrad factory,
area and surrounded and captutco
six enemy firing point" III .no
southern district, killing their aoo
tctendcrs. In the southern 9tal-
inprad area Tie Russians knOcKe"
ont in all - German b!ocEilo''ScS
and gun cmplaccm"nt@ and af-
abled two tanks. -,
The noon conmunique reported
that northwest Of Stalingrad 1lc
Bu.gjans during the night tAraSI
| into the German defense me W
kin 300 enemy troops and capture
eight field guns and othef MI
portant spoils. IN another "eceoi
northwest of Stalin9rad, 3O5 Nei-
mans we're killed and three cnem%
tanks destroyed III an attack ny
about 1000 Germans.