MOSCOW CONFIDENCE

Grey River Argus, 30 October 1941, Page 5

MOSCOW CONFIDENCE

CANNOT BE TAKEN Enemy Being Held Back HEAVY GERMAN LOSSES. LATEST MOSCOW REPORT. [Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] (Rec. 1.43.) LONDON, October 29 Reports from the Soviet capital, say dispatches from Moscow state that German forces hammering at the city’s approaches lost sixty per cent, of their fighting strength, and that Soviet artillery was laying down a devastatingly fierce'barrage. It was added: “It has become clear that, although the Germans have brought up strong and extensive reserves, they will not take Moscow.

Russian Counter-Attack PROVING EFFECTIVE.

(Rec. Midnight) LONDON, Oct. 29. Reviewing the military situation on Wednesday morning, the Moscow Radio said that Soviet troops w ere launching counter-attacks on a number of sectors of the Moscow f ron t> The Red Army had repulsed all attempts to cross the River Naro ana also were firmly ' holding crossings over the River Oka. It continued: “Our tanks and mechanised infantry on the Moscow front recaptured suburbs of the town. Our troops in the Malo Yaroslavets sector are advancing after repulsing German

counter-attacks. “The Germans in the Orel sector appear to be still attempting a major thrust from the south of Moscow. They are throwing in huge forces of tanks and mechanised mfantrv, but the Russians are holding thorn. The Germans .have not progressed since the beginning of these attacks, days ago. "Soviet ’planes in the River Oka area have destroyed in the past three days 68 tanks, 35 motor lorries and much other war material. German dead and wounded numbered 2,000.

On Moscow Fronts RUSSIANS REPORT THEIR LINES FIRM. LONDON, October 28. Mondav night’s news from Moscow of the fighting in the battle for that city was better, after reports which for two days had spoken of the seriousness of the situation. Messages from Moscow said the Russians had brought all German advances to a standstill.' This news followed the appointment of General Zhukov as the new commander of the north and central sectors. To the Moscowdef enders, General Zhukov said: Do not step back. We must seek out enemy tanks and destroy them. We must go forward and put every tank into battle.” Reports from the Russian front indicate thati the Russians are throwing back the Germans on all sectors of the Moscowfront after the most violent on-

slaught in all history. Everywhere the Russian lines still stand firm. Moscow Radio said the enemy' crossed the river Naro, 40 miles south-west of Moscow, but the Russians counter-attacked, • and beat them back to the other side. Russians had been particularly successful in holding the thrust at Kalinin, which is specially dangerous, because it could be' developed in alternative directions —tow'ards the north, where it could be a threat to the troops east of Leningrad, and towards the south, where it could be the start of a drive behind Moscow. A Russian withdrawal on one sector of the Moscow front which resulted in the Russians taking up new defence lines occurred after a German attack with 120 tanks. Soviet forces in another sector, however, threw back the enemy, capturing a number of prisoners and Quantities of war .material. The Russians made fresh counter-at-tacks in the Malo Yaroslavets area, forcing back the enemy, who attempted to counter-attack but was driven off. There was a German attack for a new point The enemy bombed a town, which is not named, fiercely following this up with a substantial tank attack, but the onslaught failed. Germans repeatedly tried to pierce Russian lines, but were forced to withdraw, with the loss of 40 tanks, many aeroplanes, and heavy casualties. A new Russian line, south-west of Moscow is being formed along the River Naro, which links with the Oka at Serpukhov, but there is no confirmation of this. Monday night’s Russian communique again referred to fighting in the directions of Mozhaisk and Malo Yaroslavets, west and south-west of the capital. To the north-west, round the town of Kalinin, there is still fierce fighting. . Tuesday’s reports did not indicate a vast change at Moscow, the Moscow Radio giving an impression that the situation was a little easier. All the German thrusts had been firmly held and at some points the enemy was pushed back at the point of the bayonet. A supplementary Russian communique describing how 80 German tanks, heavily escorted by aircraft, attacked the defences at one point, and the Russians stood firm, and the Germans left on the battlefield 42 tanks and eight aeroplanes. Red Air Force bombers, particularly the deadly Stormovik dive-bombers, also hit back heavily, the Moscow Radio reporting the destruction of 50 tanks and 200 lorries. I

