SLOW ADVANCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 247, 31 July 1941, Page 5

SLOW ADVANCE

THRUST IN THE UKRAINE. STUBBORN FIGHTING ELSEWHERE. PITCHED BATTLE' IN MARSHES. (United Press Association —Copyright.) (Roc. 9.15 a.m.) LONDON', July 30. A Russian communique, which still reports intense fighting in some areas, indicates that tho Germans are making little progress. It is considered possible that the only advance, and that very slow, is in tho direction of Jitomir in the thrust to the Ukraine. It is difficult yet to estimate whether the Russian counter-attacks in the Smolensk sector might he the initial stages of a counter-offensive.

A Russian communique issued early this afternoon states: “During the night our troops continued their stubborn fighting against the enemy in the Novel, Smolensk and Jitomir directions. Our air force, in co-operation with the land forces, inflicted heavy blows upon enemy mechanised units, infantry and artillery.’'

A German communique says : “We repulsed renewed enemy attacks to relieve the pressure and thus liberate the encircled forces east of Smolensk.” It is claimed in Berlin that a port at the mouth of the Dnieper, on the Black Sea, has been occupied. The Germans also spoke of the liberation of Karelia, where Finnish troops are. said to have made some progress. According to the correspondent of “The Times” on the German frontier, the Germans continue to assert that their ring round Leningrad is steadily closing in, claiming that at one point to the south-west they are within 40 miles of the city, and also that German infantry from Lake Peipus has reached Wolosowo, near Domojirova.

Other German forces from the south are said to be north of Lake Inmen, near Novgorod. One German panzer division was reported to have reached this point some time ago and to’ have been repulsed, but the Ger-. man forces, it is now claimed, are able to withstand the Russian counterattacks. The Finns claim to have captured : islands in Lake Ladoga, off Salmi.

The Germans say the weather has improved in the Ukraine and that a more rapid advance is expected. Axis troops in the soiith Ukraine, the Germans report, are pressing on after the retreating enemy, and the southern flank is approaching the Black Sea on a broad front.

A dispatch from the Ukraine to Moscow described a. pitched battle in the marshes, in which a Russian regiment annihilated a large German force. Marshal Budenny personally assumed command immediately before the attack, at the conclusion of which the marshes were filled with German corpses. Helsinki newspapers announce that the Finns have captured Sortavala after a long siege. Huge Russian Tanks. The Russians are said to be using 100-ton tanks, armed with quadruple machine-guns and heavier guns, and described as “rolling forts.’ The Moscow radio states that the second attack launched by the Germans is collapsing. Finland is being promised more territory as a reward for helping Germany and for breaking off relations with Britain.

Writing in the “Voelicischer Beobachter” a German lieutenant recounts the German difficulties on the eastern front. He states: “The Russians have exploited every possibility in the art of fortification. Where the Dnieper river turned eastwards, no longer offering natural protection, the Russians built unusually strong fortifications. At one place 80 forts had to be overcome. The Russians constantly offered a desperate resistance. The German prospects depend on the maintenance of the few roads remaining serviceable.’

This lieutenant also describes how German divisions are thrusting continually forward, although they know that the gap behind them instantly closes in, cutting off their communications and supplies. > A German newspaper quotes extracts from a letter from a German soldier, who states: “This is the worst wdr Germany has had to fight. It is a war to win or perish against soldiers who fight with desperate obstinacy. The war in Russia, more than elsewhere, is one huge horror.’* It is officially announced in Moscow that documents captured from 3 German infantry regiment reveal the Germans’ difficulties in bringing up provisions for soldiers. Other documents reveal that secret orders have been issued to officers to shoot all Russians prisoners, except young, highly-skilled ones, who will be sent to Germany to work in factories. The Moscow radio says that the Red Air Force has scattered passes along the German lines permitting German troops to give themselves up to the Russians. One deserter said that discontent among the Germans grows as their losses become heavier. His battalion had already had its third commander. The other two had been killed. The Moscow radio added that more and more of the passes were being found on prisoners and German dead.