Evening star., 1942-05-26
Russians Drive
Forward at +
Kharkov
Nozi Assault, Led by
$50 Tanks Reported
Beaten Back
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, May 26.-The Red
Army fought its way forward
again from newly established po-
sitions on the Kharkov front to-
day, proceeding in a series Of
lunges through the German
Notifications, and appeared to
be firmly holding the initiative
elsewhere as the Ukrainian Of
fensive entered its third week.
In the Izyum- -Barvenkova sector
to the south, Marshal Timoshenkos
forces were reported to have beaten
back violent German assault led
by $50 tanks.
"Repulsing attacks OF German
Fascist troops in the Izyum -Barven-
kova direction, our troops are in
flicting heavy losses on enemy tank
units" the Soviet Information Bu-
reau announced.
The bureau also reported the con-
solidation Of positions of Marshal
Semeon Timoshenko's divisions in
the Kharkov area. this following in
dications that they again were NOV
ing forward in the offensive launched
IA days ago.
(The German high command
said a battle of encirclement
against Red Army forces was 'in
full swing" south of Kharkoy. A
Russian attempt Monday to break
out eastward was frustrated in
bitter fighting. the daily Berlin
communique said.
In London a British military
commentator declared the battle
below Kharkov remained sta
tionary, key to the whole op-
Grafton being success or failure
of Lit. Gen. Vikor Won Schwed-
ler's counterattack in the IZyum
areaD
Russians Hold Air Superiority.
The army newspaper Red Star de-
clared a German line of pillboxes
and trenches before Kharkov had
been broken by Soviet infantry and
artillery attacks and that the in
vaders were attempting to fortify a
series of natural defensive positions
to check the onslaught.
Red flyers held aerial superiority
in the Kharkov sector and we're
hammering enemy mechantzed
forces heavily in the Izyum- -Barven-
kova area, dispatches said.
Russian cavalrymen, whose squad
rons moved up with tanks in the
initial attacks, were reported to have
dispersed two battalions of German
infantry, killing 300 Of the enemy.
Hand grenades and bayonets were
used by the Russians in close-quar-
ter fighting to crack the Kharkov
Line, Red Star said. A single group
was reported to have taken three
pillboxes and captured IL German
survivors.
The Germans continued to shift
tanks and motorized infantry at
various points about Kharkov to
bolster resistance, but were declared
to be suffering steady losses in men
and machines. Ten tanks were de-
stroyed at one point in hree-day
engagement.
Resistance to Tanks.
One of the major developments
emerging from the Kharkov battle
was the Russian resistance to Ger
man tanks, a resistance described as
unequaled in the last II months Of
war.
Izvestia, Soviet official paper, said
the Red Army was using light gun
called the "PTO" as well as anti
tank rifles, heavy artillery, anti
tank grenades and simple gasoline
filled bottles to smash up German
tanks in close-range fighting.
The paper said a German tank
division from France was sent into
one sector on the Kharkov front to
hold three important defense points
and relieve an encircled Nazi garri-
son in a village, but that the Rus
sions beat of waves of tanks and
planes and then counterattacked to
gain hill.
Fifty German tanks and two reg
iments of infantry failed in an
attack in another area, Izvestia said
10 Russian tanks destroying several
German machines and dispensing
the infantry.
In the great battle in the Izyum-
Barvenkova sector the German
tanks again were beaten at a river
crossing, the Nazis losing 800 men in
trying to cross at one point and 400
in an attempt at another, Izvestia
reported.
Nazis Repulsed on Kalinin Front.
No estimate of the total number
of German machines demolished
was available here beyond the an
nouncement Of May II that 40C
tanks were wrecked in the first five
days of the offensive. At the same
rate. the toll would now be near
1900.
Aside from the vital action in the
south, only the Kalinin front drew
(See RTISSTA PAGE AL