The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-07-07
RUSSIANS ARE in
DESPERATE FIGHT
CONTINUED from Page IL

sector around starry Osl1ol, the Ger
mans lost 500 men and four tanks,
the communique reported.
"By the fire of all arms, our
troops keep wearing down the Ger
mans and destroying their war
equipment" it said.
Eleven German tanks were re-
ported destroyed on still another
sector, along with 200 Germans.
The communique also reported
severe fighting on the Kalinin front,
northwest of Moscow 1t said Is
German tanks were knocked out
and 1000 men were killed on one
sector. Two hundred Germans were
killed in another engagement; two
German tanks and four guns were
destroyed and an enemy infantry
battalion routed in a second.
(The Exchange Telegraph Agency
said that the situation was exceed
ingly difficult" around VoroneZh,
that the Germans had brought up
at least one more tank division and
one more infantry division and were
in the process Of forcing a water
barrier for which the fercest fight
ing was rag ng.
(The Germans, under cover of an
intense artillery and air lombard
ment, were trying to rebuild bridges
ard establish boat ferries, Exchange
Telegraph said. 1t quoted the So
Wet army newspaper Red Star:
This signifies that the enemy in
tends to send huge tank force
and motorized infantry to break
through Soviet Gefenses)
P.ncers Near Closing
Marshal Semyon Timoshenko,
with scores of 5O-ton tanks and
hundreds of Stormovik bombers,
was fighting desperately to keep the
Germans from closing a pincers
around Voronezh and cutting the
railway line that runs through it,
the last important rail link between
Moscow and the oil of the eau
caSus.
There was no official indication
how near the Germans were to the
Don, to the east bank of which they
must cross to get at Voronezh
Front-line dispatches more than "a
hours old had reported fighting on
the bank of ian important river"
"Our troops fought fierce battles
west Of Voronezh and southwest of
Starry Oskol. Our troops evacuat-
ed number of populated places. :"
the Soviet communique last mid
night said.
While the communique did not in
dictate a German crossing of the
Don, fierce battles southwest of
Starry Oskol' might mean that the
tips of the German pincers move
ment were within IS or 10 miles of
closing.
The Germans west Of Voronezh
had driven from the vicinity of
Kursk, 1875 miles to the west. Those
southwest of Starry Oskol apparent
ly were the spearhead of drive
started from Belgorod, go miles
northeast of KharkoY. That drive,
which was started coincidentally
with one from Volchansk, 80 miles
northeast of Kharkov, was at first
parallel to the Voronezh offensive
Now 1t had turned northeast.
There was no doubt that the Rus
slams were accomplishing one prim-
airy object of their strategy: To
kill Germans and destroy their
equipment.
In fierce battles west of Vor-
onezh, our tankmen inflicted enor-
nous losses on the enemy" the
midnight communique said.
During one nights battle they
wiped out more than 1000 Of the
enemy. On another sector. one OF
our units. fighting for Village x,
destroyed up to 300 Germans and
put more than 100 German tanks
out of action in four days, using
Grenades, gasoline bottles, artillery
and anti-tank gunfire.'
The midnight communique said
there was no change on other
fronts. Front-line dispatches, how
ever, reported fierce fighting on the
Kalinin front, northwest OF Mos
COW.