Evening star., 1943-05-21
German Barges Sunk
In Black Sea by Soviet
Warships and Planes
kozi Infontry Attack
Near Novorossisk
Also Is Smashed


ment of German self-propelled
barges across the Black Sea and
attempts of q NaZi infantry
force to fight its way through
the Russian attack arc north
east of Novorossisk have been
smashed by Soviet artillery and
planes, reports from the front
said today.
The Soviet midnight communique
said ships Of the Red Fleet and
planes patrolling the Black Sea sank
six of the enemy barses, fllled with
troops, near the port of Anapa and
near Kerch. Anapa lies below the
Taman Peninsula. northwest OF
Novorossisk, and Kerch is at the tip
of the peninsula that juts out of the
Crimea.
There was no immediate indica-
ton whether the boats were at
tempting to bring more reinforce
ments to the Axis troops now COM
pressed into four districts in the
Taman Peninsula, or whether this
marked the beginning of an Axis
attempt at an evacuation.
Sharp Surprise Attacks.
The Germans still possess numer-
ical superiority In the region. it was
said, but are unable to shape a salts
factory defense against sharp sur
prise attacks mounted by bold Rus
sian scouts and guerrillas.
Four German infantry regiments
attempted to storm the Red lines
northwest of Novorossisk after lay
ing down a heavy barrage. but were
met with volleys of Soviet gunflre,
the midnight war bulletin said. and
thrown back with heavy losses.
In one sector, Russian unit was
hit on the TANKS by superior enemy
forces. The right flank managed
to hold, but on the left fiank the
Germans were reported to have
come on until the Red Army men
were fighting them OF with fists,
bayonets and point blank pistol fire.
Reinforcements which moved in
swiftly under cover Of night arrived
in time to turn the tide of battle,
front advices said.
(Ihe noon communique. re-
corded by the London Soviet
radio monitor from Moscow
broadcast, said that Russian ar
tillery pounded more German
blockhouses out Of commission
during the night, that four Ger
man planes were shot down and
that Nazi gun positions were 81
fenced.
ut also announced 200 Ger
mans were killed on the Smo-
lensk front and that Russian
artillery punished the Germans
severely on the Leningrad front
and west Of Rostov. A German
troop and ammunition train was
blown up by Red flyers in the
Sevsk area, the war bulletin
said
700 German ms Killed.
More German exploratory thrusts
in the Izyum and Lisichansk areas
OF the Northern Donets River frort
resulted in sharp fighting in which
more than 200 Germans were killed,
the Russians said.
The German communiQue
broadcast by the Berlin radio
and recorded by the Associated
press said German light naval
forces sank two Soviet supply
vessels operating of the Cau-
casus coast, but did not make
clear whether the action was in
the Black Sea or in the Sea OF
Asov.
tSix Soviet bombing planes
were brought down over this
area and over the eastern Baltic
Sea region. the Germans said,
and the German air force was
credited with attacking Russian
troop positions. transport trains
and supply centers
"A subsequent DNB, German
news agency, report broadcast
by the German radio said Ger
man planes yesterday attacked
Russian troop positions in the
Kuban and in the Donets Valley
and that Leningrad supply
plants were bombed last night.
In land action, the German
bulletin asserted local Soviet at
tacks were repulsed and German
shock troop assaults succeeded.)