Fight Reaches Unparalleled Ferocity With Terrific Losses

Northern Advocate, 5 September 1941, Page 6

Fight Reaches Unparalleled Ferocity With Terrific Losses

Bad Weather, Brave Defence Slows Attack / r,_,i ‘>o nni ) LONDON. September 4 A LTHOUGH THE POSITIONS REACHED BY THE GERMANS " IN THE PUSH TOWARDS LENINGRAD ARE STILL THE SUPTECT OP MOST CONFLICTING REPORTS, DESPATCHES' FROM THE NORTHERN FRONT AGREE THAT THE FIGHTING HAS REACHED UNPARALLELED FEROCITY. “““‘'"Till. (Jcnnans an- in tivincinloiis air a:*-*! Laiul iorrcs lint the (Wenders continue io slaml linn. "huxly baUles are proeeedim? ill inanv points of ihe soul hern amt western approaches to Leningrad ami 'both sides are sulTernijr terrihe h.s^es. The oflieial Soviet spokesman (M. Lozovsky) d-Hared thatthe Germans arc still beiiiff held at distant approaches, bur Wes despatches Irmn IWlin stale that the Germans made contact with the Russian defences H> or 1- niiles south-west ol tae cit\. “The Times’’ correspondent on the German frontier says that, while it is possible that small detachments may have reached the outskirts of Leningrad, the mam forces are still apparently no nearer than 30 miles.

Not Cut Off 4 M. Losovsky said that the German claims are pure fantasy. LeningsaJ is not cut of! and is maintaining communication with the rest of Russia, he declared. He added that the battle between Novgorod and Leningrad continues unabated. The Germans have been forced to rush up reinforcements and immense and bloody battles continue unceasingly. Slowed Down Berlin admits that the German advance on Leningrad has slowed down, chiefly owing to continued bad weather. . The Germans had earlier claimed that their troops were near the southern end ol' Lake Ladoga and that the fortifications of Leningrad were virtually surrounded. It is now admitted that stiff Russian resistance and repeated counter-at-tacks are making the German task unexpectedly difficult. Eerlin today stated that German bombers broke the Moscow-Lenin-grad railway at 16 points. According to M. Lozovsky numerous attempts to raid Leningrad all failed because the defences are too powerful. Heavy Toll in Air A Moscow communique says that 39 German planes were shot clown on Monday in aerial combat or destroyed on aerodromes. The Soviet losses were 27. Russian airmen are continuing successfully to intercept the enemy on the approaches to Leningrad. Seventy enemy planes, attempting to attack a large aerodrome under cover ot cloud, were met by a Soviet squadron, which shot down eleven in aerial combat. Mr Ralph Ingersoil. editor of the New York newspaper broadcasting from Moscow, said: ‘'The strik-

ing thing about Moscow is its calmness. There are no parades, no crowds reading war bul’ebns, no excitement, only people going about thiev woik quietly. Laugh at Fascism ‘‘Moscow is different from othei i war capitals. London is tenser. You can feel the wai all round you there. I like the way the Moscow people laugh at Fascism. “Fear is the Fascist's most powerful secret weapon, but the Russians are obviously not frightened.’ Despite the war an expedition, led bv Professor Kihailov. is leaving Moscow for South-West Asia to observe the eclipse of the sun on September 21. Observations will be made also from auxiliary posts at Kiev and elsewhere. Pushed Back 32 Miles The Russian offensive on the central [rent appears to have developed successfully. The "Red Star." organ of the Soviet ■ u my, says the Germans have been pushed back 32 miles. The newspaper does not state the location, but most likely it is where Generals Koniev and Rakovsky have been keeping up a icint counter-attack towards Smolensk, Rogachev and Gomel.