FORMER OCCUPANT OF POSITION RECALLED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 November 1941, Page 6

FORMER OCCUPANT OF POSITION RECALLED

Regarded as Russia’s Ablest Strategist ORGANISATION OF NEW ARMIES OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN ON THE OUTLOOK (By Telegraph.—Press Association. Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11 a.m.) LONDON, November 2. Marshal Boris Shaposhnikov has been appointed chief of the Russian General Staff. He was. Chief of Staff until some months ago, when he resigned, owing to ill-health. General Zhukcv was then appointed Chief of Staff to succeed Marshal ' Shaposhnikov and held that position until he was appointed chief of the Moscow defences. Marshal Shaposhnikov has now been recalled to ( his former post. He is considered to be Russia s foremost strategist. Messages from Kuibyshev announcing Marshal Shaposh.nikov’s appointment as Chief of Staff further report (a British official wireless message reports) that Marshals Voroshilov and Budenny are forming, reserve armies, Marshal Timoshenko having succeeded Marshal Budenny in the Ukraine. The Germans are reported to be bringing up reserves on the Moscow front and a new offensive is expected there very soon. This probably is due to an improvement in the weather, which recently has become colder, thus making the new snow less impassable for mechanical vehicles. The Germans, in their four weeks’ offensive against Moscow, have “achieved small results and they have suffered great losses,” in the words of the Soviet spokesman, M. Lozovsky, at Kuibyshev. He said the great concentrations of tanks launched on October 2 had now been checked in the vicinity of Volokolamsk, Mojaisk, Malo Yaroslavets, Tula and Orel, while in some sectors the Russians were counterattacking. The capital was preparing for the worst. Streets were being barricaded and tank obstacles had been erected. On the southern front, the Germans were paying heavily for each forward step. The advance between Taganrog and Rostov seemed to have been stopped, but fierce fighting continued by night there, as well as in the Crimea.

There is no comment from the Russian side on the German claim to have reached the Jaila Mountains, in the Crimea, and captured Simferopol. Press messages from Kuibyshev state that M. Kalinin, chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, has joined M. Molotov and other members of the Government there, but that M. Stalin still remains in Moscow. Compulsory military training for all male residents in Kuibyshev has been introduced, along with other measures to strengthen the war time organisation of this seat of part of the Government, as well as the entire hinterland.