HELD BY RUSSIANS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 9, 22 October 1941, Page 5

HELD BY RUSSIANS

NEW THRUST BY GERMANS. ENDLESS MASSES THROWN IN PRESSURE IN SOUTH UKRAINE (United Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, October 21. New German thrusts toward Moscow have been repulsed and the Russians are reported to he holding on grimly to their defence lines. The Germans are still hurling in endless masses of men and metal, but the Red Army is fighting one of the most determined defensive battles of all ime. Last night the Soviet High Command reported particularly stubborn battles throughput the day in the directions of Mozhaisk and Malo Yaroslavets, west and south-west of the capital. “Fierce attacks were repeatedly made by large enemy tank formations on our positions on the central front, but all were repulsed after stubborn fighting,” said the communique. The Soviet communique issued at midday to-day speaks of great battles throughout the nighf in the directions of Mozhaisk, Kalinin, north of the capital, and Malo Yaroslavets, and says that all attacks in the direction of Orel, south of the capital, were repulsed. The Russians are not only holding on in the Kalinin area, hut are still counter-attacking strongly. Reports continue to give a picture of immense German pressure along the whole arc from Kalinin to Orel. While Marshal Timoshenko’s armies stand firm, messages from Moscow continue to speak of measures taken by the population of the capital to repel the invader if he should break through. The city and its outskirts are rapidly being turned into a fortress. The Moscow radio says that the Germans are still strong and extremely dangerous. The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Express” says that M. Stalin yesterday travelled over 300 miles of the Moscow front in a heavily-armour-ed train, supervising the defences. In spite of German bombers and heavy artillery fire he conferred with General ZhukQV, commander of the outer defence zone.

The news from the southern Ukraine indicates the Germans are making a heavy, new thrust to reach the Donets Basin and the Caucasus. The Russians have not referred to this area for some days, but last night their communique spoke of stubborn fighting in the direction of Taganrog, which the Germans say is in their hands. The. German radio again devotes considerable attention to the fighting in this area. Breslau says that great events are pending and that the Russians are in flight. Berlin, however, admits repeated jßussian counterattacks. Both’ the Germans and the Italians speak of had weather in the southern Ukraine. German Threat to Roskov.

Marshal Budenny’s armies defending Rostov and the Donets Basin to-night share the limelight with the troops and workers defying the Germans round Moscow. Marshal von lhi»dstodt is focusing all his resources against Rostov, whose fall would not only cut off the pipeline terminus and an important railway junction, hut open a doorway to the Donets Basin. The Germans say that their troops are already in sight of Rostov. I his is not confirmed from any other source. The German radio reports Russian counter-attacks in this area.

At Leningrad, Marshal Voroshilov still holds the initiative, and it is claimed that enemy losses have been so severe that the attacks have ceased altogether. The “Red Star’’ announces that the Russians have recaptured the village and railway station of Pogostic, near Leningrad, after fierce fighting. Tho Russians claim to have killed 400 of 800 Germans defending the village.

Tho Moscow radio says that in the last few days Leningrad’s anti-aircraft defences have shot down nearly 200 German aeroplanes. The German thrust against Murmansk, in the far north, seems to have been brought to a standstill.

“Pravda” says that after 1.00 days’ fighting, tho Germans are not in the approaches to Murmansk, blit are far in the mountains beyond the mountain pass.

Indicating the extreme German economy of forces everywhere except in major thrusts, the correspondent of “The Times” on the German frontier says that the islands of Dagoo and Oesol, off tho coast of Estonia, are still mainly hold by the Russians.