SOVIET REPORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 August 1941, Page 6

SOVIET REPORT

NO ADMISSION OF NAZI CLAIMS • POSITION IN UKRAINE & ELSEWHERE. DESTRUCTION OF GERMAN ' REGIMENT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.57 a.m.) RUGBY. August 10. A Russian communique issued early this afternoon in no way substantiates recent German claims regarding important advances, particularly in the Ukrainian sector. It states: “During the night of August 9, our troops continued to wage battles in the directions of Smolensk, Korosten and Bye-laya-Tarkov, as well as in the Estonian sector. In other directions and sectors fighting of a reconnaissance character took place. Co-operating with the ground forces, our Air Force inflicted blows on enemy motor and mechanised units and infantry in the battlefield, and attacked enemy aviation on his aerodromes.” A further section of the communique underlines the importance of the guerilla warfare which the Russians are conducting behind the battlefront, from Finland to the Black Sea. “Members of a guerilla group formed by workers from a Lwow factory,” the communique states, “have killed more than 200 Germans during the past few days. They have also destroyed eight tanks, 25 motor-cars and twelve light tanks.”

The communique further announces the destruction of one of Germany’s crack regiments. It states: “In the Finnish sector, our troops destroyed the 307th German infantry regiment, which was considered by the German military authorities to be one of their best infantry units. This regiment had only recently been brought up tp the front. Its first attack, after artillery preparation, was smashed by the Russian artillery and machine-guns. A second attack, supported by two Finnish battalions, was also repulsed. Our ■units then counter-attacked and surrounded the German regiment. Several officers who attempted to swim a lake were drowned. Many soldiers who have deserted to the Red Army have appealed to their comrades of the 163rd German Division to surrender.” AWARDS FOR VALOUR. The magnitude of recent operations can be gauged from a Moscow agency message stating that 1,105 awards for bravery have been made. The decorations include three for women, while three men have been awarded the title “Hero of the Soviet Union.” The first of the latter awards was made to the leader of a battalion which had been encircled among impassable swamps and repeatedly attacked the enerhy from the rear. The second award is to Lieutenant Kamershchikov, who single-handed brought down four enemy planes and four more in co-op-eration _ with comrades. The third award is to Junior Lieutenant Ridney, who destroyed five enemy planes sin-gle-handed and four more with the help of comrades. His plane was pierced by twenty bullets, but is still in service.