MOSCOW DEFIANCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20625, 28 November 1941, Page 5

MOSCOW DEFIANCE

NAZI PRESSURE REBUFFS IN SOUTH BIG LOSSES ENTAILED (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 28. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 27. A Moscow report states that after 24 hours of fighting the enemy succeeded in forcing crossings at a number of points along a river in the Klin area. The Moscow radio admits that the Germans in the past 10 days have advanced the line against Moscow and the danger to the city has crown, though there is no doubt that Hitler’s hopes in this latest and strongest offensive have not been realised.

A whole German regiment was killed northward of the city. The entire staff of another regiment was captured, together with documents giving plans, for operations in that area, enabling the Russians to prevent further action on them. The Germans in the Kalinin area suffered heavy losses in the past few days. Five thousand were killed at one point and 8,500 near a certain town in the Moscow sector. The Germans hurled in. three tank and three infantry divisions in the attempt to capture Stalino Gorsk. The fighting was most intense. The enemy is suffering heavy losses, but the force of the blows is not slackening. The Russians are still holding the enemy in the Volokalamsk sector and have even pushed them back slightly and recaptured a strategi-cally-important village. The Russian.' destroyed 50 enemy tanks at one point and blew to pieces a long column of supply lorries. Nazis in Russian Uniform Russians in this area caught and promptly shot a detachment of 40 Germans wearing Red Army uniforms. A Kuibyshev message states that reports from Sebastopol state that units of the. Soviet Army and the Black Sea Fleet continue to hold their positions. The enemy suffered heavy 1 losses in attempting to break through the Soviet defences. The Germans to date have lost well over 100,000 men in the Crimean campaign. Whereas the initiative on the Moscow zone still rests with the invaders, the Russians have wrested it from them in the larger part, not only of the Black Sea area, but of the Leningrad front and have recovered important ground from General Von Leeb, particularly in the Tikhvin area, where the LeningradVologda railway appears already wholly or almost wholly cleared of the Germans who swooped down on it in the first half of November, says The Times’ Stockholm correspondent. The Russian counter aggression has stretched further south at least to the Bologoie-Pakov railway where the Russians are pressing the Germans towards Lake liman. Donetz Basin Struggle The Germans hereabouts have apparently released part of thentroops to support the operations in the Klin area. According to accounts from Berlin the Germans actually reached the Don at Nakhicheven, just above Rostov, before the Russians launched their successful counter-stroke in the Donetz Basin. The Moscow radio states that 54 degrees of frost are reported in some districts, A Russian communique states: “On November 26 our troops engaged in fighting the enemy on all fronts. Particularly fierce fighting took plSce in the Volokalamsk and Stalino Gorsk (30 miles south-east of Tula) sectors. “On November 23 55 German planes were destroyed, not 10 as reported previously. On November 25, 33 German planes were destroyed. Our losses were five planes. On November 26 two German planes were shot down near Moscow. "On November 25 the Soviet air forces destroyed 107 German tanks, about 400 lorries carrying soldiers, 30 field guns, more than 200 carts carrying shells and 25 anti-aircraft and machine-guns and routed more than four infantry battalions.” Rout of German Regiment

The rout of the 240th German infantry regiment in the central sector is claimed in a supplement to the communique, which also states: “On another sector of the central front Russion forces dispersed five infantry battalions and destroyed 49 tanks,” A despatch from the Klin front stated on Wednesday that the situation had become more tense. “Three days ago the Germans captured the town of S. To-day they threw a big tank unit along the main road attempting to inflict, on our units a frontal blow,” stated the despatch. “They were met with stubborn resistance and suffered heavy losses. The village of E, which is situated on the main road, changed hands several times. Both sides suffered heavy losses. “In the evening our troops retired to new defence positions. On the left sector in the Klin direction fierce fighting is going on without interruption. The enemy, paying heavily, reached the river and in some places effected a crossing.”