ROUND SMOLENSK

Grey River Argus, 28 July 1941, Page 5

ROUND SMOLENSK

MANY BATTLES ENEMY CLAIM IN SOUTH Raid on Moscow Repulsed Russian Reports guerrilla success [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assi-»I LONDON, July 25. The Soviet Information Bureau specially mentions a Red Army guerrilla detachment which attackea enemy communications and fuel and ammunition columns and then lured an important German unit into a swamp, where it practically annihilated it. , . „ The Soviet spokesman at Moscow, M Lozovsky, referring to the Smolensk sector,'quoted the German newspaper “Frankfurter Zeitung” as stating “The fortresses we thought we had captured have suddenly renewed their resistance, utilising underground fortifications which were not noticed bv our forces. Here and then we have been compalled to light in territories which we had considered conquered. , , , M. Lozovsky added that a greater share of the bag of Nazi aeroplanes belonged to the night fighters than to the anti-aircraft defences. The Moscow radio states that the German Army is losing' 38,000 men daily in killed, wounded and missing. With their second offensive blunted and bent, the Germans, after live weeks of terrible lighting, are stm farther from Moscow' than thev were from Paris when last year’s Western blitzkrieg began. A Russian communique mentions that intensive fighting is continuing in the Petrozavodsk, Porkhov, Polots, Neval, Smolensk and Jitomir areas. GERMAN LOSSES. (Rec. 9.10). LONDON, July 26. Saturday’s Russian communique savs: “No substantial changes have taken place in the disposition of our troops. The enemy has been suffering heavy losses in stubborn fighting in the Polotsk, Neval. Smolensk, and j’itomir areas.

Saturday’s Fighting SOVIET REPORT. “NO IMPORTANT CHANGES.” (Rec. 9.10). MOSCOW, Julv 26. A Soviet communique states: There was stubborn fighting on Saturday in the- Porkhov, Neval. Smolensk an.i Jitomir sectors. . There have been no important changes at the front. We destroyed two German infantry divisions in the Smolensk sector. NEW SOVIET PLANES (Rec. 9.30) LONDON. July 26. “The Times” correspondent on me German frontier say's: The Russians, apparently are not having the least difficulty about equipment. They have just sprung an unpleasant surprise for the Germans on the southern front by introducing a new ultramodern'fighter plane, a “Mik 101.” 47 GERMAN PLANES. CLAIMED BY RUSSIANS ON THURSDAY. (Rec. 7.0). RUGBY, July 26. Russian communique states: On the battlefields, according to detailed information received on Thursday, 47 Geiman planes were destro' ed M. Lozovsky added that the greater share of the bag of Nazi ’planes belonged to night fighters than to the A.A. defences. He indicated that the battle for Smolensk was still raging. GERMAN ATROCITIES MOSCOW ALLEGATION. LONDON, July 26. An official announcement froni Moscow alleges shocking atrocities by' Germans in a vain attempt to extract information from Russian prisoners.

GERMAN MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.

SOVIET RADIO STATEMENT

(Rec. 12 50). LONDON. July 21. The Moscow radio declared: "Ihe German General- Staff is pressing for the temporary retirement of Heir Hitler, whose nervous disease is oecnminv worse.” I! added: “According to one of tne oldest members of the diploma vie corps in Stockholm, there is an influential group among the nazi leaders who are inclined to meet tne demands of the German Genera.s ioi a military dictatorship.” FEELING IN GERMANY. LONDON, July 25. American Consular officials- who have arrived in Lisbon from biermany said there was general dissatisfaction in Germany as to slow progress in the Russian campaign, particularly after a revelation o) large German casualties. HOPES IN BRITAIN THAT RUSSIANS WILL DELAY ENEMY. (Rec. 7.0) NEW YORK, July 26. Sir Gerald Campbell, on his return here from London, stated to an mteiviewer: “It was at first feared that Russia would be unable to offer long resistance against Germany, but now the position is much more hopeful. Nevertheless the German war machine is so tremendously and relentlessly efficient, that the British are inclined only to hopethat an ean.y Russian winter and Hitler’s Russian diversion may have given England a welcome breathing space