MOVE INTO BUKOVINA
MADE BV NAZI MECHANISED FORCES RUMANIANS INVADE BESSARABIA ARCTIC WATERS & BLACK SEA MINED. M. MOLOTOV DENOUNCES GERMANY. LONDON, June 22. A Bucharest telegram says that German mechanised forces have begun to advance into Bukovina, a former Rumanian province taken over by the Russians. Rome radio announced, earlier that Rumanian troops had crossed the Pruth River into Bessarabia. According to an Ankara message General Antonescu, the Rumanian Prime Minister, has appealed to the army and the nation for support. A Rome broadcast announced that Italy has declared war on Russia and that hostilities will begin at 3.30 o’clock this afternoon. The German Supreme Command has broadcast a warning to German people against possible Russian parachute troop landings in the frontier regions for the purposes of sabotage and destruction and has advised the necessity for giving warnings of any such landings. The Berlin radio has announced, as a warlike action, the mining of Finnish and Russian Arctic waters; also the Black Sea. M. Maisky, the Soviet Ambassador in London, today had a long interview with Mr Eden.
Dr. Goebbels, after reading Hitler's proclamation, announced: “One hundred and sixty Russian divisions threaten our frontier. Russia wanted to occupy Bulgaria, the Dardenelles and the Bosphorous. Russia has betrayed the German-Russian Pact. At this moment the greatest march in history is taking place: German troops with Finnish divisions and the conquerors of Norway under the officer commanding in Norway are marching together from East Prussia to the Carpathians. Along the Danube delta and the shores of the Black Sea the German and Rumanian soldiers are united. Our task is not to protect single countries but to save Europe.” In his broadcast M. Molotov said that at 4 o’clock this morning without giving any reason to the Soviet Government, and without any declaration of war, German forces invaded Soviet territory at many places. Towns in the Ukraine and the Crimea were raided and more than 200 people were killed or wounded. Flights of enemy aircraft were seen coming from Finnish and Rumanian territory.
“This unheard of attack is without example in the history of civilisation,” said M. Molotov. The attack had been launched despite the non-aggression pact between the two countries which had been conscientiously observed by the Soviet Government.
“The Ambassador of the German Government stated to me at 5.30 o’clock this morning that Germany had decided to open the war against the Soviet Union,” he continued. “In reply I pointed out that till the very last moment Germany had made no complaint and was attacking in spite of the well-known peaceful intentions of the Soviet Government, and that at not a single point of the frontier had Soviet troops committed any aggressive acts.” M. Molotov branded as a lie a Rumanian report that Soviet planes had attacked Rumanian territory. He also added that the war was not being fought by the people of Germany but at the direction of her bloodthirsty leaders. He called on the Russian people to stand firm, and on the army, air force and navy to fulfil their duty.
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Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 June 1941, Page 5
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512MOVE INTO BUKOVINA Wairarapa Times-Age, 23 June 1941, Page 5
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