BATTLE GOES ON DAY AND NIGHT

Southland Times, Issue 24533, 6 September 1941, Page 7

BATTLE GOES ON DAY AND NIGHT

Russians Confident LONDON, September 4. The latest Russian communique simply says: “Along the entire front the battle continues fiercely.” Concerning the battle for Leningrad, the Soviet Press Chief, M. Lozovsky, said: “Day and night the immense and bloody battle is continuing. We are holding the Germans at the distant approaches to the city. Their losses have been heavy and they are rushing up reinforcements.” Leningrad, said M. Lozovsky, was neither encircled nor cut off. its vast network of railways was still connected with the rest of Russia.

Although unofficial reports of the German attempt to close in on Leningrad dwell on the fierceness of the battles raging in that area—Moscow despatches state that the battlefield is covered with thousands of German dead and wounded and that Marshal Kle-

menti Voroshilov’s troops have beaten off desperate attempts by three German divisions—official communiques from both the combatants remain extremely uncommunicative.

The Russian midday communique states: “During last night Russian troops were engaged in fighting the enemy along the entire front. During the last two days the Air Arm of the Black Sea Fleet has destroyed 50 enemy tanks and has brought down four Messerschmitts.”

The Germans are playing up the magnitude and the success of their offensive against Leningrad, just as they did with their operations in the Ukraine, but the Russians are confident that they will be beaten off if they are not bogged by the weather. The Russian Air Force is doing its part. A communique reports that Soviet airmen are continuing successfully to intercept the enemy air force on the approaches to Leningrad. Seventy enemy planes attempted to attack a large aerodrome under cover of cloud on Wednesday. They were met by a Soviet squadron, which shot down 11 in aerial combat. FIERCE FIGHTING Although the positions reached by the Germans in their push towards Leningrad are still subject to the most coflicting reports, all despatches from the northern front agree that the fighting has reached unparalleled ferocity. The Germans are flinging in tremendous air and land forces, but the defenders continue to stand firm. Bloody battles are proceeding at many points on the southern and western approaches to Leningrad, both sides suffering terrific losses. M. Lozovsky declared that the Germans are still being held at the distant approaches, but the latest despatches from Berlin state that the Germans have been in contact with the Russian defences 10 or 12 miles south-west of the city. The Times correspondent on the German frontier says that while it is possible that small detachments have reached the outskirts of Leningrad, the main forces are still apparently no nearer than 30 miles. M. Lozovsky said that the German claims were pure fantasy. Leningrad was not cut off and was maintaining communications with the rest of Russia.

M. Lozovsky added that the battle between Novgorod and Leningrad continues unabated. The Germans are forced to rush up reinforcements and immense, bloody battles continue unceasingly. Berlin admits that the German advance on Leningrad has slowed down, chiefly because of continued bad weather. The Germans earlier claimed that their troops were near the southern shore of Lake Ladoga and the fortifications of Leningrad were virtually surrounded. It is now admitted that stiff Russian resistance and repeated coun-ter-attacks are making the German task unexpectedly difficult. Berlin sources today stated that German bombers broke the Moscow-Len-ingrad railway at 16 points. According to M. Lozovsky, numerous attempts to raid Leningrad all failed because the defences are too powerful. Mr Ralph Ingersoll, editor of the American newspaper P.M., broadcasting from Moscow, said: “The striking thing

about Moscow is its calmness. There are no parades, no crowds reading the war bulletins and no excitement; only people going about their work quietly. Moscow is different from other war capitals. London is tenser and you can feel war all around you there. I like the way the people of Moscow laugh at fascism. Fear is the fascists’ most powerful secret weapon, but the Russians obviously are not frightened.” Major Kolb, Hitler’s personal adviser and a Nazi Party member since 1923, has been killed in action on the Eastern Front, reports the Voelkischer Beobachter.

A message from Ankara reports that Field-Marshal Siegmund List has been injured on the battlefield.