PINCERS MOVE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 173, 24 July 1941, Page 7

PINCERS MOVE

AGAINST LENINGRAD Enemy Attacks From North And West IfeP.A. and British Wireless. Rec 1 p.m. LONDON, July 23. In the northern sector the Finns and Germans are attacking in the neighboui-hood of Petrozavodsk north-east of Lake Ladoga. Reports confirm that the Russians here are making withdrawals. It may be that this effort by the Germans forms part of a pincer movement with Leningrad as the ultimate object. This northern attack would operate in connection with a German thrust from the direction of Estonia. Petrozavodsk is on the LeningradMurmansk railway, ana on the southwest shore of Lake Onega.

"The Times" Stockholm correspondent says that despite the Russian reference to fighting in the Petrozavodsk sector, information from Finland is that Mannerheim's troops are scarcely within 100 miles of Petrozavodsk, and have not crossed the 1939 Finnish frontier. There is no trustworthy evidence that the enemy has anywhere reached the Leningrad-Murmansk railway.

The correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain with the Finnish Army in Karelia, says clouds of smoke on the eastern horizon show how closely the Russians are following the scorched earth policy. Terrific Russian artillery concentrations covering the withdrawals keep up shelling all night, reducing woods and abandoned villages to ashes.

The indescribably bad roads are heavily mined, and it is impossible to detect all the mines. Many German vehicles have been blown up.

The Finnish communique claims that major Soviet units are encircled in several sectors. A number of strategically important points in Karelia have been reoccupied.

There is still no confirmation in London that Smolensk has fallen. There is nothing to suggest that the Germans have captured Kiev. In the Bessarabia sector it seems that the Russians are still withdrawing.

The Russian morning communique states that during the night of July 22-23 Soviet troops continued stubborn fighting in the Petrozavodsk, Porkov, Smolensk and Jitomir directions. In the other sectors nothing of importance occurred.

The Soviet Air Force inflicted blows on motor mechanised units and enemy aerodromes. During Julv 22 and the night of July. 22-23 39 enemy planes were destroyed in aerial combat and during raids on enemy aerodromes. A number of planes were set on fire. Russian losses were 17 planes.

"In the fighting near Pskov we captured secret documents including instructions for the use of poison gas distributed by mines," said the Moscow radio. "The documents prove that the Germans, realising that the failure of their blitzkrieg is unavoidable, are preparing largescale gas attacks."

The German communique states that German, Rumanian. Hungarian and Slovak troops in the Ukraine are pressing forward in ceaseless pursuit, and claims that enemy attempts at counter-attacks have failed everywhere, with extremely heavy losses. Operations on the Finnish front are claimed to be proceeding according to plan, with further gains of territory.

The most critical fighting is in the Ukraine, and there is no doubt that the Germans have made some progress toward Kiev. The Russians admit fighting at Jitomir, which is 85 miles west of Kiev. The Germans state that they will be presented with difficulties in crossing the River Dnieper at Kiev, where it is 600 yds wide.

"The Times" Stockholm correspondent says the Russian reserves of men and machines, if efficiently mobilised and directed, are capable of checking and even beating the Germans. On the other hand, the Russians believe the Germans are perilously near the employment of their chief effective reserves and that the whole German war machine has been badly mauled, which is why it is unable to proceed more rapidly.