Evening star., 1942-08-24
Reds Battle to Check Germans
Driving | oword StoIingrod After
Crossing Don 40 Miles Away
Threat to VoIqo
City Develops in
Southwest, Too
By EDDY GILMORE,

Associated Press war correspondent.
MOSCOW, Aug. 24.-The Rus
slams battled resolutely today in
the narrow, fiat corridor between
the Don--and the Volga to halt
German forces which finally had
consolidated a river crossing and
struck out for Stalingrad, prob
ably only 40 miles away.
Another thrust at the great in
dustrial city moved slowly ahead at
terrific cost on the Kotelnikovski
sector southwest of Stalingrad along
a railway leading from the. Black
Sea.
The midday communique reported
q violent struggle southeast of Klet-
skaya where the Germans had
reached the east bank of the Don.
Tanks which ferried the placid river
constituted the greatest threat to
Stalingrad.
The exact location of the tank
Observation-Disclosures only after Rus
sian artillery and planes had de-
stroyed four previous pontoon
bridges-was not disclosed, but the
Germans have been attacking most
heavily in the Don elbow, only 40
miles from Stalingrad and the
Volga.
Russians Counterattack.
Russian forces remained on the
west side of the river, despite the
enemy breach and near Kletskaya
itself were communicating to re-
neve pressure. The lines on the
outer defenses Of Stalingrad ap-
peared to be highly mobile with
both armies maneuvering swiftly
for position.
The Don itself is less than 500
yards wide in the bend and the
slow-running shallow water would
constitute only minor barrier to
the Germans in bringing up REIN
forcements if the Red Army de-
fenses on the east side of the river
were broken.
A Soviet tank detachment was
sent against the flank of the Ger
man force northeast of Kotelni-
kovski and seven of the German
machines were destroyed and 200
Germans killed, the midday COM
munique said
The struggle for Stalingrad ap-
peared to be nearing the supreme
test, Russian reports indicated.
Caucasian Picture Darker.
In the Caucasian foothills, too,
the picture darkened today, the
Russians reporting that the Red
Army had withdrawn to new posi-
ton southeast of Pyatigorsk, only
lao miles from the Grozny Oil wells.
South of Krasnodar, in the north
west Caucasus, where the Germans
are attempting to bludgeon their
way to the Black Sea coast and the
Russian ports of Novorossisk, Anapa
and Tuapse. the Russians were re-
ported holding and dealing out
heavy losses.
(The Berlin radio said Berlin
military quarters reported fight
ing in that area was made par
ticularly difficult by tropical heat
and torrential rains, but said
the Russians defense was "in
vain" and German troops were
advancing.
(These same German spokes-
men were quoted as saying a
fight for major decision" was
In progress between the Caucasus
and the Volga bend at Stain
grad)
Nazis Pour in Reserves.
The Germans apparently were
pouring new reserves and every
piece of equipment available into the
fight for Stalingrad in an effort to
capture one of their major 1912
objectives before the weather turns
against them.
THE enemy is increasing his
pressure in the center of the Don
bend, but Soviet troops are firmly
holding positions captured a few
days ago." the army newspaper Red
Star said, adding that the Germans
had lost more than 1000 men In
one attempt to cross the Don.
In one sector OF the Kletskaya
region the midnight communique
reported that mot less than half
the electives" of the Italian Celere
division had been destroyed by Rus
sian tanks and infantry