A Russian communique states: Our troops yesterday and last night engaged the enemy in the directions of Mojaisk and Malo Yaroslavets. One of our units, operating in one sector on the central front, successfully repulsed two attacks by German tank columns, consisting of over eightv tanks. Our men applied, skilfully, methods of fighting against tanks and destroyed forty- 1 two of them. Attempts by German ’planes to support the columns were unsuccessful. Eight enemy ’planes were shot down by our A.A. fire. On Saturday 39 German ’planes were destroyed, not 27 as previously stated. Eight enemy ’planes -were brought down near Moscow, yesterday.

The British United Press correspondent at Kuibyshev said: Dispatches from the Moscow front confirm the earlier report that the thrust towards Moscow has been checked at all points. The Red Army, counter-attacking, regained some ground. Savage fighting continues in the direction of Malo Yaroslavets and Mozhaisk. Dispatches from Moscow to Kuibyshev report a slight improvement in the Soviet position, despite relentless German pressure in the Mojaisk and Mello Yaroslavets area, General Zhukov repulsing incessant German attacks, which were held at all joints except one. There the Germans have driven a small wedge into the Soviet defence line. The Russians under General Rokossovsky launched a counter-attack in'the Mojaisk sector. Moscow Radio said: On Sunday and Monday, there were Russian counter-attacks. Soviet units are

increasingly taking the cpvpral counter-attacks they lorceu the enemy to retreat in a. number of sectors. The Germans in front ol Moscow are meeting with iron resistance. In an attempt J° h b g through to a town in .the north Ger Kl„g“ n sTr t S ted on Say Xht, 1 a t t he the 11 °cost g of &^ imnortance Next morning, the bTtl?e flared up again. Three German regiments were throw n against thp Russians m an attempt to take the road leading into the town, but all these attacks were repelled, and further German forces were wiped out In the Mojaisk sector, the Russians forced the enemy back Moscow “Red Star” said that on Tuesday Soviet troops launched counter-attacks on all sectors of the Moscow front, and made some headway.” At a number of places, they fortified themselves in new P°“The Times’s” Stockholm correspondent says: Germans outside Moscow have already had a taste of snow', followed by a mixture of snow and rain, with the temperature hovering around freezing point. They admit this is very trying, but are consoling themselves during such periods, with thoughts that these won’t endure long in Central Russia, and that the “firmer Winter must soon settle down. Competent observers at Stockholm believe that only part of the gigantic German Army is likely to be suitably protected, whereas Winter has no surprises for the Russians. Discussion on the weather was stimulated by a sudden descent of cold on Sweden on Tuesday with the temperature eight to 10 degrees below zero centigrade. A single night of such cold would inevitably affect inadequately sheltered and clothed troops very depressingly, especially when they realised it as merely a foretaste of the unknown horrors of real Russian Winter in the opqn. Therefore, the German supply problem is greatly intensified by the necessity for providing soldiers with tolerably comfortable warmth. The time lag between engagements on the Russian front and information thereanent from Soviet sources has probably considerably increased since the transfer of the Bureau of Information to Kuibyshev, which is an important factor in attempts to assess the situation on various sectors. "The Timtes’s” Stockholm correspondent points out that the quality of unofficial Russian news also deteriorated after the transfer of the seat of Government from Moscow’. BOMBERS OVER MOSCOW. (Rec. 7.0.) LONDON, October 28. Moscow Radio stated: Several groups of German ’planes attempted to raid Moscow on Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night,. Only single ’planes penetrated the city’s defences. They dropped incendiaries and high explosive bombs at random, mostly in residential quarters. There were some casualties. No military damage was done. BO.W. RUGBY. October 29. The Moscow radio described an air attack which was made on the capital on Tuesday and early on tne morning of Wednesday by some groups of German planes. It said: "The greater cart of the German planes were dispersed bv anti-aircraft fire and fighters, and could not reach Moscow. Those which did reach the capital dropped a number of bombs, but no military objectives were damaged. There were some casualties.

