Evening star., 1942-07-15
Germans Said to
Have Lost $4,000
Men in 10 Days
Be the Associated Press.

MANS, stopped Dy ldSt-ulGIH ue-
fense at the outskirts of Voro-
nezh, have attempted to encircle
the city but were repulsed on the
north and hurled back on the
south to the point where they
crossed the Don River, Russian
dispatches reported today.
The Russians said a break
through accomplished by large
numbers of fresh German troops
and hundreds of tanks supported by
a heavy artillery barrage had car
ried the invaders almost to the edge
of the town before they were
checked by the spirited Russian
stand.
The dispatches did not give the
location of the break-through, but
1t was indicated that it occurred at
the western approaches to Voro-
nezh, 300 miles south of Moscow.
The Russians said that in forcing
the Nazis back they recaptured a
small railroad crossing and in an
other sector applied such strong
pressure that the Germans fell back
across small bridge and destroyed
It,
Nazis Lose $4,000 in 10 Days.
The fighting was described as
reaching the height of its fury, with
German losses so terrific that the
Sd German Motorized Infantry Di-
vision, which appeared in the battle
line only yesterday, was reported
depleted and replaced by the new
168th Motorized Division after a
single day of combat.
Invasion gains in the Voronezh
area were declared to have cost
Germany more than $4,000 men,
killed and wounded, in 10 days, and
the Soviet Information Bureau
tacitly brought up again the issue
of establishment of second front
in Western Europe by indicating
German forces there are being
weakened.
THE Germans are being forced to
bring up reserves hurriedly from the
rear to take the place of their units
which have been put out of action"
a communique said Several divi-
sions which arrived from France
and Belgium only a few days ago
have been observed"
Situation Still Grave.
Fighting near Voronezh was re-
ported attended by varying sue
cesses."
The situation remained grave, but
a Russian dispatch said the Rus
slams summoned strength for sew
eral counterattacks and recaptured
one important position west of Vo-
ronezh, together with a forest.
Without specifying the exact To-
cality, the Information Bureau said
Soviet soldiers had repulsed an en-
emy drive and followed this up with
a counterattack.
After losing II tanks and hun
dreds of officers and men, the Ger
mans were forced to withdraw" it
reported.
In another sector, several enemy
attacks were beaten off. Soviet ar
tillery and anti-tank guns set fire
to six enemy tanks"
Soviet soldiers defending the big
bend country south of Boguchar,
on the Don 130 miles below Vo-
ronezh, after series of Withdrawals
eastward $50 miles or so from the
Kharkov sector, were reported to
have stopped regiment of Nazi
infantry and wiped out more than
700 of its effectives.
Menace Declared Great.
Although ne Red Army counter
blows in the Voronezh area were
increasing in force, Soviet dispatches
pointed out that there was no reason
for easy optimism as to the citys
fate. They said the Germans hourly
were sending fresh troops across
the Don to develop the battle
spreading out on the east bank.
The menace is great" said
Pravda, the Communist party news
paper.
Descriptions of the battle said
thousands of soldiers were fighting
from behind every natural barrier
and ground obstacle, while tanks
charged over battle-ground ablaze
with fire and plumed with smoke.
German dive bombers continued
attempts to break up the Red Army
formations. but Russian dispatches
said the Red Air Force still was
showing considerable strength in the
whole Don valley battle area.
German troops were reported
in Reuters dispatch from
stock kho m-unconfirmed in
other quarters-to have crashed
through Mus River defenses at
Pokrovsk, north of Nazi-held
Taganrog, and driven to within
miles Of Rostov, the Don River
port which they invested last
fall, but failed to hold.
"a spearhead striking down the
(See RUSSIA, Page A-6D