NAZI TACTICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24735, 11 October 1941, Page 9

NAZI TACTICS

FINDING “ WEAK SPOTS ” DANGEROUS THRUSTS RUSSIANS MAY BE ENCIRCLED RUGBY, Oct. 9. It is generally agreed here that the crisis of the Russian war has been reached. With the supreme effort the Nazis are making to smash Marshal Timoshenko’s army a very serious situation exists in the central sector. The most dangerous German thrusts are those from the area of Vyazma and in the neighbourhood of Orel. In both cases there is a strong possibility that large Russian forces may become encircled. The Nazis are trying their usual tactics of finding “weak spots,” and hammering away when they believe they have been successful, so it is impossible to forecast in what direction the Nazi forces are likely to push in their attempt at encirclement of the Russian troops. It will be recalled that the general opinion recently was that the whole line had been straightened, and that any German attacks would necessarily be frontal ones. These now have been delivered, and there is the possibility of large pockets of Russians being again left behind in the territory over which the Nazis have rushed forward. The Russian morning communique does not carry operations further, simply recording that “ during the night of October 8-9 our forces engaged the enemy along the whole front, a specially violent engagement taking place in the direction of Vyazma, Bryansk, and Melitopol.” The German drive from Poltava towards Kharkov is meeting with very stubborn resistance.

In the southern sector the Germans now officially claim that their advanced units have reached Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. As unofficial German claims stated that their armies in this sector met on the Sea of Azov after advancing from the north and east, there is a danger that the Russian forces counter-attacking at the Perekop Isthmus may have been encircled. There is no indication that the Germans have . advanced at Perekop or that there is any change either at Odessa or Leningrad. Magnificent Resistance

Press comment this morning stresses the magnificent resistance being put up by the Russians and the importance of not being overwhelmed by the size of territorial gains, as the Germans themselves 'are continually stating that their only possible military objective must be the crushing of the Russian armies.

The News Chronicle emphasised the nature of the task of the Russian defenders against a determined, well-pre-pared, and ruthless enemy. "Once again the world is given an awe-inspir-ing and perhaps salutary reminder of the fact that we arc continually apt to forget—the terrific power of the German military machine. For three and a-half, months’ the Nazis have been mounting offensive after offensive up and down the 1500-mile front, arid i» all of them have incurred very heavy losses in material and men. Their problems; of supply must have been incredibly complicated. Yet now they can organise and deliver, not merely another attack, but the most powerful of them all.” „ As the Moscow newspaper Pravda says, “ it Is a question of life or death, and the British people are deeply Impressed not only by the determination of the Russian people, but also by their ability to resist, in spite of continuous and deadly attacks. A Soviet supplementary communique says: On several sectors of the central front heavy fighting took place with the advancing German forces. The Germans threw one division after another against our troops, who offered stubborn resistance and inflicted considerable losses on the enemy. On one sector our aircraft, in co-operation with our infantry and tanks, destroyed 15 enemy tanks and 30 lorries with Infantry. On the south-west front our troops inflicted losses on the enemy. At one sector on the south-west front our enforce bombed enemy motorised columns, destroyed 50 motor lorries loaded fully with infantry, and one very important bridge which the enemy tried to use. On October 6 and 7 our air force inflicted heavy losses on the enemy at the approaches to Leningrad. In one sector on this front six enemy tanks, three armoured cars. 72 motor cars. 18 A:A. guns, and two gun batteries were destroyed. On another sectox on the same front our air force destroyed 10 enemy tanks. 30 motor cars, and 30 A.A. guns, and routed one company of infantry.