Other Accounts

OF MOSCOW OPERATIONS.

LONDON, October 28. The Germans, according t 0 Vichy Radio, are about 20 miles from Moscow. They reached the town of Zvenigorod, 28 miles west of Moscow. . Soviet forces werei still in possession of the town, for which fierce fighting continued. The Ger mans also reached Klin, 50 miles north-west, and the neighbourhood of Serpukhov, 50 miles south, illuminating details of the operations o’" the Eastern Front are even more conspicuouslv absent than usual. For this reason, commentators tend to concentrate attention on the weatner. Moscow ‘‘Red Star” says the Germans are flinging in fresh reserves continually on the Moscow i r °hts, but are concentrating their mam forces on the right and left wings of this front. x ~ Reports to London tend to confirm an impression that no vital change has occurred in the past few days, and that the Germans are propably 40 miles from the capital. Berlin Radio continues to deny that either a big Russian army or reserves remain in existence. The Swedish newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet’s” Berlin correspondent asked the German spokesman for an explanation of Hitler’s promise that the war with Russia will be won before the Winter. The spokesman said that the last Russian resistance would be broken when the roads freeze. Germany had wiped out 260 Russian divisions, leaving not more than 100 to defend the whole front. New Russian armies were benig mobilised, but would be poorly trained and equipped.

ENEMY ADVANCE INDICATED.

FROM NOR’WEST TOWARDS MOSCOW.

RUSSIAN REPORTS.

(Rec. 11.55). RUGBY, October 29. ; The mention of the town of Votekolamsk, a town nearly 70 miles west-north-west of Moscow, on the railway from the Rjev junction, made for the first time, in a Russian communique, which has been received early to-day. „ This communique states: On laeo day. our troops have been engaged in fighting in the directions of Mokaisk, Malo Yaroslavets, Volokelamsk and Kharkov. The attacks of German troops on our positions m se . eral sectors of the Western Front have been repulsed bv units of tne Red Army with great losses to tne enemv. Incomplete figures show tnat on Monday 31 German planes were destroyed. W e lost 12 planes Completed figures show that on Monday 20 planes were shot down near Moscow. and not eight as earlier stated. On Tuesday near Moscow, six enemy planes were shot down. Tiflis Radio reaffirmed that the Soviet can continue the war for a vear. It said: Our great allies, England and America, are replacing our losses. The loss of many Russian factories will not affect the war’s progress. The Moscow Radio said that the Germans 'have' occupied large and important industrial areas, but have not succeeded in capturing factory machinery, which has been evacuated far inland. “Pravda” states that the German casualties totalled 300,000 in the past fortnight. A Moscow report stated: In one sector on the south-western front, our units inflicted heavy losses on German troops, who attempted to break through dur lines of defence. In two days’ fighting, seven hundred German officers and men were killed in front of our positions. Some groups of Nazi soldiers who broke through the defence lines of our po-

s’ition were surrounded and completely annihilated. Our troops captured five enemy tanks, nine guns, twenty-two motor mortars, sixty automatic rifles, and a large quantity of ammunition.

Germans’ Donetz Drive RUSSIANS’ POSITION CRITICAL.

LONDON. October 28. The position in the Donetz Basin is very critical. The “Red Star” admitted that the German drive in the Donetz Basin has not yet been halted. A German communique states: Pursuit of the enemy continues in the Donetz Basin.

