Evening star., 1942-07-21
Reds Battle Foe
Hand to Hand
Near Voronezh
By TIT Associated Press.

MOSCOW, July Z1.-1 lie 1OI
ward wall Of German tanks anc
motorized infantry pushed south
east of Voroshilovgrad toward
Rostov today down the rich
Donets basin coalfield region
left ablaze and wrecked by the
Russians falling back for a new
stand at the northwest gate to
the Caucasus.
At the north of the curving 300
mile battleline Red Army forces were
battling hand to hand with the Ger
mans ON both banks of the Don
River In a fight to sweep the Nazis
from the last Of their bridgeheads
and trap those holding on In newly
fortified positions between are river
and Voronezh, 10 miles to the east
Naxis Mass in Grain Area
The Germans apparently were
fnassine their forces in the great
grain area between the Donets and
the Don-from Boguchar to south
of Millerovo-for an all-out effort
to take Rostov from three direc-
tions and Stalingrad from two.
CThe German communique said
Rostov already was afiame and
under assault from the west,
north and east, and that German
forces farther north have pushed
about so miles closer to Stain
grad, watchdog of the lower
:Volga.)
Red Army seizure OF the 1nltl-
alive in the Voronezh area was
accompanied by further With
drawal of the Soviet left flank south
east of Voroshilovgrad to escape en-
circlement, fighting retreat into
billy country OF the lower Donets
Basin.
Pravda, the Communist Party
newspaper, said the Russians left
the coal mines of the abandoned
Donets Basin region In ruins as they
withdrew to the southeast.
Plunge Across River.
Movements in the battle of Voro-
nezh were so swift, a dispatch said,
that one Red Army group which had
driven back to the Don plunged
across without waiting for extra
support, swimming and wading to
grapple with the Germans on the
western bank.
The principal crossing still is in
Red Army hands, although many
places on both banks have changed
hands several times, another dis
patch reported.
Rumanians were reported rushed
into action to reinforce staggering
Hungarian and German regiments
south Of the city, in the "V" formed
by the junction Of the Don and the
Voronezh Rivers. The Russians were
said to have made several crossings
of the Don in this zone to strike at
supporting groups on the west bank
Nazis Need Rail Line.
Both the Soviet Information Bu-
reau and the army newspaper Red
Star. told of the fight-and-fall-back
defense to the south.
Southeast of Voroshilovgrad lies
d branch-line east to west railway
from Pervozvanovka to Likhays
which the Germans need for theil
operations. The line connects with
the Moscow-Rostov trunk railwa!
and spur to Stalingrad, on th'
Volga.
A dispatch from Murmansk in th'
Arctic said Russian fighters ant
anti-aircraft destroyed eight Ger
man planes and turned back other
which tried to raid the city OF
July l8.
Air and ground action was de-
clared to have destroyed or damaged
about 100 more Of the hundreds O.
tanks thrown into the Don basir
offensive by Field Marshal Gen
Fedor Won Book.
The Russians fighting retrea
southeast of Voroshilovgrad cost th'
invaders more than 400 killed ant
five tanks disabled in one sector, {
communique said, adding tina
when our troops were in danger o.
being encircled they withdrew Il
new positions by order OF the com
mand."
Nazi Communications Cut.
Another settlement fell to Ret
Army tank crews in the battle o
Vorenezh and German casualtie
mounted by the hundreds, it wa
announced. Soviet detachment
were said to have broken through
enemy defense lines there, occupie,
another river crossing and cult Ger
man communications.
Germans entrenched at the out
skirts of Voronezh continued to thro'
up Notifications and plant anti-tan
mines, but they were reported heavil
attacked and losing prospects c
reinforcements and supply one
one In the systematic destruction c
their bridgeheads.
A Nazi attack was repulsed i
one sector of the Voronezh battle
field, 300 miles below Moscow, an
Marshal Semeon Timoshenko
forces counterattacked, the burea
said.
The Voronezh area is at once tn
most northerly zone Of the DO
bashin operations and a potter
tial jumping of place for a cour
teroffensive against the Germa
divisions knitting across coal OF
and grain fields toward munition.
producing cities of the Volga an
the oil of the Caucasus.