Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-05-11
Reds Advance Slowly
In Stubborn Fighting
Near kovorossisk
Nuzis Reinforce Units
In Kubon Despite
Aerial Pounding
BY the Associated Press.

MOSCOW, May 11.-Red Army
troops, advancing slowly in some
of the bloodiest fighting of the
Russian-German war since the
days of Stalingrad, battled fu-
riously today within the German
defense lines at Novorossisk, but
it was reported they were meet
ing stiffening Axis resistance.
The Red air force meanwhile kept
up a major scale series of attacks
against the German supply lines all
along the front, but apparently was
not successful in hating the flow of
supplies and reinforcements the
Germans pushed into sectors of the
Kuban to feed their numerous coun-
terattacks.
Tanks, armored cars, motorized
artillery and heavy field pieces were
reported to have been brought in
by the Germans.
Air Attacks Continue.
A dispatch from the Black Sea
fleet said that its air force was
continuing attacks on enemy supply
ships and land positions.
(The German communique said
Russian attacks were made at
only some points of the Kuban
with light forces and these were
"repulsed partly" The COM
munique, broadcast by Berlin and
recorded by the Associated Press,
said planes had destroyed 159
tanks between April % and May
10. A 3,000-ton Russian freighter
was reported sunk in the Barents
Sea.
(The German radio asserted
today that 474 Soviet planes had
been destroyed in the week ended
last Saturday. against a loss of
36 German planes, and that the
Russians had lost 1853 tanks in
the Kuban bridgehead fighting
since April 29D
The Russians noon communicate
told how a Red Army detachment
stormed into the German trenches
in their Novorossisk defense lines,
killing 80 of the enemy to hold the
position. In repulsing an Axis coun-
terattack in another sector of the
battle zone, 200 Germans were
killed, a large quantity of guns was
captured and enemy equipment was
destroyed, it said.
Nazi Positions Smashed.
The midnight communique cred
tied the Red Army artillery with
smashing German gun positions and
blockhouses in the Novorossisk de-
tense line.
A German attempt to answer the
Red air force sweep against their
rail lines and supply centers by
sending 200 planes in an attack on
the Rostov-Bataisk area, gateway to
the Caucasus, was met by whitening
anti-aircraft fire which brought
down 43 of the raiders, it was re-
ported.
On the ground in the narrowing
strip OF the German-held Kuban
large forces grappled in trenches
in the valleys and on the mountain
sides, with the Russians aiming al
the systematic determination of the
Germans and Rumanians.
Red Star. the Red Army newspa-
per, said the German defense line
around Noyorossick "is deep and
built for permanent defense
The first trenches were captured
Sunday and since then the Russians
have been creeping forward, blast.
ing enemy positions.
(The German-controlled Paris
radio said that sea-borne Rus
sian troops made large scale
landings in the Novorossisk area)
Land action on other fronts wa.
insignificant. The Germans SUI.
fered losses in new thrusts in the
Donets River Valley, near Lisichansl
and south Of Balakleya, and Russian
artillery was busy in the Smolensk
Volkhov and Sevsk sectors.