The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 5

THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1942 5 BIG FOOD CHANGES HEAVY BOMBERS RAID BALTIC U-BOAT BASE Night Flight Through Hail and Storm DUTCH SQUADRON ATTACKS CONVOY OFF TEXEL Minister's Warning IN STALINGRAD NOW A Shattered City SOVIET H.Q. IN DEEP CELLAR From our Special Correspondent Moscow, September 24. A Russian writer and playwright, Konstantine Simonov, at present in Stalingrad, contributes to "Red Star" a remarkable dispatch from the city. He describes the battle area as a 40-mile belt along the Volga bend, STILL ADVANCING ON ENEMY FLANK Stalingrad Counter-Offensive 200-TANK ATTACK DEFEATED IN CITY STREETS Germans Driven from Central Area PARLIAMENT AND INDIA Growing Anxiety AN EARLY DEBATE CALLED FOR From our Political Correspondent India is going to be the overriding issue before Parliament when it meets. Ever since the House rose a fortnight ago the signs have multiplied that the Labour and Liberal parties, not to mention some Conservatives, are quite unwilling to accept the Prime Minister's statement as the last word.

That statement caused greater dismay on the Opposition side of the House than has been realised, largely because it did not find open expression, and it did not hundred feet, and the crews were con Maintaining their severe pressure against the enemy's left flank, the Russians have made another advance to the north-west of Stalingrad. Although it has not yet broken through the German positions, this Soviet counter-offensive is making encouraging progress. Last night's was the fourth successive Russian communique to report headway here at midday yesterday the capture of a village was announced. In the Stalingrad street battles the heaviest German attack yet reported has been beaten off after parts of the enemy force had penetrated to the central regions. Two hundred tanks and several thousands of infantry took part in the assault, but they were driven back to their original positions.

The fighting within the city is under the control of a Soviet headquarters staff quartered in deep cellars in the city area. In the Caucasus the Germans claim the capture of another town on the Terek, presumably east of Mozdok, which appears to have been by-passed. The place said to have been taken is not important enough to be named on the map. The Russians admit a withdrawal from an inhabited locality in the Mozdok area. ATTACK RENEWED TWELVE TIMES 42 Enemy Tanks Smashed Correspondent From our Special Moscow, September 24.

The Stalingrad front is being defended on a length of about 40 miles. It is a shallow front based on the curving Volga and the guns of the river flotilla are firing over the heads of the ground forces. During the last 48 hours the battle has reached a new pitch of ferocity, and on Tuesday the heaviest assault yet recorded -within the confines of the city was launched. Two hundred tanks and several thousand infantrymen struck at the heart of Stalingrad and the forward groups are reported to have reached the central regions. Here an extremely violent battle was fought by artillery and anti-tank detachments and grenadiers of the Russian Guards divisions.

Twelve limes the enemy was hurled back and returned each time, but finally the worn-out and depleted forces fell back to their original positions, leaving the hulks of 42 smashed tanks in Stalingrad's streets. Then battles which had previously been concentrated in a relatively small region burst out all over the city as BUT ENOUGH FOR ALL A warning of inevitable and very considerable changes in the matter of food in the next twelve months was given by Lord Woolton, Fcod Minister, at Edinburgh yesterday. We have to keep our eyes in future more on Stalingrad than on the Great Britain of 1936, 1937, and 1938," he said. We want to get on with the job and we want to attack. But we cannot pursue a more and more vigorous war and still keep the same standards of living as we had previously.

Whatever I do in the next twelve months will be with a view to conserving the material, physical, and human forces of the country so that they may be directed to the more active prosecution of the war." When all that had been done the nation would still be healthy, still have enough food, and be able to look forward to coming out of the war at least as healthy as it went into it. A great many more people were needed for munitions production and for the forces, and the release of civilian workers not important for the maintenance of the country's war standards of life would mean a disturb ance ox a number of industries connected with the food trade. He was. Lord Woolton added, trying to win the war and to win it quickly. He had no room for any industry which got up propaganda funds and sent Hundreds of letters to M.P.s in pursuance of self-interest.

BREAD AND BEER Defending the national wheatmeal loaf. Lord Woolton said that as a sufferer from colitis for the past thirty years he could eat it without any ill effects. "We are not short of bread and there was no nation in Europe whose stocks of bread are so assured as ours. I want DeODle to eat more potatoes because I want to save ship ping space in replacing the oread stocks." He had allocated generous supplies of cheese to permit the housewife to experiment with cheese dishes. When the time comes for transporting large bodies of men overseas the ships used will be fast ships and the fast ships are the meat ships.

