GERMAN ARMY SMASHED IN LONG BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 295, 10 September 1941, Page 7

GERMAN ARMY SMASHED IN LONG BATTLE

Russian Success In Centre NO LENINGRAD ENCIRCLEMENT: REPLY TO NAZIS (Bv Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received September 9, 8.1 0 p.m.) LONDON, 'September 8. The Russian night communique states that on September 8 the troops were engaged against the enemy along the entire front. In the Smolensk direction, a 26 days battle concluded with the destruction of the 15 th German infantry division, 17th motorized division, sth tank division, 137th Austrian division, and 178th, 197th and 268th infantry divisions and one other, and with the capture of the town of Nelnia. The remaining enemy retreated in a westerly direction. The Soviet air force continued to attack enemy troops and planes on enemy aerodromes. On the night of September 7 Soviet planes attacked Bucharest. During September 62 enemy planes were destroyed in aerial combats and on aerodromes, while the Soviet losses were 33 planes. ... , A German communique states: “German mobile divisions nave reached the River Neva east of Leningrad on a broad front and taken Shlusselburg by storm. The German-Finnish ring round Leningrad is thus closed, and Leningrad is cut off from all land communications. Shlusselburg is 25 miles east of Leningrad at the point where the Neva flows into Lake Ladoga. « Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the Germans certainly have not anything like encircled Leningrad. They have approached fairly close only from the south-west, but there they are not close enough for practical large-scale shelling.

Fighting is going on most fiercely round Leningrad. The Russians are counter-attacking ceaselessly, and with the immense forces concentrated in Leningrad, there seems tojie no reason why encirclement, if it is achieved by the Germans, should be more than temporary. The German spokesman revealed the German attitude when he said that the fate of Leningrad is now sealed, “no matter how long the resistance lasts.” A Berlin radio broadcast, in giving a description of the action in which the Germans reached the Neva, said that the Russians across the river laid down such a fierce, barrage that Austrian troops who carried out the advance could only move by crawling on their bellies. Unceasing Kain. A fair body of evidence suggests that the main German drive from the west and south-west against Leningrad has made no material progress. A German correspondent says: “New Russian divisions are perpetually thrust against the German lines, and special labour squads are erecting new aud powerful fortifications behind the Russian lines. Unceasing rain is adding to our difficulties.” The German “Frankfurter Zeitung” says, “Enemy divisions rise up from the earth. Numbers count, fortifications count. Day after day we meet new surprises.” ‘ Finnish reports indicate that the Finns are far from being in full control of the territory through which it is claimed they advanced to the Svir. They face constant ambushes by Russian forces behind their front lines. Odessa Counter-Attacks. The Germans, claiming the repulse of sharp Russian counter-attacks on the central front, declare that Gomel is in German hands and far behind the front lines. Russian reports suggest that Marshal Timoshenko is following up the recent counter-attacks aud that the Germans here have been definitely checked. Kiex remains a formidable fortress, with hundreds of strongholds in the surrounding forest, and here, as in Leningrad and Odessa, the whole population is fervently working for the defence of the city. There is little change to be reported in the Kiev bulge or on the lower Dnieper and Odessa fronts. The Russians at Odessa are constantly sallying out in devastating counter-at-tacks. According to the Italian news agency, Bucharest was bombed three times first night by the Russiaii air force. INSPIRING TALK WITH MOSCOW Leningrad’s Brave People LONDON, September 8. The Russians’ sense of the dramatic was strikingly illustrated today when Leningrad radio broadcast to the people of Russia, after which Moscow radio replied. “Listen, Moscow. Listen, Soviet Union,” began the Leningrad radio. “Already for many days fighting has been going on in the approaches to our city. We remember what the people of Soviet Russia have already declared—that the Fascist hordes will never see Leningrad. The enemy is throwing in new fresh divisions, but the people of Leningrad are indomitable. Hundreds of trains since 5 a.m. today have brought tens of thousands of workers to the factories whose only thought is to produce more arms. Yesterday (Sunday) we did not take the day off. Half a million people went on working. Lorries laden with arms were rushed to the front, and many carried also delegations with messages of cheer. Thousands of so-called Aryans have already paid with their stinking blood. We shall be victorious.” Speeches by soldiers and comman-, ders of the Home. Guard followed, after which the Moscow radio answered: “Heroic Leningrad, we heard you speak. Millions of Soviet people listened to your voices. We are convinced of your ultimate victoryover the attackers.” REMOTE-CONTROL BOMB RESEARCH LONDON, September 8. Commenting on a report that the Russians used radio transmitters to explode bombs at Viborg, the secretary of the Television Society, Mr. J. J. Denton, said: “British scientists have been fully aware of the possibilities of such a device. The Russians in some respects are ahead of us in radio research. An easily portable apparatus would be all that would be required to exflode bombs 100 miles away.” One obvious advantage which radioexploded bombs have over mines fired by the old method, he said, was that there would be no wires to give away their position.