INVADERS’ ALL-OUT ONSLAUGHT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20639, 20 August 1941, Page 5

INVADERS’ ALL-OUT ONSLAUGHT

UKRAINE DRIVE ELUSIVE BUDENNY NAZI LENINGRAD BID STILL A LONG WAY OFF (Elec. Tel Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Aug. 20, 11.20 a.m.) '' ; LONDON, Aug. 19. The German thrust in the Ukraine is vitally important, according to military experts in London. The speed of the German advance, although high, is such that there is no doubt the Russians are fighting well in the rearguard action to the Dnieper. The Germans have not yet reached the Dnieper in force, nor crossed it. Their advance beyond it will depend on the Russian ability to dispose of sufficient resources to defend five or six bridges between Kiev and the sea, to watch the river for a German effort to cross, and keep bodies of troops ready, to, attack any parties which succeed in' crossing in strength. Any such crossing by the Germans would be exceedingly serious, as valuable stretches of Ukrainian country would be open to them with no natural line of defence until the Don is reached. The'new German thrust in the north is certainly in the nature of a threat to Leningrad, but the Nazi troops may still be regarded as a long way off. A Moscow communique states: “Our troops' last night continued stubborn fighting along the entire front.” According to Mr. Carl Sulzberger, the New York Times’ correspondent in Moscow, powerful all-out attacks are being launched by the Germans in the Ukraine and Leningrad zones. They are throwing everything they have got into terrific drives designed to isolate the Soviet from the Black and the Baltic Seas. • - ; t , Escaping from Trap It is increasingly clear that Marshal Budenny is succeeding in escaping from the trap arising from General Rundstedt’s drive’ down the Bug to Nikolayev, says the Daily Telegraph’s Stockholm correspondent. Aided by the heavy rain of the past four days and also possessing temporary air superiority, Marshal Budenny is now transporting the greater part of his armies across the Dnieper. The Russians are covered by a rearguard usihg collapsible boats and roughlyassembled rafts constructed from empty oil drums and trees and also bridges. At Zaporaje and Dnepropetrovsk already Marshal Budenny has transported half the total of the west Ukraine forces—between 300.000 and 400,000— across the river with losses approximating 150,000. . About 200,000. Russians are still fighting on the west bank of the river. These forces have taken heavy toll of the Germans. Fresh Soviet armies from Crimea and Kharkov wait behind strongly-prepared positions ready to repel any German attempt to penetrate into eastern Ukraine. Nazis May Be Enveloped The Stockholm J correspondent of The Times says that the situation at Kiev suggests that if Marshal Budenny possesses sufficient armoured units the Germans may themselves eventually be enveloped, on i a large -scale. The Russians are still stubbornly holding positions not far distant from Bjfelaya-Tserkov and Korosten. eAlthough no general offensive is in progress against Kiev local operations continue day and night. The front is only relatively stabilised pending the resumption of the German drive after replenishment of supplies, or a Russian counter-offensive if the Germans delay too long. The Germans are apparently intensifying the offensive towards Leningrad from the west through northern Estonia and from the south between Lake Peipus and Lake Ilmen. , The Russians evacuated Kingisepp after stubborn fighting. Thus Marshal Voroshilov’s army is defending Leningrad against a new German thrust from Estonia and is falling back on the city’s outer defences just inside the old Soviet frontier, which the Germans have now crossed after eight weeks of stubborn fighting. The Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that the Finnish claims’ reveal a Finnish offensive' north of Lake Ladoga is anything but a blitz offensive. The Finns are still fighting well inside the old frontier less than 50 miles from the starting point of their vaunted drive towards Leningrad, Version From Berlin The Berlin wireless claims that German forces, reached the Dnieper both above and below Dnepropetrovsk. A Berlin communique issued to-day states: “The entire region west of the Dnieper is now in our hands. We launched an attack on Odessa and isolated bridgeheads on the lower Dnieper. The enemy suffered heavy losses in the course of these fights. Sixty-thousand prisoners were taken in addition to the number reported in the battle of Uman. Also 84 tanks, 530 guns and an abundance of other war materials were captured. We captured in the harbbur of Nikolayev a battleship of 35,000 tons, a ctuiser of 10,000 tons, four destroyers and two submarines, all still on the stocks. In addition we sank a gunboat and severely damaged another. We captured a floating dock fully laden with locomotives.” The Italian news agency quoted reports from Stockholm that German troops, after advancing on both sides of'Lake Peipus, are now linked up, resulting in the Russians in Estonia being cut off from the eastern forces. The Helsinki correspondent of the Stefani agency says that parachutists weire dropped in the Helsinki region on Monday from several Russian trahsport planes. Some were dressed in Finnish uniforms and others in civilian attire. The latter were mostly Estonians.’ It is stated that they had not previously flown. All were rounded up by Finnish troops.