You can get out of cheese much of the strength which you thought you got out of meat." There was no nrosoect of an increase in the egg ration. Beer was not to be rationed. and I don think any more water is to be put in it either." They had not gone as far as he would wish in feeding school children. They had the knowledge of the foods children needed, they had the food. If any children in Britain were allowed to suffer from malnutrition their elders would have sinned against the light of knowledge and opportunity.

Works canteens and plans for improving conditions of the working people, especially those constructed directly in association with the workers, would be a permanent feature of industrial life. EUROPE'S OUTLOOK Food shortages in Europe, said Lord Woolton, would cause privations that would awaken the people to a realisation of the folly of sacrificing the lives of their menfolk and the future health of the children to. the devilish ambitions for over-mastering power of to-day's leaders of Germany and Italy. Those who continued to accept the yoke of servitude to those wicked men were the enemies of all men of goodwill. Their punishment was near.

They would be hungry and sad and bereaved in their tens of thousands before the winter finished. But Europe need not starve. Desperate men could make superhuman eflorts to achieve freedom. When they did food would be near by Our own harvest had been good, and stocks this year were better than lant year, which were then better than the year before. As a result he had reduced the import programme, and for many months the level of food imports had been lower than in the earlier months of the war.

WORKERS FIRST Local authorities operating British Restaurants have been asked, it was stated yesterday, to make arrangements to ensure that workers are given precedence so that they may be certain df obtaining a meal. Priority tickets should be issued to them where necessary. PROFITEERS Australia to Brand Them From onr Special Correspondent Melbourne, September 24. A bill containing ruthless penalties for the punishment of war profiteers was introduced into the House of Representatives to-day by the Attorney. General, Dr.

Evatt. The bill, which is retrospective to February 20, defines nine specific offences as black marketing, and also contains a general clause empowering the Government to extend the definitions by regulation. In the case of individual offenders, punishment involves imprisonment of at least three months on conviction before a court of summary jurisdiction, and at least twelve months if the prosecution is on indictment In the case-of companies, fines of at least 1,000 and 10,000 respectively are imposed AH goods in any such trarsaction will be forfeited to the Crown. Any trader convicted of black marketing must display outside place of business a prominent notice of his conviction, so that any person entering his premises can see it. If the court is not satisfied that the notice is sufficiently prominently displayed, it may require him to print particulars of his offence and conviction on all business letterheads, and may even insist on full details being published in newspapers and broadcast over national and commercial radio stations.

Dr. Evatt said the bill was meant to Punish the offence of black marketing as an outrage against the standard of decency. The black market could only exist in a community passing through a great crisis, and the community should be protected as fully as possible against exploitation and offences which circumstances of crisis made possible. The Times'; "Manchester Guardian' Service FOUR CHILDREN KILLED Four children were killed and three gravely injured when a hand grenade with which they had been playing exploded on a disused rubbish tip near Devonside. Tillicoultry, West Scotland, on Wednesday night During raids on North and Northwest Germany on Wednesday night heavy bombers of the RAP.

Lan- casters. Sterlings, and Halifaxes again attacked the submarine yards at Flensburg, the enemy's Baltic port, 20 miles from Schleswig. The crews taking part in the long flight encountered what is described as nightmare weather. They were blinded by electrical storms and met icing, rain, and haiL The pilot of a Lancaster said that inside the clouds blue rings-formed round the airscrews and blue flames Hashed oh the wings and fuselage. The trailing aerial he described as "a blue thread behind us." JM A.

Dresden oFrtnkfort Prague BahiemiM. Regtnsbury Vienna Munich An experienced navigator of a Halifax said the flight was the bumpiest he had ever had. "We were bounced about and almost blinded for a few minutes by the electric flashes. Our wireless operator had to wind in his trailing aerial, and he got a shock as he did so. Things went on like that until we had almost reached the submarine building yards at Flensburg.

