NAZIS CHECKED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 July 1941, Page 5

NAZIS CHECKED

OPINION IN BRITAIN & AMERICA CLAIMS CALLED FANTASTIC. ANTICIPATED SUCCESS NOT ACHIEVED. (Received. This Day, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON. June 30. Authoritative opinion in London is that Germany, after eight days of fighting against Russia, has failed to achieve anything like the successes expected. Evidence is growing that advances were made, in the early stages, in areas of Russia lightly manned, but since the Germans encountered Russian mechanised units the thrust has been halted. The German claims to sensational successes have been received in America with a great deal of scepticism. While army experts were expecting German successes, they believe that the fantastic claims made yesterday must be heavily discounted. The “Her-ald-Tribune” says the Russians could hardly be fighting at all if they had sustained such casualties. GERMAN CLAIMS AND RUSSIAN REJOINDER. (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON. June 30. A military spokesman in Berlin said this afternoon that German troops had occupied. Minsk and were now advancing eastward. A communique issued from Hitler’s headquarters says: “We are tightening the ring encircling Russian forces in the central part of the front. We are pursuing the enemy on the northern flank and have captured Liepaja.” A Russian communique says: “Two enemy infantry battalions in the Kaki-S salmi sector thrice attacked our positions, but retreated behind the State frontier, leaving 300 dead.”