MANY VERDUNS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 September 1941, Page 6

MANY VERDUNS

GRINDING MAD FASCIST HORDES HITLER’S PLANS SHATTERED. VALIANT RUSSIAN DEFENCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, September 11. Military circles in London say the German offensive in the region of Gomel has been resumed in a south-east-erly direction after several days delay. The Russian offensive north-westwards of Gomel has not affected it. A curious situation is thus created, with both sides making determined drives more or less parallel with one another. The “Red Star" declares that Russian offensive was launched recently at Kestenga, near. Lake Toposero and is progressing. The enemy is falling back and has sustained heavy losses. The Russians recaptured a strategically important point and annihilated an infantry battalion. The “Red Star's" correspondent, in a despatch from the front, reports that the Germans were dislodged from a village, near Elev and that a severe defeat was inflicted on the German nine-ty-fifth and ninety-ninth divisions. The Tass agency says fierce fighting is proceeding in the direction of Valikiyeluki, where the Russians recently killed over 12,000 Germans, destroyed 340 tanks and shot down 47 planes. The “Pravda" says: “The heroic de,r fence of Leningrad, Kiev and Odessa has broken Hitler's plan to pieces. Not one, but many Verduns are already, grinding up the mad Fascist hordes. The wreckage of over 300 German planes litters the approaches to Leningrad. Many German divisions have been already annihilated. Great and imminent is the danger overhanging the three cities. The cruel, implacable enemy is sparing no effort to seize, plunder and enslave them, but Hitler’s bandits will not frighten the gallant Russians. The whole Fascist hordes will perish."

RUSSIAN COMMUNIQUE STUBBORN BATTLE CONTINUES. ALONG THE WHOLE FRONT. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m.) RUGBY, September 11. The Russian morning communique states: “During the night of September 10 our troops waged a stubborn battle against the enemy on the whole front.” NAZI ORDER OF THE DAY LENINGRAD MUST BE CAPTURED WITHIN FEW DAYS. RUSSIANS’ DEATH-DEALING FIRE. (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) LONDON, September 11. Spurred on by Marshal Von Leeb’s order of the day, declaring that Leningrad must be captured during the next few days, regardless of cost, German ground troops are relentlessly driving into a death-dealing fire from the Russian fortresses. Marshal Voroshilov’s barrage, is. still preventing the invader from'making any considerable progress. FIERCE AIR RAIDS NAZI ASSAULT ON CITY. TERRIBLE CONDITIONS AROUND ODESSA. (Received This Day, 1 p.m.) LONDON, September 11. “The Times” correspondent on the German front says the air raids on Leningrad are the fiercest of this war. The correspondent adds that the intensification of the onslaught against Leningrad is the direct consequence of Russian counter-strokes towards Smolensk and Gotnel, compelling the Germans to make a supreme effort at both ends of the Eastern front. The Germans also apparently have begun a frontal attack against Kiev, where, according to a disclosure in the “Pravda" the Germans “already had their bloody claws on the city” early last month but were thrown back after losing 30,000 men in the various attacks. A German military spokesman declared that “a perfect hailstorm of bombs” incessantly is falling on Odessa’s port equipment and other military objectives. The Milan newspaper “Lambrosiano” says: “Odessa is one of the most terrible battlefields of history. The 1 ground is covered with the bodies of men and horses, overturned lorries, abandoned guns and tanks. The cries of the wounded are louder than the noise of the machine-guns and bombs.” “The Times” correspondent on the German frontier declares that the Germans in the Leningrad and Odessa sectors have been strongly reinforced and the exhausted Rumanians on the Odessa front have been relieved.

SOVIET AIR FORCE

ATTACKS ON ENEMY UNITS. 81 PLANES DESTROYED, (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 11. A Soviet communique states: “On September 11 our troops were engaged in stubborn fighting along the entire front. Our air force, in close co-op-eration with the land forces, attacked enemy armoured, infantry and artillery units and destroyed planes on enemy aerodromes. On September 9 81 enemy planes, many of which were shot down in combat, were destroyed. Our losses were 41 planes.”

RUSSIAN EFFICIENCY

FRENCH GENERAL’S HEARTENING ACCOUNT. UNLIMITED RESERVES OF MEN AND WOMEN. » (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 11. A very heartening account of Russian efficiency and morale, as he saw ' it during a six weeks’ stay in Moscow, was given by Major Billotte—son of General Billotte, who was killed in Flanders last year, while carrying despatches from General Weygand

to General Gort—who was among the French officers who reached London, after escaping from a German prison, via Russia, to join the Free French forces. Major Billotte stressed the unlimited reserves of men and women at Russia’s disposal and the fact that the resources of man and woman pow'er were almost entirely militarised and the discipline exceptionally good. He expressed the strong opinion that, even if Russia lost Leningrad, Smolensk, Kiev and Moscow, she would still never give in. Of great interest was the statement Major Billotte cited of the editor of the French Communist newspaper “Ce Soir,” to the effect that as recently as last May, 98 per cent of French civilians were definitely opposed to collaboration with Germany.