MORE SERIOUS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24773, 25 November 1941, Page 7

MORE SERIOUS

THE MOSCOW SITUATION GERMANS REACH KLIN A NEW BATTLE RAGING (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 24. "Although the Russian resistance is increasing every hour on the Moscow front, the capital's situation is more serious than ever," says the Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. " The fighting is growing in intensity at Klin, Volokalamsk, Mojaisk, and Tula. The Germans are bringing up new reserves in a steady stream.: A new battle has been raging during the last 24 hours in the Serpukhov region. Reliable sources confirm that the Russians have withdrawn from Rostov across the Don, blowing up all, bridges and destroying all factories and shipyards, but even the Germans deny the report that they have already crossed the Don. " General von Bock is throwing masses of tanks into the Battle of Moscow in a final desperate effort to win winter quarters before it is too late," says the Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Express. " The situation on the entire Moscow front is serious, and the Germans have advanced to Klin, 42 miles north-west of Moscow, from Volokalamsk. The Luftwaffe has resumed its heavy raids on Moscow." v The Moscow radio declared that the Russians captured a further three important points on--the-Leningrad-'front. The Russians retain the initiative and are constantly attacking. German and Finnish forces which drove a wedge into the Russian defences in the Kestenga sector were flung back to their original positions after a fierce four-day battle. ( The Red Star reports that the; Russians recaptured Malayavishera, the Germans retreating after losing 1000 men. It is unofficially claimed in Berlin that the Germans have crossed the Don and are advancing southwards. The Soviet information bureau reports: " In a: sector on the southern front west of Rostov our forces routed the German 49th Alpine Rifle Corps and a tank division. The Russian counter-attack began on November 20, and by yesterday the Soviet forces had advanced 3? miles. The enemy lost over 7000 killed and considerable war equipment. A Moscow communique states that the Spanish Blue Division, in its first engagement, suffered tremendous losses and many attempted to desert.

No decisive results appear to have been achieved by the Germans in what is reported to be the heaviest offensive yet launched against Moscow. The Soviet mid-day communique merely states: " During the night fighting took place along the whole front." There is still no confirmation by the Russians of the claim by the Germans to have captured Rostov, nor is there any news from Germany whether their troops have succeeded in crossing the wide and swiftly-flowing Don, on the western" bank of which Rostov is situated. Even if this important city has fallen, the Don should prove a considerable obstacle to the Germans' advance towards the Caucasus. Marshal Timoshenko is/ clearly offering the fiercest resistance in this sector-

front, destroyed 47 enemy tanks, 392 lorries with infantry and war equipment. 115 carts with army supplies, and 6 buses and 10 guns, and routed 1600 enemy troops." The Tass Agency reports that both sides are using cavalry on the Tula front. v German cavalry arrived with the latest batch of reinforcements and has already participated in the fighting. The Germans are continually sending up reinforcements and throwing in more tanks. All German attempts to break through on the Leningrad front have failed, the enemy having been thrown back everywhere. The Stockholm correspondent of The Times says the Germans have seized the opportunity for easier mobility as a result of the freezing of the ground, and have resumed the offensive against Moscow on a scale and weight exceeding expectations. The slight Russian retreat at Tula and Volokalamsk was made in good order, and the prospects of unyielding resistance are better than during the «arlier offensives. It is believed that the Germans are unable long to maintain the present strength of the offensive, owing to the inadequacy of supplies, for the present rate of expenditure in casualties is already tremendous, even judged by the high standards of the Moscow front.

Preservation of the oil of the Caucasus and the sea route from the oil wells of Baku to the north Caspian port of Astrakhan is of first importance to the Russians. The current issue of the Economist points out that the oil resources of the Urals are not yet very fully developed, and certainly not adequate alone to meet the demands of the vast and growing Russian industry east of the Volga. That the weather, at least on the southern Russian front,,is not preventing widespread and effective operations by the Red Air Force is indicated in a supplement to to-day's Soviet communique, which states: "The Soviet Air Force, operating on the southern

Although the loss of Rostov is very serious, another railway for the transport of oil from the Caucasus remains, while there is a further route across _ the Caspian to Astrakhan.