AFTER 17 DAYS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 21, 20 October 1941, Page 7

AFTER 17 DAYS

Germans Not Within 50 Miles Of Kremlin

(Received October 19, 9.10 p.m.) LONDON, October 18. The latest news from the Eastern Front is regarded as indicating that Marshal Timoshenko’s forces are at least beginning to slow down slightly the German onslaught against Moscow, and in some places Timoshenko is smashing back at the massed armoured and infantry divisions. The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that after 17 days m tlie greatest offensive in history tlie Germans arc nowhere within 50 miles of the Kremlin. The Germans claim to have pierced the outer defences of Moscow near Mojaisk (the town 65 miles west of the capital on the main highway). An announcement from the Fuehrer’s beadquarters which stated that the double battle of Viazma and Bryansk had been successfully concluded with eight armies under Marshal Timoshenko being annihilated, added that a total of 648,196 prisoners had so far been taken and 1197 tanks and 5229 guns captured or destroyed. Moscow Answers Call.

A Stockholm message says that Moscow is now under army rule, and the Government has moved east, possibly to Kazan, but more probably to Somara (500 miles east-south-east of Moscow in the Middle Volga region). The president, M. Kalinin, tlie Vice-Premier, M. Molotov, and other leaders have left Moscow, but M. Stalin remains with the inner Defence Council. Men, women and boys and girls in their teens are answering the call to arms. The city has organized like Leningrad and almost every street is forming a defence cell. The civilian population, unlike the Parisians, have refrained from any panic-stricken rush from the city, and 95 per cent, of Moscow’s population remains. The “Pravda" says: “In the Viaznur sector our troops continue to liold the main fortified positions and are also counter-attacking in a number of sectors. Botli sides are suffering heavy losses. Confidence in the success of our resistance on the sector where the enemy broke through is increasing, though the situation is still grave. The lighting hourly becomes more strenuous and bloodier. Tlie Red Army lias beaten off several violent attacks. Our troops and air force slowed down the German thrust from Orel, and one unit killed and wounded 2000 Germans.” Enemy in Underclothes. The recapture of Orel is described by Moscow radio, which states that during the past three days the strength of the German forces here had obviously been diminished. After tlie capture of the town by the Germans their 3rd and 4th tank divisions lost. 150 tanks, 2000 officers and men, 100 guns, 200 lorries and much material. The German advance was thus considerably .slowed down; nevertheless they were able to bring up reinforcements after regrouping their forces. During tlie night of October 14 the Russians attacked Orel from two directions. The Germans were unable to organize their resistance, and many officers and soldiers -were running into the streets in their underclothes. In the morning the town was cleared of Germans. The same report states that, between October 14 and 16 a Soviet air squad ron shot down 38 German planes in this sector and destroyed 41 tanks, 67 transport buses, seven armoured cars and 11 lorries. Moscow radio stated that the Ger-

mans have thrown in large forces in their attacks against the Don Basin, directed on Rostov. After tlie capture of Mariupol the Germans attempted to advance along the coast of the Sea of Azov, but encountered rapidly advancing Russian reinforcements, who threw them back 1U miles. The Russians recaptured five important places in this sector, inflicting heavy losses. Violent lighting continues. The radio also reports violent lighting at tlie approaches of Leningrad against the flanks of tlie German forces. After three days’ fierce fighting Soviet troops occupied the rail way station of “P,” which had been held for months past by the Germans, who had erected pillboxes which were strongly reninforced by timber. The railway station was taken in an encircling movement from three directions with the support of the air force. Tire Germans covered movements by artillery, and they brought up infantry and tank reinforcements. Several thousand ollicers and men were killed, and the staff of a German battalion were taken prisoner. Important documents fell into Russian hands. The 412th regiment of the 227th German infantry division was annihilated with its tanks. Strong fortifications are now being erected in the town. A Russian communique states: “On October 18 our troops were engaged in especially fierce lighting on tlie central front covering Moscow. Several attacks by the enemy were repulsed.” The Soviet High Command states that 14 German planes were shot down near Moscow on October 17 and 1G German planes on October 18. Tlie Russian official figures of air losses in the three days from October 15 Io 17 give a total of 113 enemy aircraft destroyed against 72 Russian aircraft.