FURIOUS BATTLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 October 1941, Page 5

FURIOUS BATTLE

RAGING AT OR NEAR MAJAISK TEN THOUSAND NAZI PLANES. IN ACTION. ON CENTRAL FRONT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, October 15. The Kalinin fighting reveals a new German thrust toward the capital besides endangering the Moscow-Leningrad communica-, tions. The Germans may be trying to outflank the capital from the north. Kalinin, of a population of 145,000, is one’of the largest industrial centres in the Upper Volga Basin. While Marshal Timoshenko is rushing up more troops to meet this new attack, the most critical battle for Moscow is still raging at or near Mojaisk, 65 miles due west of the capital, where German panzers were reported by Moscow yesterday to be trying to smash through to Moscow, along Napoleon’s old route. The Germans dismiss this sector by saying that the Russians have been completely annihilated, whereas the Russians say that they are launching violent counter-attacks. Round Bryansk, the Russians say that they have extricated Athe troops in danger of being encircled and arc counter-attacking. The Stockholm correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that the new wave of attacks against Moscow is designed to carry the Fuehrer triumphantly into the Soviet capital. During the last week 200,000 to 250,000 men arrived at Smolensk from France and the othei* occupied countries, after which they were hastily regrouped into assault regiments with a leavening of veterans of the Russian campaign. Long columns of troop-laden lorries travelling to the front have been observed on the roads round Gomel, Bryansk, Minsk, Smolensk, Novgorod, and Velikiye-Luki. --Further Luftwaffe reinforcements, have been transferred from the Leningrad front to the Moscow front. Marshal Kesselring, it is now estimated, has two full air fleets, or 10,000 planes, on the central front between Rzhev and Bryansk. With both sides feverishly rushing

up reserves the vast battle of Moscow . approaches a climax, this correspond- '■ ent adds. Whatever the result—and the , udds still favour the attackers by at 'least two to one —both the Russians and Germans will have lost so heavily as to justify the- view of the Russian General Staff: “This war will be decided by reserves.” GERMAN GAINS ENORMOUS PRICE PAID. STATEMENT BY RUSSIAN SPOKESMAN. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) RUGBY, October 16. According to a Press message, M. Lozovsky, at a Moscow Press conference yesterday, said the German gains in the central sector were some teri ritory, several small cities and a number of villages, for which the Germans paid an enormous price in casualties, and the gains were achieved because of their numerical superiority. ■ He declared: “I am satisfied with the tempo of the liquidation of the gap between the numbers of German and Soviet troops. If the Germans are not satisfied, we can send reinforcements in numbers of which the Germans have no conception.” M. Lozovsky said he knew nothing of foreign reports that a British expedition had arrived at Archangel.