TOLL OF NAZIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20628, 2 December 1941, Page 5

TOLL OF NAZIS

MOSCOW BATTLE THOUSANDS LOST EQUIPMENT WRECKED BOOTY IN ROSTOV (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Prens Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Dec. 1. The latest Soviet communique reports continued fighting on all fronts yesterday and last night, with the destruction particularly by the Red air force, of large quantities of German war material of every description, including scores of tanks and 100 army lorries and inflicting during the last two days of thousands of casualties on the enemy. The Russian claims to have captured thousands of rifles in Rostov which is iegarded in competent military quarters as even more important than the capture of guns as they indicate that the Germans were unable to escape even by sacrificing heavy equipment. The Moscow radio states that fierce fighting is proceeding in the Volkhov area where the Germans are attempting to capture strategic points regardless of losses. The Germans in the first few days 1 fighting lost 2000 and hundreds were killed on each subsequent day before the Russians counterattacked and captured the village of Ramenje where the Germans lost a further 600. The newspaper Pravda says that Soviet forces counter-attacked at dawn on November 30 north-west of Tula. The enemy is retreating westward. A Berlin communique states that the enemy in the Rostov area continued counter-attacks regardless of losses of men and material. German infantry and tank units are pressing further forward against Moscow. Reports received from Stockholm indicate that anxiety is felt in Norway regarding the Norwegian volunteers, including the Viking division, who aie known to have been engaged in fighting at Rostov. It is believed that a number of Norwegians were killed there.

According to a report from Stockholm it is stated in Berlin that the siege of Sebastopol has now started in earnest. The German authorities believe that there are no British troops in the Caucasus but only specialists, although the British may be establishing airfields.