Imperial Valley press., 1942-08-11
onks
Batter
Soviet
BY HENRY SHAPIRO

MOSCOW, Aug. 11-(UP)-Over-
whelming German tank forces and
countless squads of tommy-gunners
have sWamped Russian detachments
in the north Caucasian battle areas
of Krasncdar and of Armavir,
where the Russians acknowledged
another retreat today.
Although the Russians firmly held
the Germans northwest and south
west of Stalingrad, knocked out
hundreds of their tanks and killed
thousands cf their men, front line
dispatches said that only in the
Maikop area en- the north Cauca-
sian front were they able to with
stand enemy assaults.
Around Maikop, it was believed,
the Russians were fighting almost
in sight of the derricks of their
valuable oil fields.
At KraSnodar, Armavir and NAL
kop, the Germans followed the
same tactics: infiltrations OF TOM
my-gunners, followed by strong tank
assaults on narrow sectors to split
up Russian detachments and drive
them back.
REDS HIT BACK
The Russians were counterattack-
ing everywhere, dispatches from the
Caucasian front said, but were con-
tinually being forced to retire under
the weight of a erman superiority
Krasnodar is 60 miles northwest
Of Makop; Armavir, SIS miles north"
east.
The Russians repulsed big enemy
armored forces and many squads OF
tommy -gunners trying to penetrate
their linse at Krasnodar, put gave
wav under a second attack, when
pierced their defenses.
Russian tanks and cavalry pene-
trated the German column IN
counterattack and inflicted heaVy
casualties and damage, but faiieo
to halt the Germans. The 1iercesI
fighting was now reported in prog
ress around Krasnodar, with the
Germans increasing their efforts 10
each RusSia'S best Black sea naVai
base at Novorossisk, less than TO
miles away
REDS TAKE INITIATIVE
The Russians took the initiative
ON several sectors of the Kletskaya
front. rs miles northwest OF Stain
grad, and forced the Germans 10
retreat.
The battle areas had not gener-
ally changed in the last IL hours
the noon communique said Soviet
troops fought all night in the areas
of Kletskaya and northeast OF ko-
te,nikovski (the Stalinvrad 'front.'
and Armavir, Krasnodar and NAL
kop (the north Caucasian 'front.'
The oil wells of Maikop, Whlch
nroduce Russia's best aviation gaso-
line. were almost in the grasp OF
the Germans. Their tanks hao
thnndered to within 65 miles OF the
coveted Black sea naval base OF
Novorossisk. and the secondary base
at Tuapse.
oTbe Germans had claimed cap
ture of both rasnodar and Malkop'
AS in the north Caucasus. the
Germans had numerical superiority
at Kletskaya, rs miles northwest OF
Stalingrad, and at KotalnikoVskl, ~
miles southwest CT Stalingrad, puI
the disparity was not so great, ana
wedges driven into Soviet posltlolS
at both points had not advanced III
SO hours.
Front line dispatches described
hundreds of German tanks, hurried
" painted green to blend with the
landscape and spoil the aim Oh
deadly Russian artillery, surging
against Russian lines and falling
to find weak points. The roar OF
Soviet guns echoed across the coun-
tryside for miles. oo
German losses wer huge - 30
tanks at one point, 36 at second'
36 at a third, 1000 infantrymen at
otelnikovski LOO infantrymen ana
tommy-gunners, which the Germans
were literally using at Kletskaya'
1R;n E;roe RIa7n