WEAKENED MORALE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1942, Page 5

WEAKENED MORALE

EXHAUSTED GERMAN TROOPS

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)

LONDON, February 25,

Despite the refusal of the German army command in the Staraya Russa region to surrender, the enemy morale has weakened, and German soldiers are frequently deserting. They complain of lack of food and warm clothing, and say they are fighting the Russian tanks only under threat of death. These facts are confirmed from numerous orders captured from German generals.

Moscow radio gave a message from a German officer to his headquarters: "Our troops have no strength to fight, and when the enemy attacks, especially by tanks, our men start running, so that we officers are compelled to resort to pistols. All the men complain of sickness and utter exhaustion as a result of the long day and night fights."

Prisoners declared that the Germans planned to remain in Staraya Russa, which is at the junction of .three railways and seven main roads', throughout the winter. «

The Russians gained their initial break-through eastward of Staraya Russa. They advanced southward during the night across frozen marshes, rivers, and snowfields, and cut the rear communications of the enemy. While the main column pushed

on, small parties of skiers overpowered the German garrisons on the highways and in the villages. The Russians moved up fisld artillery on skis and munitions on sledges, and Russian sappers constructed two cross-country roads, enabling the Red Army to surprise the Germans, who had based all their supply depots, repair shops, and hospitals on Staraya Russa.

The advance of the Red Army was guided by guerrilla units who cut the German retreat lines. The Russians then isolated and liquidated the enemy's outlying defences and utterly routed the German divisions. The attack was so stealthy that the Red Army marched 30 miles in ons night without firing a shot;!

The Germans are now throwing vast reserves into -the battle in the Staraya Russa region, in a feverish attempt to halt the Russians.

The Russians, according to a report from Stockholm,- are still battering most Actively towards Schlusselburg from the south, in an attempt to unfasten the German grip on Leningrad.

The Russians describe Dorogobuzh, as a complete shambles. The retreating Germans burned the few buildings which remained standing after tha battles of last summer.

If General Zhukov's pincers ; can press for 25 miles they will meet across the German railway lifeline, thereby enveloping a large region, including Vyazma and Rzhev, which would be larger than any pocket the Russians have yet managed to encircle.