ON ALL FRONTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24790, 15 December 1941, Page 5

ON ALL FRONTS

RUSSIAN SUCCESSES TERRIFIC NAZI LOSSES ROADS UTTERED WITH DEAD (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 13. Pravda says; “ The storm of which the enemy heard the first thunder at Rostov and Tikhvin has broken over the heads of the Germans and is driving them from Moscow. Victory does not turn our heads. On the contrary, the effects of it ai’e only beginning. The enemy remains at the distant approaches to Moscow, and the danger is far from overcome. We must annihilate the German hordes and destroy any further risk to Moscow.” Pravda describes the roads from Moscow as littered with German dead, wrecked lorries and abandoned equipment. It says that the enemy concentrated 51 divisions for the last general offensive, and has lost during the battle for Leningrad and Moscow about 30 divisions. In two days’ fighting on the Leningrad front the Russians pushed the enemy back from several populated places and smashed the headquarters of an infantry division. The Russian official announcement of victories states: “ German plans for surrounding and capturing Moscow ended in fiasco and the defeat of the German troops at the approaches to the city. On the central front, on November 16, the Germans threw in 13 tank, 33 infantry and 5 motorised infantry divisions, and began their second offensive against Moscow. They aimed to break through our lines and encircle Moscow with' a wide, outflanking movement, combined with pressure on the front. To attain this, the Germans had to capture Tula, Kashir, Ryazan and Kolomna on the south, and Klin, Solnechnayagora, Rogachev. Yakhrona and Dimitrovsk on the north, and finally to strike against Moscow from three directions to occupy the city. Against our right flank on the Klin-Solnech-nayagora-Dimitrovsk sector, the Germans concentrated the tank groups of Generals Belitch and Schuchner, consisting of seven tank, three infantry and two motorised infantry divisions. Against our left flank, on the Tula-Kashir-Ryazan sector, the Germans concentrated General Guderian’s 2nd Mechanised Army, comprising four tank, one infantry and two motorised infantry divisions. “Having captured Yakhrona, General Kuznetsov’s forces are pursuing the Germans, and have emerged to the south-west of Klin. General Vlassov’s forces have occupied Solnechnayagora.” ' f