The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-18

The Pskov-P -Porkhov Geningrad), Smolensk and Bobrulsk (koScow) and Bessarabian (Odessa) direc- tions were specified In the com munique as the scenes of persist ent fighting throughout the night.
 Despite the German attacks, 1t was said, there was no substantial change in military positions.
 The days first communique had mentioned battles in the Pskov- Porkhov, Polotsk, SmolenslS, Novo- grad Volynsk and Bessarabian areas.
 Thus 1t was indicated that, con- tinuing their attack on the Lem tngrad and Odessa, fronts un- changed, the Germans had suh- dued their attack on the Polotsk line northwest of Smolensk in fa- vor of @ renewed offensive in the Bobruisk sector southwest of Sno. lensk.
 It was emphasized that the Rus- sian air force was heavily attack ing German tank and motorized infantry and artillery formations and German airdromes.
 First COmmunique
 Tn the course of July l7 our troops engaged in fighting in the Pskov-P -Porkhov, Polotsk, Smolensk and Novograd Volynsk directions and the Bessarabian sector" the days first comnunique said. Fight ing did not result in substantial changes in the position of the troops at the front.
 Tn course of July 17 our air force acted against enemy motorized and mechanized troops and annihilated enemy aviation on his airdromes. We lost 2l planes"
 The Pskov-Porkhov front is east of Lake Peipus in Esthonia, where the Germans are driving on Lenin- grad. The Polotsk and SmolenslI areas are those of the Moscow front where the direction of the German drive is eastward. The Novograd Volynsk front is that where the Germans are making their big drive for Kiev, and on the Bessarabian front the Germans and Rumanians are striking at the Dniester river and Odessa, chief port of the Ukraine.
 Reference In the communique to the "SmolenSk direction" was talk en as an implied denial of German claims that Smolensk, 235 miles southwest of Moscow, had fallen to the Nazis.
 Disclosing for the first time the presence of German submarines on the Russian Arctic coast the com munique said one had been sunk in the Varanger fjord northwest of the Rybachi peninsula, in the Murinansk area near the Finnish. Russian borders.
 Piundering Permitted
 It was charged officially that to raise the spirit of their men Ger man commanders were permitting two and three days of open plum dering in all captured towns. In the Latvian town of Varaliani, it was asserted, German soldiers loot ed everything of value and then fought with newly arrived German troops who demanded a share of the loot.
 Other charges made in the com munique were:
 That mass arrests of workers and ! their families had been effected in , the Ploesti oil fields of Rumania because the people refused to aio in putting out fires started by Russian planes in their persistent . heavy bombing raids.
 , That there had been many ar- rests in Rouen, France, because oi , the sudden appearance in the town of handbills disclosing the text of the defense agreement between . Russia and Great Britain. It was alleged that three men and one woman, seen picking up the hand- bills, were shot.
 American Officers Leave Moscow, July lS-(UP)-Three officers of the American embassy and four clerks left last night tai Kazar, 450 miles east of Moscow to take up temporary quarters, 4 was learned today.
 ! Ambassador Laurence A. Stein. hardt said that the measure was ] purely precautionary, intended tt I relieve congestion in the Moscow offices. He and the remainder oi