ENEMY THRUSTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1941, Page 5

ENEMY THRUSTS

GALLANTLY WITHSTOOD BUT STILL DANGEROUS. THREATS TO LENINGRAD & UKRAINE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.45 a.m.) RUGBY. September 7. The situation in Russia at the weekend seems to be that furious fighting continues along the whole front. The Russians are stubbornly contesting Smolensk, the German advances west and south of Leningrad and between Gomel and Briansk, and attempts to cross the lower Dnieper and assaults on the bastions of Kiev and Odessa. The Russians, moreover, are not confining themselves to a stationary defence, but are continually making strong counter-attacks. Both sides must be suffering seriously in men, tanks and aircraft, but. though it is still impossible to say whether the Germans are on their way to gaining decisive successes in the present offensives, they are apparently still continuing to press the Russians back in important sectors. Not only are the great industrial area and port of Leningrad and the Russian naval position in the Baltic threatened by the furious offensive in the north, but the main Russian industrial regions in the Eastern Ukraine and south of Moscow are in danger, through German thrusts eastwards from Gomel. SOVIET REPORT . FIGHTING ALONG WHOLE FRONT. ENEMY’S HEAVY LOSSES OF AIRCRAFT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) RUGBY, September 7. An overnight Russian communique states: “In Saturday our troops engaged the enemy along the entire front. Our aircraft dealt concentrated blows at enemy motorised and mechanised units, infantry and artillery in the field and destroyed aircraft on the ground. It is verified that the number of German aircraft destroyed last Wednesday was 56. On Thursday, 61 German aircraft were destroyed. Our losses were 7.” IMMENSE DAMAGE BEING DONE BEHIND NAZI LINES. ITALIAN NEWSPAPER’S ADMISSION. LONDON, September 6. The Italian newspaper, “Stampa,” in Turin, says that Russian saboteurs are doing enormous damage behind the German lines. The saboteurs wear uniforms but are shot if caught because the Germans will not. hold saboteurs as prisoners. SOUTH WESTERN SUCCESS REPORTED BY RUSSIANS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY. September 7. A midday Russian communique states: “During last night our troops continued fighting with energy on the entire front. Our armed forces in the south-western sector were very successful in attacking enemy artillery and motorised columns.”