There the clouds thinned and the moon lighted the coast-line for us. We could easily see our way." Many of the bombers dropped below the cloud-base to attack from a few DAYLIGHT RAIDS ON A home for blind people received a direct hit when eight German fighter-bombers dropped high-explosive bombs on the residential area of a South-east Coast town yesterday afternoon. Six houses were wrecked and working parties were engaged for hours rescuing people trapped. Some fatal casualties were reported. As they flew out- to sea pursued by our fighters the raiders machine-gunned the streets, and a few other people were injured.

Two other raiders attacked a village on the South-east Coast, gunning the streets and dropping bombs which demolished several bungalows and damaged others. Three persons weie slightly injured. Activity was also reported at other points on the South-east Coast. At one town a stick of bombs dropped by a single raider destroyed several houses and injured a number of people. At another place an enemy 'plane was driven off by gunfire.

One of three enemy bombers which set out on Wednesday night for the North-east Coast was destroyed before crossing the coast. The remaining two dropped incendiaries, including some of the explosive type, and several delayed-action bombs on one town. Two elderly men died from shock and three persons were seriously hurt. Many people awoke to find their bedrooms on fire. One young woman, whose clothing was in flames, escaped carrying a child, CONVOY BATTLE Admiral's Own Story From onr Special Correspondent Moscow.

September 24. Admiral E. K. Boddam-Whetham. commodore of the great convoy of British, Russian, and American ships which recently arrived at Northern Russian ports, is at present in Moscow.

Describing the eight-day battle with German torpedo-carrying and bombing aeroplanes and submarines fought in Arctic waters, he stated that the German claims were ridiculous and that the great majority of the ships, charged with valuable supplies for Russia, were brought safely into port. He estimated that between 50 and 60 enemy aeroplanes were destroyed during the combats with British fighters and antiaircraft guns. So heavily did the Germans lose in the early stages of the battle, which was spread over eight days, that the violence of the enemy's attacks diminished steeply as it continued. The Times' 'Manchester Guardian' Service "SHOALS OF SUBMARINES" There were "shoals of submarines" about, said the Admiral, and high-level bombing was interlaced with dive-bombing and machine-gunning by low-flying 'planes. The torpedo-carriers attacked fifty strong several times a day.

"The bridges of our ships were riddled with bullets. I should not be surprised if we got at least fifty of their torpedo-carriers. As we neared our destination Soviet destroyers, Which proved a most useful addition to our strength in the later stages of the battle, came out to meet us. With them came some Soviet Hurricane 'planes. The Germans said we could not use the northern route, but the answer simply is we do.

Mr. Churchill said that any sacrifice was worth while to bring aid to Russia, and so we are doing it. Adequate air protection is the main thing." Reuter. NEW NAZI CLAIM A special announcement from Hitler's headquarters yesterday claimed an attack on an Allied convoy returning from Russia. It said In hard fighting lasting for days against a particularly strong defensive force our U-boats sank three destroyers, an auxiliary cruiser, and five transports, totalling 50,000 tons.

Two other ships were badly damaged by torpedo hits. Other U-boats sank thirteen enemy ships and a corvette, totalling 75.000 tons, sailing alone or in convoy in the Atlantic, off Africa, and in the Caribbean Sea. Another ship was damaged by torpedo hits. During the past four days the enemy has lost nineteen ships, totalling 12WMO tons, as well as three destroyers ana a corvette. Reuter.

I fident that their bombs burst across the submarine yards. After one heavy explosion clouds of black smoke were seen. On the return some of the machines flew almost at roof-height, the gunners shooting up searchlights ana gun-Dos ts from as low as 5u leet Other aircraft, attacking objectives farther east along the Baltic coast, bombed from under 1,000 feet The crew of a Lancaster reported a narrow escape just before reaching their target from 900 feet. A heavy shell-burst shook the machine, and the rear turret became useless. On reaching their base they found a hole a foot wide near tne port inner engine, ana sneii irag- ments had gone between the bombs and the floor.

There was a hole big enough to crawl through. Flensburg was previously raided on the night of August la. ana in July two attacks were made heavy bombers making one of the longest daylight flights of the war a round journey of 1.750 miles to attack the shipyards at Flensburg and Danzig. THREE SHIPS HIT Hudsons belonging to a Royal Dutch naval squadron of Coastal Command during Wednesday night found an enemy convoy off the Dutch coast near Texel. In spite of opposition by German night-fighters and A.A.

fire from ebcortmg flak-ships, the attack was pressed home and hits scored on three ships of medium tonnage. From the night's operations ten bombers are missing. GERMAN REPORT Yesterday's German communique stated British 'planci Cropped H.E and incendiary bombs on some places in Northern Qcrnumy and the Danish coascal area on Wednesday night. There mere casualties among the population. Ten oi the bombers wer shot down.

