SMOLENSK’S PRICE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20637, 18 August 1941, Page 5

SMOLENSK’S PRICE

NAZIS PAY DEARLY DIVISIONS WIPED OUT LOSS or EQUIPMENT (Elec. Tel Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Aug. 18, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 17. Lieut.-General Yeremenko, broadcasting from Moscow, said that Smolensk was a scene of heavy fighting for a month. Tils city changed hands many times. Every street and house saw fierce fighting and the Germans paid dearly in blood for every inch they gained. Many crack German divisions which were assembled in the Smolensk area under renowned generals no longer existed. Others had lost at least half of their man-power. The German sth and 187th infantry divisions and the 7th motorised division were smashed in th'e Smolensk area. The 11th and 13th Storm Troop divisions and the 253rd and 100th infantry divisions were destroyed in the Mohilev sector. In addition many tank regiments had been reduced to infantry units. The 20th tank division left over 200 tanks on one battlefield. The Russian commander in tne Smolensk area describes the enemy’s attempts to stage a large offensive there as one of vast failure. The Germans are digging in there. Smolensk, says the commander, has been a vast graveyard for Germans. Reassuring: Note A reassuring note was ooserved in the news of the Russian fighting received in London from authoritative Russian quarters yesterday. In the north at Lake Orega—east of LaxcLadoga—all attacks have been repulsed. In the Kholm area the heavy German attacks have been beaten or! with great loss. In the'Smolensk area the Germans are continuing to dig in along the line of delence and there is no indication that they mean to resume the advance in the immediate future. West of Kiev, a very heavy German attack on a narrow front was decimated by the Russians. In the Uman area there has been a certain number of German successes. On the remainder of the Ukrainian front the situation is confused, but there _is nc doubt that everywhere the Russians. have the situation well under coniroi. The Germans themselves admit that Marshal Budenny is likely to be apie to withdraw his army behind Uie Dnieper, despite the German eiTo*’ts to cut him oil, and that he may make a very 'stubborn stand on the new line at the river, which the Germans certainly have not yet crossed. Information available in Londou shows that German .formations which have been badly handled by the Russians include 11 infantry divisions, each of 17,000 men, five Panzer divisions of 24,000 men each, and one S.S. division of 15,000, a grand total o 322,000. It is obvious that’ many other formations sustained casualties though not so badly. 1 NOTED NAZI KILLED (Reed. Aug. 18, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 17. It is officially announced in Germany, states a Zurich message, that General Muelverstedt, formerly chief of tile Gestapo before the war, has been killed in action on the Russian front.