SPLENDID MORALE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24710, 12 September 1941, Page 5

SPLENDID MORALE

The correspondent also points out that the Finns emphatically deny the German Reports that their forces from’the south contacted the Finns on the' Karelian Isthmus. i . The. official German spokesman admitted that Leningrad still retains ah fohtlet. to Lake Ladoga. il-A’ccdrding- to- Gerrpan. despatches, German sappers have already removed 10,000 mines from the town of Shlisselburg, but thousands more remain. “ The Russians mined private houses and all buildings. They concealed mines in stores, mattresses, and cupboards.” German Aircraft Losses Continued stubborn fighting on the whole front yesterday is reported in an overnight Russian communique, which states that 59 German aircraft were destroyed on September 8 in air combats and on aerodromes, while Russian losses were 27. The communique continues: “On September 9 the Germans repeatedly attempted to raid Leningrad from the air. but were driven off every time by our fighters. Only a few planes broke through and dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs from a great height. Fires broke out in dwelling houses but were soon extinguished. Thirty-two enemy planes were destroyed oh the approaches to Leningrad, over the town and on enemy aerodromes on September 9.” ,

THE RUSSIAN FORCES TWO COUNTER-ATTACKS •-‘ * 9 CONSIDERABLE GROUND GAINED LONDON, Sept. 10. The military writer of the Times says independent. corroboration of the substantial advance by Marshal .Timoshenko’s forces has been .received in London. It was previously' 1 known that a well-directed counter attack had been 'in progress for oyer a week, and. it now appears that in addition to the considerable gain of territory, made south-east-lyard. and southward from Smolensk, another counter attack farther south, roughly about halfway between Smolensk and Kiev; is also meeting a large measure of success. These advances prove not-only the splendid morale of The Russian armies, but retention of the offensive spirit by the commanders long after the •period-of retreat,- , 1 . v, : r; The ; Times correspondent on the ‘German ■ frontier' says there is still no proof that Leningrad is isolated by land. On the contrary, the Russians are. apparently operating at least one important railway connection between Leningrad and MosCOW.a.i- - ■ ■ ■ ‘’A 4, w-i%elTnstras^e ! spokesman' declared; “If Leningrad is 100 per cent, defended it will be 100 per cent, destroyed,” but The Times correspondent describes the threat as mere playing to the gallery,” because the Germans do not want a heap of ruins, but Leningrad’s industrial potential as well as winter quarters for the German Atmy. Battle at River Crossing

Reports from the Eastern front, states the London German newspaper Die Zeitung, confirm that the German command is unable to secure, timely evacuation of the wounded from the front because of a shortage of ambulances and transport vehicles. The Germans are using ammunition lorries to evacuate the wounded. Thousands of wounded gathered along the roads awaiting transport receive no medical aid. A German military doctor stated that half of the wounded Germans and.Rumanians fail to reach field casualty stations or hospitals. After fighting near Blazoveschenka, in the Odessa region, stretcher bearers . picked up 900 killed and 2100 wounded German and Rumanian officers and men. Of the wounded 900 died within three days as the Command did not send a single vehicle, even for the gravely wounded officers. An enormous death rate was also caused by a shortage of medical supplies and personnel.

The Red Star’s correspondent, elaborating the description of an operation in which 4000 Germans were drowned, says: “ The German command massed a Panzer group in this section, consisting of several tank divisions and mechanised units, intending thus to ensure the advance eastwards. The Soviet Air Force for several days and nights assailed the German tanks as well as German fear positions, while our tanks and other arms joined in a general battle, in which the enemy put up fierce resistance. The struggle near the crossing of river ‘N’ was particularly stubborn, but we finally broke fhe enemy’s resistance. The Germans lost 238 tanks, 50 planes, 486 lorries, 135 guns, 39 machineguns, 27 minethrowers, 34 motor cycles, 95,000 rounds of ammunition, 05 cases of shells, and a quantity of automatic weapons. The German 17th- tank divisions, Which had previously been considerably battered, alone suffered 1600 casualties. Another German division lost 600 officers and men killed. The Germans are now falling back under powerful blows.” r The Ukraine Front Hide-and-seek activity continues vigorously on the Ukraine front, with every indication that Marshal Budenny, like Marshal Timoshenko,, has a strong itch to be “ up and at 'em.” The German radio reports i'ejjeated Soviet attempts to land on the western bank of the Dnieper. The Stockholm correspondent of The Times says: “It is generally known that small Soviet craft in the Gulf of Finland, particularly submarines, possess an outlet through Canalto to the White Sea, but few people know that many could penetrate the .interior, even to Moscow and the Caspian Sea, by the Mariya canal system linking the, Neva and Volga. This system has been greatly developed in the past few years to enable the passage of ocean steamers.”