SOVIET AIRCRAFT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 October 1941, Page 5

SOVIET AIRCRAFT

SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS AGAINST NAZI MECHANISED FORCES. MUCH MATERIAL DESTROYED OR CAPTURED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 9.40 a.m.) RUGBY, October 23. A Russian supplementary communique states: “The Soviet Air Force is constantly inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Soviet bombers and Stormoviks are carrying out attacks on enemy concentrations. Between October 14 and 18 a combined unit of bombers and Stormoviks destroyed 108 lorries, 6 petrol tanks, 50 motorcycles, several guns and anti-air-craft guns. “During twenty days’ operations on the south-western front, units of our Air Force destroyed 56 enemy planes, 150 tanks, 700 lorries, 15 armoured cars, two infantry battalions, some platoons of cavalry, a number of whippet tanks, machine-guns and mortars. “On the central front, one of our units captured 85 motor-cycles, 12 motor-cars, including two staff cars, six anti-aircraft guns, 10 machine-guns and 5 mortars.” GERMAN CLAIMS OUTER DEFENCES OF MOSCOW BROKEN THROUGH. SPEARHEADS 38 MILES FROM CITY. (Received This Day, 9.25 a.m.) LONDON, October 23. A Berlin communique claims that the outer defences of Moscow have been broken through, from the south and west. German spearheads have fought their way at some points to 38 miles from Moscow, which was heavily bombed. GERMANY’S ALLIES NUMEROUS BUT LACKING ENTHUSIASM. LONDON, October 23. The military correspondent of “The Times” estimates that approximately 45 divisions (over 750,000 troops) from subject races are co-operating with the Germans in the eastern campaign.- This is a powerful reinforcement for the Germans, even though there is no great enthusiasm for the war among some of the contingents.