The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-11

nlKoVo, on the main railroad south west of the city.
 It was admitted, however, that ths enemy finally had pentrated the So. viet positions in the Keltskaya sec. tor.
 Russian tanks, artillery and in. fantry were reported fighting back strongly against the enemy drives toward Stalingrad and it was not indicated how far the Germans had advanced on the Kletskaya front. less than 70 miles from the Volga city.
 Dispatches said that in one en. gagement a German wedge was caught between masses of Soviet artillery, which prevented the enemy from spreading out after a break through. Then Russian infantry attecked German machine e-gunners with bayonetS as Soviet tanks CO., operated in counter attacks against the wedge.
 Battles Rage Day, Night
 '"I'he battles are raging day and night" the dispatch said.
 In the Caucasus sector, dispatches said that the Russians still were defending the Maikop oil fields, de- spite Nazi claims that the fieldA had been captured, but the German pressure in that area appeared to be increasing and may be irresis- tible. The dispatches repeatedly mentioned superior enemy numbers.
 Around Maikop, it was believed the Russians were fighting almost In sight of the derrickS of theiI valuable oil fields.
 At Krasnodar, Arnavir and Mai 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.
 The Russians were counter-attack. ing everywhere, dispatches from the Caucasian front said, but were con- tinually being forced to retire under weight of German superiority.
 Krasnodar Is 60 miles northwest of Maikop; Armavir, 55 miles north. east.
 The Russians repulsed big enemy armored forces any many squads of tommy -gunners trying to penetrate their lines at Krasnodar, but gave way under . second attack, which pierced their defenses.
 Russian tanks and cavalry pene- trated the German column in counter-attack and inflicted heavy casualties and damage, but failed to halt the Germans. The fiercest fighting was now reported in prog ress around Krasnodar, with the Germans increasing their efforts t0 reach Russia'S best Black Sea naval base at NovoroSsisk, less than 65 miles away.
 The Russians took the initiative on several sectors of the Kletskays front, 75 miles northwest of St&lin. grad, and forced the GermaHS sc retreat.
 Battle Areas Stand
 The battle areas had not gener. ally changed in the last 12 hours; the noon communique said Soviet troops fought all night in the areas of Kletskaya and northeast of Ko- telnikovski (the Stalingrad tront) and Armavir, Krasnodar and Mai. kop (the north Caucasian fronO
 The oil wells of Maikop, which product Russia's best aviation gaso. line, were almost in the grasp oi the Germans. Their tanks had thundered to within 65 miles of the coveted Black Sea naval base ct Novorossisk, and the secondary base at Tuapse.
 (The Germans had claimed the capture of both Krasnodar and Mas' kop)
 As in the North Caucasus, tha Germans had numerical superiority at Kletskaya, 75 miles northwest oi Stalingrad, and at Kotelnikovski, 90 miles southwest of Stalingrad, but the disparity was not so great, and wedges driven, into Soviet positions at both points had not advanced in 36 hours.
 Front-line dispatches described hundred of German tanks, hurried. ly painted green to blend with the landscape and to spoil the aim of deadly Russian artillery, surgina against Russian lines and failing to find weak points. The roar of Soviet guns echoed across the coun. tryside for miles.
 German losses were huge-SC tanks at one point, 36 at a second, 3e at . tE.ird, 1000 infantrymen at Kotelnikovslri, 100 infantrymen and tommy -gunners, which the Germans were literally using. at Kletskaya.