Germans Plan To Sever Kiev Supply Lines, Encircle City

Northern Advocate, 16 September 1941, Page 5

Germans Plan To Sever Kiev Supply Lines, Encircle City

Leningrad Battle Grows In Ferocity

[British Official Wireless] (Received 11 a.m.) RUGBY, September 15. A SERIOUS THREAT TO THE SOVIET FORCE IN THE KIEV SECTOR IS SEEN BY MILITARY COMMENTATORS IN LONDON IN THE EVACUATION BY THE RUSSIANS OF KREMENCHUG, ON THE EASTERN BANK OF THE DNIEPER, SOME 80 MILES NORTH-WEST OF DNEPROPETROVSK. The German plan would appear to be to advance in a southeasterly direction from Chernigov, which they recently captured, to join up with the forces advancing north-east from Kremenchug. If successful, this operation would result in the encirclement of Kiev and destroy its communications with the rest of Russia. The bitter resistance which the German communique says is being encountered in the Leningrad sector is considered here to indicate that the Nazi losses in their attempts to capture the city have been particularly heavy.

May Leave City While the battle for Leningrad dominates the Russo-German war in western thoughts, Moscow’s morning news of the withdrawal from the big industrial town of Kremenchug claims attention. This move, besides indicating that the Germans have crossed the lower Dnieper, greatly increases the danger of the complete encirclement of Kiev. Kiev, however, stands fast, ringed by powerful fortifications with a big belt of swamp country forming a natural barrier to the north-eastern approaches now made treacherous by heavy rains. Marshal Budenny may yet sacrifice Kiev to save 100.000 troops there and keep his front intact. In the meantime. it is imperative that the Russians hold the banks of the Dnieper as long as possible so as to delay the destruction of the valuable industries in the Don Basin. Inferno of Shell The battle for Leningrad is daily gathering ferocity. The Germans continue to attack violently, regardless of cost, by day and night, and artillery duels have converted the battlefield outside the city into an inferno. Each side is hurling immense quantities of steel and explosives against the other. With enemy forces massed at the approaches to the city, there is little doubt that Leningrad's position is critical, but Russian morale shows no signs of weakening. Units of the Russian Civil Guard for three weeks have been fighting' shoulder to shoulder with the Red Army regular troops in what must be one of the bloodiest battles in history. The Russians are inflicting a terrible toll of casualties for every yard of territory relinquished, and the German High Command has been obliged to throw in fresh divisions. Armed Workmen Civilians of Leningrad have proved themselves capable of acts no less daring than those of the regulars. For example, armed workmen successfully repulsed an attempt to storm the famous Putiliv munition works outside the city. According to the newspaper “Pravda,” civil guards holding a subsector of the front drove back the Germans at the bayonet point, crossed a river which is not named, and recaptured several villages, which they held in spite of mass air raids. Marshal Voroshiloff is ceaselessly attacking in the Shlisselburg region, east of Leningrad, where the fighting line is moving back and forth with the fortunes of battle. Guerillas Active Guerilla forces are giving effective “behind the line" support to the defenders of the city. It is officially stated that a single band of guerillas killed over 300 Germans, routed an enemy unit headquarters and destroyed large quantities of material. The Russian High Command reports that aeroplanes from the Russian Baltic fleet have joined in the defence of Leningrad and already have inflicted heavy losses on the enemy by divebombing. It is stated that two German destroyers were sunk in an endeavour to penetrate the sea approaches to Leningrad. Nearing Smolensk Moscow claims that the Russian artillery is shelling the German positions around Smolensk, from which city advanced Russian units are claimed'to be only 12 miles. It is reported that the Russians, after capturing Yelnia, are now fighting near Yartsevo. where many Germans have been taken prisoner. There is a dearth of news concerning the fighting for Kiev. It is not known whether the Germans have been able to make any substantial progress beyond Chernigov, which would seriously threaten Kiev from the east. A Moscow communique says: “After many days hard fighting our forces have evacuated Kremenchug.” This town is south-east of Kiev, on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, below Cherkasi. German Claims The communique adds that a unit of Marshal Voroshiloff’s army on the north-west front, during repeated battles, has destroyed over 10,000 Germans. 200 tanks and hundreds of motor cars and guns. A German communique says that as a result of the favourable progress of operations in the east the way is beingcleared for a new successful battle. After strong German forces had broken into the fortified front of Leningrad, it is claimed, the close encirclement of the city is irresistibly continuing, in spite of bitter resistance. Soviet Counter-Attacks A Soviet supplementary communique instances recent successful Russian counter-attacks. The sector is not indicated, but since it is known tnat successful local counter-attacks continue to be launched by the Russians in the central sector, it is presumed that they have taken place in , this area. The communique says that a veryimportant point on the front was reinforced by the Germans. The Russian troops were ordered- 1 to take this position and the attack was launched. The Germans counter-attacked with tanks supported by infantry, and the

Russians destroyed eight German tanks and inflicted heavy losses upon the enemy infantry. The German infantry called off their attack and were then attacked from the flank. Six hundred Germans were killed. White Russian Successes The second counter-attack launched by the enemy also failed. In fighting on September 11-12 two German regiments were routed. The Germans lost 25 tanks, 28 guns, four wireless stations, many machine-guns, minethrowers, armoured cars and a large amount of ammunition. The communique then refers to successful Russian partisan activities behind the German lines. In White Russia partisan warfare is steadily increasing and in the second half of August losses inflicted by the partisans were very heavy. In consequence of serious losses on the eastern front the Germans have been compelled to remove a great part of their garrison from White Russia in order to replace losses on the front. The Germans sought to replace this garrison with kulaks (well-to-do peasants), and the partisans dealt with these traitors.