THRUST AT KHOLM

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 7 August 1941, Page 6

THRUST AT KHOLM

ALTERATION IN NAZI PLAN&? PRESSURE BY GENERALS STALEMATE ON REST OF FRONT • Roc . 12.12 p.m. ' London, Aug . 6. The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says the Nazi offensive in the area around Kholm, the German capture of which is not confirmed, should be welcomed as an admission that the Russians are correct in claiming that a stalemate has been reached everywhere else along the huge battlefront- It is believed it is still Hiller’s dream to end the campaign by occupying Moscow* from Smolensk, but there is evidence that his generals are trying to force an alteration in his plans. The Kholm thrust probably resulted from the generals’ pressure It may seem too early to say whether the Germans will lin'd a weak spot at Kholm. but there is good authority for saying they will not. Kholm lies between two natural barriers, the river Lovat and the Valdai heights. Even if the Germans force the well-defended Lovat they will still have to scale the heights, which should delay them sufficiently to enable Marshal Voroshilov to rush up reinforcements. The German High Command’s failure to press the offensive towards Odessa is believed to indicate that the Hungarians and Rumanians are not anxious to tackle the Soviet mechanised forces w ithout considerable German support, which Berlin ennno' afford to give at present. —U.P A.