German 'planes last night Wednesday bombtd important war obJectUes In YoTltataire. VICHY GUNS IN ACTION The ground defences at Vichy opened fire on Wednesday night when an unidentified aircraft flew over the area. according to Vichy radio, quoted by Keuter. SOUTH-EAST COAST while her sister beat out the flames. Other outbreaks were quickly dealt with, and only slight damage was caused.

Rye, picturesque Sussex seaport and one of the ancient Cinque ports, was the South-east Coast town bombed in daylight on Tuesday. The manager of a cinema and four of his staff were killed when a bomb hit the building, and several persons were seriously hurt. Blast shattered the windows of Rye Church, famed for its curious sixteenth- century clock, and the Methodist chapel ana scnooiroom were also damaged. TWO JUNKERS DOWN Bay of Biscay Patrol Two of four Junkers SB's were shot into the sea by two Beaufighters of Coastal Command on patrol in the Bay of Biscay yesterday morning (says the Air Ministry News Service). One of the enemy machines smashed to pieces when it struck the water, and the other caught fire as it crashed.

The other Junkers escaped in cloud cover. The had apparently been lying in wait for Sunderland, Wellington, and wnitiey aircratt wnicn are engaged a sustained offensive on German U-boats crossing the Bay of Biscay. One of the Beaufighters was piloted by Flying Officer G. H. Carson, of Fort William.

Ontario, and the other by a lighting Frenchman. NEW ZEALAND V.C. Single-Handed Charge Sergeant Keith Elliott, the daring New Zealander who has won the V.C for bravery in the Western Desert, was wounded four times but led nineteen men to the capture of 130 prisoners, five machine-guns, and an anti-tank gun at the point of the bayonet. The award to Sergeant Elliott was announced from Cairo yesterday and the full story of his great heroism is told in the London Gazette last night. The citation accompanying the award states At Ruweisat at dawn on July 15 the battalion to which Sergeant Elliott belonged was attacked on three flanks by lanKo.

unaer neavy xanK. macmne-gun, and shell fire Sergeant Elliott led the platoon he was commanding to the cover of a ridge 300 yards away, during which he sustained a chest wound. Here he reformed his men and led them to a dominating ridge a further 500 yards away, where they came under heavy enemy machine-gun and mortar fire. He located enemy macnine-gun posts on his front and right flank, and while one section attacked on the right flank Sergeant Elliott lea seven men in a oayonet Charge across 500 yards of open ground in the face of heavy fire, and captured four enemy machine-gun posts and an anti-tank gun, killing a number of the enemy and taking fifty prisoners. His section then came under fire from a machine-gun post on his left flank.

He immediately cnargea this post single-handed and succeeded in capturing it, killing several of the enemy and taking fifteen prisoners. During these two assaults he sustained three more wounds in the baclc and legs. Although badly wounded in four places Sergeant Elliott refused to leave his men until he had reformed them, handed over his prisoners, which were now Increased to 130, and had arranged for his men to rejoin their battalion. Owing to Sergeant Elliott's quick grasp of the situation, great personal courage, and leadership nineteen men, who were the only survivors of company of his battalion, captured and destroyed five machine-guns, one anti-tank gun, killed a great number of the enemy and captured 130 prisoners. Sergeant Elliott sustained only one casualty among his men.

and brought him back to the nearest advanced dressing station. Sergeant Elliott was one of the large number of prisoners who were released when the British recaptured Bardia In January. Other awards on page AMERICAN MARRIAGES A conference of United States Army chaplains held in London yesterday discussed the question of marriages of American soldiers in Britain. It was stated that the number was small and that no change in the rule were necessary. The rule requires a man to make written application to his commanding officer, and then wait for three months.

RUSSIANS' OFFENSIVE SPIRIT From our Special Correspondent consisting of Stalingrad itself and clusters of satellite villages and settlements and partly built up districts. At right angles to the river run a number of deep ravines. For a month this entire region has been mercilessly bombed by the enemy, and now the terraced houses, quays, embankments, and factories are shattered beyond recognition. Fires rage day and night, and from across the Volga the entire western horizon is lit with flames. Old and young live precariously in caves in the ravines, where, with a few rescued planks and blankets, they shelter from the wind and rain and the enemy's incessant hail of bombs.

