GERMAN CLAIMS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20631, 12 August 1941, Page 9

GERMAN CLAIMS

PROGRESS MADE BOTH EXTREMES TIDE OF DISCONTENT DISILLUSIONED PUBLIC (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Aug. 11, 3 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10. The German claim to have progressed towards both extremes of the great Russian-German front, where violent efforts to gain results have been made necessary by the failure of the blitzkrieg in the centre, and the growing discontent and disillusionment of the German masses continue to be the main themes of reports from the German frontier. The Stockholm correspondent of The Times says that the FinnishGerman progress in the region of Lake Ladoga, if true, is important, although it is not surprising that the German claims to successes in Estonia have again proved premature. Turi apparently is still in Russian hands, although the Germans may soon over-run the whole of the Estonian interior. The threat to Odessa is very serious. The German claims to have destroyed 25 Russian divisions in the southern Ukraine must be exaggerated unless a large part of the men comprising Uie divisions escaped. Absence of Enthusiasm The Berlin correspondent of the Swedish paper, Dagens Nyheten reports a remarkable absence of enthusiasm in Berlin. Even the socalled ' “victory” communiques have not stirred the capital. The people are not interested in the published war news, because all is regimented and bears the “propaganda stamp.” The German newspaper Das Reich says the spirit of the German people nowadays is different from that of the last war when spontaneous enthusiasm was often shown. Now they keep their feelings suppressed. “If a man frpm the enthusiastic period of the last war suddenly appeared in Berlin to-day he would find scarcely a single sign that the High Command had just reported a very great victory,” states the German paper. “Have we no hearts? Are we fatalistic? The people’s general apathetic attitude is not related to indifference. It is a new form of courage which our generation has created.” Examining the -Nazi military methods, the Soviet paper Pravda says they strive to create a semblance of encirclement with a view to undermining the morale of the Russians and creating panic and disorganisation. When this fails in one sector they immediately transfer their blows to neighbouring sectors, attacking the flanks and trying to find weak spots for a break-through. Tactics For Weak Enemy Such tactics are meant for a weak enemy and could succeed only in countries where the Germans had to deal with an inadequately armed enemy whose troops soon lost their bearings on the appearance of large numbers of tanks, mine-throwers and motor cyclists, says Pravda. When the Nazi troops in turn are threatened with encirclement, it is they who become disconcerted and lose their striking power. Pravda, in pointing out that Germany’s sudden attack placed the Red Army units on the frontier in a complicated and grave position, says that some were encircled, but the greater part succeeded in marching out of the encirclement as strong, united, and victorious units, an example of which was the force commanded by MajorGeneral Galitsky, one of the first to receive a blow from the Nazi tank columns. Not only did this force repel the attack, but it destroyed 265 tanks by artillery fire. The men marched for days and nights across forests and swamps, destroying German supply columns and creating panic by attacking the enemy units in the rear. Major-General Galitsky managed to bring two-thirds of his effectives out of the encirclement, and inflicted losses much higher than were suffered by his own troops.