Evening star., 1942-08-07
Nazis Claim Troops
Are 80 Miles From
Maikop Oil Fields
Capture Of Armovir and
Yeisk Taken, Berlin
Military Sources Soy
b. the Associated Press.

q, the Associated Press.
BERLIN (From German Broad
casts, Aug. THE German high
command said today its troops
and their Rumanian allies had
pushed in forced marches
through the sweltering heat Of
the North Caucasus to a point
within 80 miles of the Maikop oil
fields.
A communique said the Axis forces
were approaching Krasnodar and
had stormed the rail junction of
TimashevSkaya. Krasnodar is on
the Kuban River 80 miles west of
Kropotkin and $50 miles air line
southwest of Rostov. Timashevs-
kaya is on a spur rail line so miles
north Of Krasnodar.
The approach to within 30 miles
of the Maikop fields, SIS miles south
east of Krasnodar and SIS miles
southwest of Armavir, was made
from bridgeheads across the Kuban
River, the war bulletin said.
Armavir Declared Taken.
Military sources said earlier Ger
man troops had captured Armavir.
100 miles south of Rostov on the
Baku rail line, and Yeisk, 10 miles
southwest of Rostov on the shore of
the Sea of Azov.
(These claims, however, were
not repeated in the communiqueo
The war bulletin said an entire
Soviet division had been wiped out
In a salient farther to the east.
The arrival of Russian reinforce
ments was reported by the high
command, which said the Red Army
was counterattacking against Ger
man and Rumanian forces north OF
the Sal River.
In the big bend of the Don and
In the Rzllev region the Russians
also were said to be striking back
hard.
Reds Renew Attacks.
North of the Sal River" the
communique said, German ana
Rumanian formations are engaged
in a struggle with newly arrived
enemy forces.
I'm the course Of repulslng
counterattackS, 81 heavy tanks were
destroyed by a single armored divi-
sion here alone yesterday.
I'm the big bend of the Don the
enemy renewed his unsuccessful at
tacks.
I'm the region of Rzhev the Rus
slams continued their desperate
relief attacks. Strong fighter and
bomber squadrons as well as
units of anti aircraft artillery effec-
lively helped units of the army IN
their heavy defense. The enemy
suffered great losses IN men and
materials"
Troops Pursuing Enemy"
OF the German advance, the COM
munique said:
I'm the Caucasus region German
and Rumanian troops are pursuing
the enemy in the direction OF
Krasnodar in great heat and exces-
sively trying marches OF infantry.
"The town of Timashevskaya, sit
uated at a rail junction, was cap
tured.
"Mechanized troops advancing
from Kuban bridgeheads reached
region so kilometers GO niles
northeast Of Maikop.
Farther to the east whole So
Wet division was annihilated while
trying to break out"
Guardship Declared Sunk.
The high command said Rus
sian guardship was sunk by di-
rect bomb hit in the Gulf Of Fin
land. -Four other boats and one
minesweeper were said to have been
damaged.
Far to the north the German air
force dropped huge bombs on Rus
sian troop camps in the Fisher (Ry-
bachD Peninsula and on batteries
southwest OF Murmansk, the COM
munique reported.
Altogether, 1873 Russian planes
were reported shot down yesterday
in air combat and by anti-aircraft
fire. Eight Of our airplanes are
missing" the high command said.