Others have crossed the Volga in rafts and small boats a perilous journey during which, in spite of a covering of smoke screens, many civilians have perished, STAFF H.Q. The whole Stalingrad region has become a battlefield. It has no inhabitants, only defenders. As in Sevastopol, the staff headquarters are underground in airless cellars, where women telephonists and messengers work tirelessly among the turmoil. Checking-points are placed in the top storeys of modern buildings, and from these the whole smoky battlefield is visible.

The writer describes how from one such crow's nest he watched German motorcyclists drive into the suburbs. Some of their machines were blown up in the mined streets. He visited a factory from which in the earlier stages of the attack on the city mechanics repairing tanks drove the machines through the factory gates straight on to engage the enemy, who had made a surprise break-through. Behind them came companies of a citizens' army led by the police chief and a professor. As they fought the enemy in a Tavine women workers revived the traditions of the civil war, bringing ammunition to the front line and tending the wounded.

The enemy was held until reinforcements arrived. Now the factory yard is deserted, the windows smashed, and the entrance is barricaded with pieces of machinery and damaged tanks. Simonov has seen much of the Eastern Front, but never such fighting, such desolation, such courage and hatred as at Stalingrad. never such assurance. After Stalingrad we shall be merciless." he concludes.

Guardian' Service OF STALINGRAD Another Soviet Advance Last nighfs Soviet communique stated Dunns September 24 our forces were engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy in the areas of Stalingrad, Mozdok. and Sinyavino south of Lake Ladoga. There were no material changes on other sectors. The supplement says In the Stalingrad area our troops repulsed enemy attacks. Putting up a barrage of fire against enemy troops, Soviet trench-motor Guardsmen wiped out two battalions of German infantry.

The men one unit annihilated 250 Hitlerites in a hard-fought engagement and set fire to three German tanks. Ships of a Volga River flotilla destroyed eight German guns and a large group of enemy troops by several salvoes trom their guns. North-west of Stalinerad our trnnns engaged in active operations an'i in some sectors have advanced somewhat. The enemy made repeated attempts to regain a height which our troops occupied yesterday. Several counter-attacks were beaten off by our troops, the enemy suffering heavy losses.

In this battle 35 German tanks were destroyed and about one uciLuiiiun oi enemy inrantry wiped out. In the Mozdok area heavv lnsspq in tanirs and infantry are being inflicted upon the enemy by artillery and tank mortar batteries. One gun crew allowed the enemy to come to close range and disabled 12 tanks by well-aimed fire, wiping out about one comnanv nf ficrman tnmnw. gunners with shrapnel. Another gunner uuujra live oerman tanKs on another se" after fierce, fighting, our units Biumrew irera an innabited locality.

In the Sinvavinn am thom stubborn engagements with the enemy striving to drive a wedge into our Earlier communiques on back page MR. KAISER'S PLANS All Ships in 14 Days New York-. Kf-pts-r-thitti oa Henry J. Kaiser, the Pacific coast ship- ounoer. is to deliver all his ships in the new record time of fourteen days from keel-laying to delivery under plans which are typical of the remarkable speed with which he works.

To-morrow a special train is leaving the first atch of 20.000 workers recruited for his Pacific coast yards the biggest labour drive ever carriprf nut i men that Kaiser hopes to com- wi.c i.cniaiiiuL.-r oi nis snips in fourteen days. British United Press. SWEETS LESS SWEET From October 18 the allocation of sugar to chocolate and sweet manufacturers will be reduced bv one-third From the same date the allowance of sugar will be completely withdrawn from the manufacture of cake, pudding and sponge mixtures, breakfast cereals prepared breakfast foods, meat and juniis, meat and nsn pastes, and custard and blanc-mange powders Arrangements have been made to enable institutions which used to buv chocolate and sugar confectionery in bulk for residents to resume this practice from October 18. The Ministry of Food's order prohibiting the manufacture and sale of ice-cream after October 1 was issued yesterday. GIRL'S FALL FROM TOWER A girl student fell 100 feet from an upper window of the tower of Bristol University last night and crashed on the parapet over the main entrance.