GERMANS NEAR ROSTOV. LONDON, October 28. The Germans’ drive from Taganrog has brought them very close to Rostov. That town is preparing to meet the expected assault. It remains to be seen how soon the Germans will be ready for it. Their losses have been very severe, especially in recent battles for Tag*anrog . and Stalin. An earlier London report indicated that the Germans were about ten miles from Rostov, which is a great industrial centre east of the Azov Sea, and on the north-west margin of the Caucasus region. FATE OF KHARKOV. NOT YET CAPTURED. LONDON, October 28. The Moscow Radio admits that Kharkov is now seriously threatened. The German High Command’s claim to have captured Kharkov seems to be premature. The battlefield round the city is strewn with German tanks, and in one day alone the enemy is said to have lost 3,500 officers and men. Some reports state that fighting is proceeding in the suburbs of Khar" kov. The latest German official report says: We have penetrated Kramatorskay (apparently an industrial town near Kharkov), and the Soviet thereby lost one of its largest tank factories. The Hungarians took other important industrial towns. CRIMEAN FRONT. LONDON, October 28. The Moscow Radio declared that the Germans, in their first unsuccessful offensive against the Crimea between September 24 and October 1. lost 30,000 killed or wounded. The Germans then began the second offensive, but suffered 20,000 casualties in the first four or five days thereof. MILITARY CHIEFS. CONFER WITH HITLER IN RUSSIA. (Rec. Midnight) LONDON, Oct. 29. .The Brussels Radio announced Herr Hitler has received Marshal Von Keitel (Chief of the German General Staff) and Marshal Von Brauchtisch (the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army), at his headquarters on the eastern front.

Russian Prospects 8.0.W. RUGBY, October 28. In spite of the rapid approach of full winter conditions along thu whole Eastern Front, the first manifestations of which have already appeared, and of the unremitting Russian resistance which after more than three weeks of the most intense fighting appears to have prevented the Germans advancing anywhere on the Moscow perimeter nearer than some 50 miles from the- capital, the position of the Soviet, is clearly considered. by competent observers to be as serious as at any time since the war started more than three months ago. . Mr J. L. Garvin reviews the position fully in a leading article in the “Observer,” of whicn he is editor. He says: “We must envisage with steady eyes the situation now developing in the Soviet Union itself. Three things must be distinguished: (1) the menace to Moscow itself;. (2) the future of the Red Armies; (3) the sinister German drive in the south through the industrial Ukraine towards Rostov. “That position, now pretty Gear, is regarded by the invaders as an invaluable key to further communications leading on to the lower Volga, the Caspian and the Caucasus. Whether to be attempted bv hook or crook during the winter, or reserved for reorganised operations on the largest scale next spring, these further spaces are now the enemy’s certain objectives. Their bearing on the whole position of the British Empire in the Middle East might become direct and momentous. "For one thing, the success of the German designs beyond Rostov ■would threaten to frustrate the new lifeline of communications between | Britain and Russia through Iran. A common battleground with our allies may have to come. Moscow is a mighty drama by itself. As yet we are only witnessing the beginnings of its climax. Partlv the enemy is delayed bv fearful weather as well as obstinate defence, and partly by his regrouping for the final offensive, which is meant to be irresistible. Even the Russians never have fought better than in the last week. They have slowed up the whole plan of envelopment in its central operations and have held it up on the wings. But. the wheel of the immense machine grinds on. “The invaders are labouring under execrable conditions, through forest, swamp, snow, rain, mist and mud. Weather and piestige may compel Hitler to make a bigger, wider bid than yet appears for the capture of Moscow as his winter quarters. But he may not succeed or not before he' has had to digest his fury under galling disappointment.

It seems almost certain that the glorious Russian resistance has secur- ) ed for a formidable bulk of the Red • Armies a far better chance to effect their escape from ‘octopus’ operations. If this should be so, as we hope and believe, the enemy will be cheated of his most coveted prey. “In tjie Urals and far beyond, not merely are the potential resources inexhaustible. It is estimated that ‘■'ome millions of skilled workers are already being removed from invauea Russia to the region of new arsenals 1000 miles awav from the furthest points yet reached bv the German armies. It is certain that the new armies to be trained in different regions under Marshal Voroshilov and Marshal Budenny will be formidable in numbers beyond what Hitler has imagined in his darkest dreams. But ail depends on the eciual ‘M’npment of those numbers. With that, tne ultimate victorv of the common cause will be assured in Russia ana the world. Nothing else on each can make it assured.”

SOVIET AIRMEN VISIT LONDON. (Rec. 12.35). LONDON. October 2"Mikhail Gromov, a Soviet ace pilot, and four other Russian airmen have arrived in London. Thev called on M. Maiskv. Soviet Ambassador Gromov was chief pilot in a Soviet plane •which, registered a record non-stop Moscow-to-California flight via the North Pole in 193?.