RUSSIAN STRATEGY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1941, Page 9

RUSSIAN STRATEGY

SOMETHING NEW

AIM TO KEEP ARMY INTACT

EXTENSION OF WAR INTO WINTER

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) (Rec. noon.) LONDON, July 2. With the conflict between Germany and Russia now at a critical stage, the fighting of the next few days will probably determine the outcome.

It is possible that the advances claimed by Germany and admitted by Russia are the result of Russian strategy, which even German commentators admit is different from anything previously encountered. This strategy, according to experts, is designed to cut off mechanised units from the main body and thus immobilise the foot army while the mechanised forces are disposed of.

The situation is still confused. While the German occupation of Minsk and Riga is officially denied in Moscow, the Finnish radio states that German troops have passed Smolensk and are continuing their lightning advance towards Moscow.

A Russian communique stated: "Fighting continued during last night in the direction of Murmansk, Dvinsk, Minsk, and Luck. The enemy opened an offensive towards the Srednu Peninsula in the direction of Murmansk, and our troops have stubbornly resisted, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.

"The Red army, after destroying advanced enemy tank units last night, is now developing the battle in the direction of Dvinsk and Minsk. Our troops engaged in the direction of Luck are dealing heavy blows against enemy motoris.ed and mechanised units. There is intense patrol activity and machinegun and artillery fire in other sectors. Despite bad weather, which has often made flying impossible, our air force was successfully active on July 1 against enemy tank forces in the Dvinsk and Minsk sectors, and destroyed motorised units as well as planes in the air and on the ground, and also bombed fuel transports and supply columns ,and hindered the progress of masses of enemy infantry."

"It has been definitely ascertained that we shot down 102 planes on June ;30 and 54 on July 1. We lost 22. Our troops annihilated a group of enemy diversion troops, wearing Red army i uniforms, who , were attempting to j occupy one of our military objectives in the Hanko sector." , j BASIS OF SOVIET WAR PLAN. If the German offensive threatens to split the Red army, Stalin is prepared jto give up Leningrad, Minsk, Kiev, and j even Moscow, says the Ankara cor- ! respondent of the "New York Times," [who quotes a.high diplomatic official in close contact with the Soviet leaders as the source of his information. "The Soviet war plan," he says, "is based on the idea of keeping the Red army intact and extending the war into the winter. By then the Soviet air force will have been strengthened for attack on Germany in the spring. Stalin and his staff have deployed the Red army so that it can fight a rearguard action beyond the Urals if necessary-" Some observers believe the Russians will not engage in a decisive battle before the Germans reach the interior of European Russia. Battles can be fought there with great handicaps to the attacking forces. The Stockholm correspondent of the "Daily Express" says that Stalin is organising a great new line to guard the Ukrainian and Caucasian oilfields. The main object of the Russians in the south is to hinder the German advance towards the Ukraine. The harvest will be ripe in a fortnight. A German communique says: "Our operations against the Soviet army in the east are continuing progressively.; We occupied Ventspils on July 1. Our forces, in conjunction with our Finnish allies in central and northern Finland, crossed the Soviet frontier on July 1 to make an attack. Enemy troops are retreating into Estonia. We finally destroyed a large part of the Soviet army which was surrounded east of Bialystok and captured an im-, mense amount of booty. So far 100.000 prisoners, 400 tanks, and 300 guns have been counted. During the tank battle in Galicia which concluded on July Iwe destroyed or captured.a further 220 tanks."