She was killed instantly. She was Winifred Beatrice Hollis, of Chapter Road, Cricklewood, London, an undergraduate of King's College, London, now evacuated to Bristol. find open expression because the House (apart from a handful of members) is utterly loyal to Mr. Churchill and shy of publicly criticising him in any field of policy even when it is as important as India. The private criticisms one heard were only a little less drastic than the extreme public criticisms of a few.

Since then anxieties have deepened because members cannot fight off the susuicion that the Government has really said its last word and that it conceives itself as having no further part to play on the Indian stage than to maintain order and repress Congress. Moreover, they cannot close their ears to American misgivings, often candidly expressed, about so uncreative a policy, ana therefore to fears for India are added apprehensions about the possible effect of the British Government's attitude on Anglo-American relations. A TORY MOTION An early debate on India has there fore become imperative. Mr. Churchill promised there should be one in the near future and on promptings from the Conservatives he agreed that it ought to be followed by a division.

The debate cannot take place in the first series of sitting days after the reassembly because they are mortgaged for other business, but it will be impossible to delay it beyond the following series. At the moment there is a motion on the order-paper in the names of a number oi tack-bench Conservatives approving tht Prime Ministers state ment. It is highly improbable that the Government will allow the debate to take place on that motion. It knows well enough that the statement has repelled Labour and Liberal members who nevertheless support the Cripps policy as a declaration of British intentions. Since there is to be a division then the Governmeit will see to it the motion on which the House divides approves the nolicv and not the Prime Minister's statement That means it will put down a motion nf its own.

A debate that did take place on a motion to approve the Prime Minister's statement would seriously divide the House and raise polemics which it is everybody's interest to avoid. On the other hand, a debate hat ended in nothing but endorsement for the Cripps poncy would oe mucn too sterile to satisfy many Labour and Liberal members who are far from insensible to the Government difficulties Indian newt on page 7 FIRE-GUARD WOMEN "Foolish Talk" Mr. Morrison Mr. Herbert Morrison, Home Secretary and Minister of Home Security, replied at Liverpool yesterday to the foolish talk of critics of compulsory fire-watching by women. "The most foolish talk of all," he said.

is that which suggests that there is extreme and substantial moral danger to women in being asked not even to come back at night, as scores of thousands of women night workers have been coming for years, but simnlv to stay at their place of work once a week or so and fire-watch with their men and women colleagues. Niney-five per cent of the authorities concerned ao not seem to entertain doubts about the decency of their men folk and the ability of their womenfolk to look after themselves. The small minority should try to develop a of proportion and of the nation's needs. And some of them should measure the.r words, for be sure the German Air Force is noting it all." Some of the apparent anomalies in the scheme, like the introduction of compulsion for women in places where there was at present no great shortage of man-power, would disappear before long, as any surplus of part-time roan-power was directed into one of the ever-growing number of part-time jobs which were required at this stage of the war. There might be other difficulties which' would not disappear in the same way.

"No scheme is perfect, and certainly no scheme which applies compulsion to the part-time work of a large and diverse community of people living in their own homes can ever be free from difficulty," said Mr. Morrison. You cannot make this sort of omelet without breaking eggs, though one of the eggs we have tried not to break is the principle of preserving voluntary schemes wherever possible." SUBSTITUTES Replying to Liverpool criticisms, Mr. Morrison said There i3 no question of women being placed in a fire-watching pooL Women can be compelled to fire-watch only at their place of business or in their home area. There are no women working in the docks." Mr.

Morrison and Mr. Shawcross said they were ready to investigate complaints about business chiefs who get substitutes to do their fire-watching. Mr. Morrison said he was very much against this. I would like to hear of any instances of employees be ins dismissed or threatened with dismissal for refusing to act as substitutes." he said.

Mr. Morrison, who was accompanied by Mr. Hartley Shawcross, the Northwest Regional Cornmissioner, visited fire stations in Liverpool during the day. He said that still further improvements and developments must take place in the Civil Defence services. "A man doing a Ministerial joo in Whitehall should clear out from time to time to see things for himself." He had found that in some places the amenities of the N.F.S.

were not so good being limited by the nature of buildings and accommodation inherited from various councils, tut there had been some exaggeration about bad conditions. groups of German shock troops spread through streets and houses setting up machine-gun nests among the ruins. Fierce skirmishes continued until late at night. Fighting from room to room in one large and important building, German Tommy-gunners and light artillerymen consolidated their position and beat oft all Russian attacks. But sappers laid charges 'below the building and all its occupants perished in the explosion as it was blown The Volga flotilla, whose duties until the Germans approached to within gun range have been minesweeping and the protection of convoys from air attack, is now playing an important role in co-operation with the artillery, shelling German supply routes with their long-range guns and covering the ground forces In attacks both north and south of the city.

