ON ALL FRONTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20648, 26 December 1941, Page 3

ON ALL FRONTS

RUSSIAN BATTLES RETREAT OF NAZIS POSITIONS ABANDONED MUCH BOOTY CAPTURED (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed, Dec. 26, 11 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 25. Moscow reports, in mentioning the continuance of fighting on all fronts, state that Russian troops yesterday in a number of sectors on the Kalinin, central, and south-western fronts fought fierce engagements. They continued to advance and occupied a number of localities. A number of German planes, tanks, lorries, and other war equipment were destroyed or captured and two regiments of infantry were annihilated. During yesterday Russian troops fought the enemy in all sections west of Kalinin and in the south-west sector. The troops, in violent fighting, continued their advance, capturing a number of localities. On Tuesday, 20 enemy planes were brought down and the Russians lost three. Yesterday nine enemy planes were brought down over Moscow. The fiercest battles are raging on the central front in the direction of Mojaisk between the advancing Russians and two German tank and five ■infantry divisions. reinforced by Finnish, Austrian, Hungarian and Czech units. When the drive against Moscow was halted in October, the Germans immediately began constructing lines of dug-outs, trenches and carefully mined tank traps in the Maloyaroslavets area, but the Russians have now broken through these defences, which the Germans hoped to use for winter quarters. . '

Latvians Take Part

On all sections of the Russian front the German soldiers are clad in flimsy clothes and freeze to death at their posts, while lorry loads of winter comforts, thick clothing and special Christmas food are leaving Kuibyshev for the Russian soldiers.

A division formed entirely of Latvian peasants and officers is now in action on the Moscow front. The Pravda says that when the Germahs occupied Latvia, freedom - loving Latvians made their way through native forests and the German lines to the Russian positions, where they immediately volunteered for service against the invaders. They proved themselves brave and skilled fighters. The Izvestia, describing the capture of Gorbachevo station, says the Germans had no time to destroy a large quantity of military supplies. The Russians captured two trains with ammunition and military equipment and a fuel depot. During the last six days, the Russians have captured nearly 600 enemy lorries and many tanks in this area, and liberated 94 populated places. The Russians are pursuing the remnants of General Guderian’s second tank army, which is retreating to Orel. In the southern sector, the Red Army liberated several scores of villages. The Moscow radio reports fierce fighting at the approaches to Sebastopol, which the enemy is striving to occupy at any cost. So far the Russian troops have repulsed all attacks with heavy losses, but the enemy pressure ; is very strong and the position of the besieged city remains serious. German Air Losses A Soviet communique stated that aerial and ground defences of Moscow between June 22 and December 20 brought down 852 German planes from a total of 8278 raiders. This does not include planes destroyed over the front or on bases for attacks on Moscow. • Wednesday’s Soviet communique states that during Tuesday night Russian troops fought the enemy on all fronts. In one sector on the central front, Soviet troops captured in one day 13 tanks and 10 guns and annihilated about 300 German soldiers. In another sector on the same front, the troops recaptured several localities and seized 14 machine-guns and other war equipment. Eight hundred soldiers were killed. In another sector on the central front, Russian troops destroyed 180 lorries and killed about 1560 enemy officers and men.

A supplementary communique states that Soviet patrols operating in the Leningrad district are inflicting losses on the enemy and destroying lines of communication. Recently one patriot group destroyed four bridges, a railway track and telephone lines. A German punitive detachment was annihilated by a patrol, 200 German soldiers being killed. Recently another group of patriots destroyed three tanks and five lorries.

Industry Re-established

Meanwhile, Soviet forces east of Leningrad are reported to have reached a spot 50 miles west of Tikhvin and forced the Germans to abandon positions on the River Volkhov.

Russian troops are said to be building powerful defence lines in the recaptured territories, particularly around Rostov, and are re-establishing normal life and industry in those territories.

The Daily Telegraph’s Stockholm correspondent says it is persistently reported that Russian ski troops, after furious assaults, recaptured Shlisselburg.

The Stefani news agency in Rome reported that the German withdrawal to winter positions in Russia could now be considered ended.