nous SOVIET COUNTER-MISTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 166, 16 July 1941, Page 7

nous SOVIET COUNTER-MISTS

NAZI ADMISSION Russians Claim Heavy Toll Of Enemy Tanks United Press Association.--Copyright. Rec. 1 p. m . LONDON, July 15. A vigorous Russian counter-thrust toward Bobruisk, apparently on a large scale, and German news agency claims, without detail, of continuing advances toward Leningrad and Smolensk, are the features of to-day's news.

The British United Press correspondent says it is unofficially claimed that the Germans have reached Kiev, but have not yet capi u w hole city. However, neither Russian nor official German i sources confirm this report. Military commentators in London sa y it is possible that German armoured formations ha\«p penetrated fairly deeply into the Russian front at some points without the support of the main attacking forces. This is admitted by the j i-m n , ra d'°- which mentions the, difficulties for German troops caused oy the Soviet method of defence in depth. German Tanks " Routed " ! The Moscow newspaper "Izvestia" says a Russian counter-offensive between Rogachev and Jlobin is press-' ing on and its front is now 20 miles ; west of Rogachev. The Russians nave also crossed the Dnieper at points north of Rogachev after their artillery silenced ihe guns and routed an enemy j an * attack. Inhabitants arc roturnjvß to Rogachev. The roads are cnoked with captured German tanks. Rogachev is a town on the Dnieper 40 miles east of Bobruisk. yiODin is about 20 miles south of ■rogachev and is a railway junction. .^ e latest Russian communique tin • heavy fighting is coni~*ulnS on the north-western and western fronts. Further air raids nave been made on the oilfields and refineries at Ploesti. lighting continued on Monday in we north-west, west and south-west ectors,' said this morning's comJri nic iue from Moscow. "Our troops icoin an enemy lank and motorij? 0 offensive, inflicting heavy losses at» i enem >" hi repeated counter- ' In the western sector our -t},° 0 P s and air force destroyed about w tanks and a great number of enemy vehicles, in the south-west-sector we dr-frited an < r.-mv fee of about oUUO men. capturing

a great number of guns, machineguns, vehicles and ammunition. Our air force on Sunday night and during Monday bombed enemy aerodromes and heavily attacked enemy troops, tanks and mechanised forces."

Heavy fighting continues in the rear of the German lines. The Germans claimed that their forces had crossed the Dnieper River at several points, and that shock troops had entered the suburbs of Mogilov, on the western bank of the Dnieper, due east of Minsk.

The Berlin radio last night warned the German people to reckon with strong enemy rearguard actions. Heavy North-west Fighting While indicating that the Russian Army is not onlj r ferociously resisting the German attacks but vigorously counter-attacking, the Moscow night communique nevertheless discloses that the fierceness of the German onslaught shows no signs of relaxing. The communique refers to fighting in the north-west, which is the Leningrad area, but gives no details to counter the German claims that

I Generals Mannerheim and Braui chitsch are opposed in this area by | Marshal Voroshiloff, the tank expert, who mechanised the Red Army. General Mannerheim, attacking ' across the isthmus east of Vipuri, claims advances of 50 miles. General Brauchitsch's force in the north was last heard of engaged on large-scale fighting in the Pskov area, though advanced units may have pushed on further to Leningrad. The Berlin correspondent of the i Swiss newspaper "Neuezurcher Zeii tung," indeed, says that military circles affirm that Leningrad is now within reach, and may be occupied within 24 hours. ! The communique has only vague references to the western sector, where the Germans are driving j against Smolensk. Berlin's definite i : claim to have reached Mohilev. 90 : miles from Smolensk, is disconcerting. though nothing is available to ; support the claim that the German I vanguard is 130 miles from Moscow, j The Swiss paper's Berlin corres- ; pondent quoted above, however, i describes Moscow as threatened, and I forecasts German victories before : the week-end. The German communiques have given no details since midnight on | Saturday.

ENTICING BONUSES I.S. SEAMEN IX THE ORIEXT I Rec. noon. SEATTLE, July 13. American Federation of Labour Union officials report a contract by the American Stnr Line for a 500dollar bonus to each seaman for each : Russian port of call. The agreement also provides for a bonus ot two dollars a day west of the 160 th iiT-rklirn. with a -onus of 100 dol- ; lurs to Orient sorts.