The Russian counter-offensive north west of Stalingrad is probably some way irom tne city itseii. at is meeting with strong resistance but is advancing. inere nave Deen no significant changes on other fronts where the Germans are generally counter-attacking fiercely, though without success. The limes' 'Manchester Guardian Service spokesman said a few hours ago that the strategical object of the German offensive had already been reached, and indeed was reached a month ago, when on August 23 an armoured corps broke through from the Don like the column at Abbeville in 1941). The purpose of this inspired talk, which diHers so markedly from what was said about Stalingrad until a week ago, is not clear unless it is to conceal the military failure which the delay in winning the Stalingrad battle certa'inly means.

The propaganda department must have some sort of victory, if only not to have a defeat. That is why the Germans are continuing the costly Stalingrad battle notwithstanding that the "strategical objective has already been reached." instead of pausing to regroup, as common sense and their own usual military practice would dictate. Moscow's tone to-day sounds confident, particularly about the Russian counter-stroke north-west of Stalingrad, where further ground was gained during the night, including the capture of a village. The German positions which bar the Russian route are proving extremely tough, and the Russian forces, though in several places they have attacked persistently, have nowhere yet succeeded in really breaking through. It is impossible to predict their present chances but if the German positions break it will mean far more than the relief of Stalingrad.

BATTLES IN THE MUD Voronezh. Rzhev. and Sinyavino (south of Lake Ladoga) are still centres of heavy fighting. In the Rzhev area, where heavy pressure has been renewed since Tuesday, the tree trunks, mostly blackened and charred, are the sole firm thing except tne Russian will to struggle forward, but they often sink with their guns and vehicles deep into the treacherous ground. The position at Sinyavino is similar in regard to the softness of the ground and the stubbornness of the battle.

The Russian garrison are fighting hard and persistently to force a passage from Leningrad to the army outside, and German reports suggest that it has made substantial headway in the past few days particularly a passage in a statement to-day about Neva crossings and hits on a number of Russian lorries there. The wording seems to say that this occurred east of the Neva, which would mean the Russians have established bridgeheads. The Times' "Manchester Guardian' Service BOCK -NOT INTERESTED Von Bock is no longer interested in Stalingrad and has now turned his attention to the Caucasus," said the German-controlled Paris radio last night. Sta' ngrad no longer has any strategic importance." Being now without a rival. Marshal Timoshenko has thrown all his weight on Stalingrad.

He is attacking the German positions on the Stalingrad-Moscow railway, the Saratov road, and the Volga." The German News Agency denied last night that the attack on Stalingrad has come to a halt. On no account must that be thought," it stated. "The German Command has avoided a direct attack and has preferred to act according to plan." Reuter. Stockholm, September 24. A distinct change has come over the Stalingrad battle in the past few days, more perhaps a change of spirit than in the character of the operations.

The battle is no longer dominated by the German offensive spirit. The Russians are attacking tno. and their offensive spirit in the Stalingrad area is fresher than the Germans. The general fringe of the arc spanning the area has certainly moved inwards appreciably since the week-end, partly because the Russians, now that the town is being ruined anyway, prefer to fight among the ruins rather than on the open stt-DDe. which is more disadvantageous for defence and for their favourite kind of warfare.

There is nothing to indicate that the Germans have penetrated really deep into Stalingrad or gained much ground since Monday, but the position alters from hour to hour as the hand-to-hand battle develops and sectors sway inwards and outwards among the heaps of rubble and the ruins. Krtmtfa- A stream of wounded, each bearing a red-edged cardboard label, moving back from the forward positions bears witness to the heavy German casualties. Even the most serious stretcher cases must have the red-bordered label from the forward first-aid post, and the more slightly wounded ajgo. to avoid all suspicion of shirking or desertion. One German war correspondent, writing of the red-edged label column this week, exclaims Make way for these stricken men.

Their way from the active battle is harder than yours in the apposite direction." BERLIN'S MEW STORY Berlin references to the Stalingrad battle this week imply that whether the city is eventually captured or not matters little, as it no longer has any strategical importance. One military Tip" 1 I Villi..