The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-24

Stalingrad, broke through the first German defense line today, accord ing to front line dispatches. i While Stalingrad city suffered un- precedented devastation, Russian forces somewhere to the northwest were flinging the enemy back with infantry, artilelry and aircraft. The Soviet noon conmunique said the Russians had driven the Ger mans from an occupied locality
 A dispatch from the North Cau- casus front line asserted that the Germans had bene compelled by Red army pressure to discontinue their offensive in mountain regions and to abandon several occupied positions, and that their plans to achieve a decision there before the winter had been frustrated.
 It was revealed today that Su- preme bid by 200 German tanks to smash into the center of Stalin- grad had been broken. The Ger mans lost 42 tanks in 12 consecu- tive attacks.
 The tanks rumbled forward until special Russian attachments hurl- ing hand grenades and benzine bot ties and shooting anti-tank guns halted them, and thrust back the il assaults that followed.
 Hand to- Hand Fights
 When their frontal attacks failed, the Germans sent tommy -gunners around the Russian Hanks. Rus sian and Germans met in wild, hand-to-hand battle.
 The Germans seized part of big building, and the Russians, un- able to drive them out, sent five men forward, each carrying 55 pounds of high explosive.
 They placed 1t at the walls. When it was exploded, the building col lapsed and buried the Germans They tried to advance in another part of the city, but lost two bat talions (about 1000 men), after which they buried their tanks and mine-throwers in the street and used them as fixed artillery.
 Nevertheless, the noon com munioue reported no new German advance in the Stalingrad area. Soviet warships on the Volga river hurled shelsl into enemy posi- tions and concentrations, an dfront line dispatches said endorsements and munitions were being rushed across by ferry and other craft.
 A correspondent of Red Star, the Soviet army organ, said the Ger mans were trying to transfer Stalin- grad into living hell, but despite ferocious and continuous air. as- sault, the Russians were bringing up supplies and endorsements and taking the wounded across the Volga.
 The correspondent wrote that Stalingrads horizon was covered with a great glare, the city was burning Tongues of flame are dancing and ashes flying Sev- eral streets already had disappeared, he wrote, and the debris of shat tered German bomberS filtered those streets that remained.
 Germans Lost Heavily
 Th9 noon communique said the Germans had lost so heavily they were forced to rush up reinforce inents by air. It was the 31st day of the battle, one of the bloodiest in history.
 Russian reports said that the Germans had lost more than 5,OOt men, lO9 tanks and 3l cannon in the last three days. The devastat- ing character of close quarter fight ing was reflected in reports that the Germans had lost 118 machine gun nests destroyed or captured in the same time. Tho noon communiQue reported that Soviet tank units had driven the Germans from fortified posi- tions, apparently in or on the out skirts of Stalingrad, killed 600 and destroyed six tanks.
 Fighting was fierce and stubborn in the counter-offensive and the Russians faced the handicap o1 German air superiority. Artillery firing point blank at tacticallJ important hill, however, had en- abled the Russians to advance al one point.
 Then outnumbered Soviet figh- CT pilots kept the German bomberS at bay, while the Russians consol1- dated their new positions.
 Soviet warships were anchored 1T the volga river, raking enemy posi- tions and troop concentrations spreading wholesale death. The noon communicate announced thai it had party destroyed a company of enemy infantry and thre tanks Previously, 1t had killed 1000 ol more Germans and Rumanians.
 ''In the Stalingrad area. tense fighting continued" the noon com