Northern Drive

Grey River Argus, 19 July 1941, Page 5

Northern Drive

DEFENCE OF LENINGRAD. WILL IT LAST? LONDON, July IT It is here considered that of the three Russian centres at which the Germans are aiming:—Moscow, Kiev, and Leningrad—it is most Lke.y that Leningrad will have been taken by the week-end. The Swedish paper “Seveskadag Bladet’s” military correspondent, confirming the determined Soviet resistance at Leningrad, says that tne defenders are apparently still ab e to maintain their communications be- 1 tween the forces in Estonia and i those further east. The capital of Estonia, Tallinn, has been transformed into an imerno, in accordance with Stalin’s orders to deprive the invaders of any assistimce. Food, machinery, and property are all going up in smoke. The garrison has been ordered to hold out to tne death in the concrete torts cnc.rcling the city. <. ■ A Swiss correspondent states trial not only have the Germans been unable to penetrate tne Kiu-s.ans’ lines, but have been forced to retreat co the south of Leningrad. An American correspondent states that the Germans have crossed a river only 75 miles from Leningrad. Nothing has been heard for some days of the German and r'iiiu.s.. forces in the Arctic sector. Apparently they aie still wallowing in the marshes, some distance from Murmansk. According to the Moscow rad o, Soviet troops are still firmly holding Hanko Penmsula, desp.te day-lcm, infantry attacks. It is pointed out in London that two days ago, the miLlarv spokesman in Berlin stated that uniess something went wrong the Nazi troops would occupy Leningrad with'n 24 hours. More than 48 hours have elapsed, but there is still no indication that the former Russian capital contains any people other than legitimate citizens Something must have “gone wrong” from the Nazi viewpoint. and it would •• to be the' the German thrust in this direction was vigorously dealt with by the Russian Command —a clear indication that the Nazi claims to have exhausted the Russian reserves are at least premature The only comment on the general situation made bv a military spokesman in Berlin was that operations were developing very favourably. “The Times’s” correspondent on the German frontier says that the .German authorities appear more optimistic than usual. Neutrals believe that the Germans will claim a victorious conclusion to at least one of the three main thrusts towards Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev, before the week-end. It is considered that the Leningrad objective is the most likely to be attained. PILLAGING BY GERMANS. IN LATVIAN TOWNS. (Rec. 9.30). MOSCOW, July 18. A Soviet communique says’ In order to raise the low morale of German soldiers. German officers authorised pillaging in the Latvian town of Varakliani for three days“At the end of the third day, when nothing was 16ft to pillage, new enemy hordes appeared, resulting in clashes between two lots about sharing out the plunder.” FINNISH AIR FORCE. BOMBS RUSSIAN TRANSPORT. (Rec. 8.30). LONDON, July 17. A Finnish communique states: The Finnish Air Force has intensively bombed Russian railways, transport, armoured trains and ship convoys. It also has bombed the Murmansk railway at several points. Soviet and Poland FORMER’S NEW PRONOUNCEMENT. (Rec. 11.5). MOSCOW. Julv 17. M. Lozovsky, spokesman of the Soviet Information Bureau, said: “The Soviet, in principle, stands for the independence and freedom of Poland, as also for the independence and freedom of Czechoslovakia and other German-occupied countries.”