NAZIS DIGGING IN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 September 1941, Page 5

NAZIS DIGGING IN

ON GREAT PART OF EASTERN FRONT SOVIET SPOKESMAN’S SURVEY. V TRENCH WARFARE IN PROSPECT. LONDON, September 23. “There is evidence that the Germans are digging in along hundreds —one might say thousands—of kilometres,” Major-General Sokolovsky, a representative of the Soviet High Command on the central front, told British journalists today. He added. “What lies ahead of the Germans is trench warfare, mud, the Russian roads and winter. Germany’s blitzkrieg is converted into a blitz of destruction of German men and material Closely resembling Verdun but many times greater.” General Sokolovsky estimated the proportion of losses in the past two months as two to one in favour of the Russians in manpower, and five to one in favour of the Russians in material. The Red Army’s advance in the central sector, he said, was due to a superiority in tanks, planes and artillery. The Germans, it was estimated, had lost 1950 planes in the central sector since the beginning of the battle of Smolensk. Since the beginning of September the Russian counter-attacks had resulted in the recapture of territory of a depth of six to 30 miles along a 60-mile front. Ten German divisions had been totally or partly wiped out in these engagements, and the Germans were recently compelled to throw in 10 additional divisions in the hope of localising the Russian advance. These additional divisions had been brought from other parts of the front, but there was no evidence that any had been brought from the Leningrad sector. The Russians were now some 25 miles from Smolensk. SMOLENSK FRONT. An important factor in the Germans’ failure on the Smolensk front; the general said, was a weakness in the rear in consequence of the guerilla activities and also the hostility of the local populations. This weakness was increasing, and a very large number of troops must have been sent from the front to take care of the rear lines. Only the main roads, for instance the Minsk-Orsha-Smolensk road, were properly under German control. The Germans were hesitating to venture from the main roads except in large force, and guerillas were continually attacking the convoys. The failure of the drive against Moscow had compelled Hitler to divert forces to Leningrad and the Ukraine, General Sokolovsky added. “How will it end there? Of course we do not possess all the particulars, but judging from the present information I think it will end just as badly for the Germans as here.” When a journalist asked whether the Russians will feel a serious arms shortage pending the arrival of massive aid from abroad, General Sokolovsky replied, “The resources of Soviet industry are great. It is typical that in this sector the number of planes is now twice last month's figure, and all are new, proving that our plane production is growing daily. Nor is there at present any shortage of artillery and munitions. “But help from abroad is essential, and the sooner it arrives the better for hastening the common victory.”