DISASTROUS FAILURE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 October 1941, Page 5

DISASTROUS FAILURE

OF GERMAN PANZER ATTACK BATTLES ON THE CENTRAL FRONT. ENEMY STILL BEING PRESSED BACK. LONDON, September 30. The German onslaught toward Moscow has met with disastrousfailure as the result of a Soviet counter-offensive. A Moscow message says that 12 to 13 German divisions which lately attacked under the command of General Guderian (the panzer organiser who broke the French front at Sedan last year) were driven back in full, disorderly retreat. The enemy have since attempted to rally but are still being pressed back. It has to be borne in mind that the present Soviet advance is slow compared with some of the German drives in the Russian campaign, but the Ger-| man panzers have lost enormously in this battle and, moreover, their offensive strategy over a front of 400 miles has been disrupted. It is learned in London that there is no indication of any German advance anywhere on the Russian fronts. On other sectors the main interest centres in Leningrad. The overnight Moscow communique reports a seven days' tank battle. One Russian' tank unit destroyed 10 enemy tanks and much other equipment was put out of action. NAZI PLANS FOILED. Describing the fighting on the central front, Major Ananayev in an article in the “Soviet War News” says that General Guderian’s advance against Bryansk was planned to coincide with an advance far to the north in the Valdai. Hills, where the German first, tank group aimed to establish itself. Guderian, commander of the second tank group, aimed to take Roslavl (70 miles south-east of Smolensk), and develop the break-through toward Moscow beween Roslavl and Bryansk (70 miles further south-east). The extreme southern wing would swing south-eastward and capture Kursk, north of Kharkov. Marshal Timoshenko’s counter-offen-sive defeated these intentions. Foiled in their attempts to take Bryansk from Roslavl, the Germans wheeled south and attacked from Pochep. When this attempt was also defeated, Guderian turned still further southward and tried a three-pronged attack, whereupon the Red Army garrison of Bryansk marched southward along the Desna River and engaged Guderian at Trubchevsk ' (50 miles south-west of Bryansk).’ The Germans retreated after several days’ fighting, and this gave the Russians the opportunity for the counteroffensive, which was launched in several sectors.. The Germans were beaten back all along the line between Pochep and. Novgorod Syeversk, and round Pochep dozens of villages were retaken. AIR INVASION THREAT.

The London “Daily Telegraph" adds that it is believed in Stockholm that the Germans intend to launch a gigantic airborne invasion in the Crimea. According to information received in Russian circles in Stockholm, four regular “wehrmacht" divisions arc standing by in Rumania in. readiness to invade the Crimea, while shock spearhead forces consisting of three special paratroop divisions of 7000 men each, and two picked S.S. divisions, have been assembled at Bulgarian airfields at Varna and Burgas and also at Russe.

The Russians also report the arrival of 1000 Junkers transport planes at these airfields and also paratroops at Constanta, Tulcea, and Silistra. The Crimea is roughly three times the size of Crete, and has about 700 ; - 000 people. A large part consists of high, arid, prairie lands, but there are mountain ranges rising to 5000 feet. The peninsula has several important iron mines.