Evening star., 1942-08-13
Fighting Flares
On Northwest
Russian Front
Germons Organizing
Great New Drive
On Stolingrod
BY the Associated Press.


MOSCOW, Aug. 13.-Fighting,
similar in scope and intensity to
the battle of the Caucasus, f1ared
today over Russia's northwest
ern front-the battle line which
loops more than 500 miles north
westward from Moscow to Len
ingrad.
Meanwhile. mighty new German
offensive against Stalingrad ap-
peared to be taking shape in the Don
bend, and hard-pressed Russian
forces in the Caucasus battled des-
perately to halt constantly rein
forced Nazi columns advancing
toward three vital objectives-the
rich Grozny oil fields and the Black
Sea ports of Novorossisk and Tuapse.
Nazis Massing Men, Equipment.
Military advices reported the Ger
mans were massing vast quantities
of men and equipment in the Don
elbow and told of sudden intensi-
flcation of fighting near Kotelni-
kovski, 95 miles southwest of Stall
ingrad.
Both armies were reported throw
ing almost unprecedented numbers
OF men into the fray in this sector
and there were indications that the
battle might develop into one of
the mightiest yet seen on the whole
Russian front.
The Russians said they still were
gaining ground in the Voronezh
sector where they have made num-
erous crossings of the Don in a
flank threat to the German forces
Caucasus Picture Grave.
Thus far, the Russians seemed to
be holding their own on the ap-
proaches to Stalingrad, but the pic
ture in the Caucasus. where Adolf
Hitler is reaching out for oil to feed
his fighting machine, was grave.
New concentrations of dive bomb
ers were reported pacing the Ger
man drive, raining tons of high
explosives on Caucasian towns in
raids carried out by waves of 40 to
so planes.
The army newspaper. Red Star,
reported three day action, ended
two days ago, in which Russians
penetrated II miles into the rear
of German positions in the Don
elbow, killing 4,200 of the foe, 1t was
said
From another sector of Russia S
great front, Pravda, the Commu-
mist Party organ, reported 100
plane raid on Leningrad, in which
it said 80 of the attackers were
downed. The Germans also used
parachutists in that lunge at the
northern city but they were speedily
mopped up, Pravda said
Although the Leningrad develop
ment was recent, no date was given
zoo Miles From Grozny.
Dispatches from the front said one
Nazi spearhead already was less
than 200 miles from Grozny after
breaking through the Russian lines
at Cherkessk, small town in the
Caucasus foothills 10 miles south
east of Armavir.
The break-through. acknowledged
by the Soviet Information Bureau
last midnight. was accomplished by
great numbers of German troops
heavily supported by tanks, the dis
patches said.
The Russians were reported to
have counterattacked desperately in
an attempt to seal the breach in
their lines, but were forced to fall
back to new positions.
(The German radio indicated
the Nazi forces might be less than
ITO miles from Grozny, reporting
/ that advance elements had
reached the region OF the Terek
River" which flows into the Cas-
plan northwest of Grozny in
their thrust through Cherkessk.l
Fierce Battle in Maikop Field.
Sixty miles northwest of Cher
keSsk, the information bureau:
midday bulletin said, Russian forces
were fighting fierce battles in the
Maikop Oil fields with enemy tank.
and infantry thrusting toware
Tuapse.
Red Star said that almost all tn,
German attacks were repulsed," bu
acknowledged that the Nazis had ad
vanced in one sector. forcing thu
(See RUSSIA, Page abb