The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-09-23

defense zone.
 Nazis said that the Pink Star may have been among IS merchantmen yesterday reported sunk by German submarines in the Atlantic, but that no specific report had been received Sinking of the 6,S50-ton Pink Star with 34 men aboard, was disclosed at almost the same hour Berlin newspapers declared that German naval units in 10 days had sent 309,000 tons of enemy shipping to the bottom in addition to approxi- mately lo Russian warships and a dozen merchantmen reported sunk or damaged in the Black Sea and the Gulf of Finland, where the luft- waffe is trying to wipe out the trapped Soviet red banner fleet.
 Only Start Say Nasis
 But tho sinkings claimed by Ber- lin are only the beginning, the Nazi newspapers declared without direct reference to the American naval pa- trols protecting the British Russian Atlantic supply line as far as Ice land.
 Determined to prevent American supplies from reaching the European war theaters in time to affect the outcome of the conflict, the Ger man press said that new wolf packs" of U-boats would soon be roaming the Atlantic.
 In connection with the intensified naval war, the British denied Ital- ian claims that little suicide torpedo boats sneaklng into Gibraltar har- Dor had sunk or grayely damaged four ships and said that only one hulk was sunk,
 On the land front in Russia, the Red army was reported fighting back against the German advance on Leningrad and into the Ukraine, where the Nazis claimed they were threatening the city of Kharkov and were only 35 to 40 miles from the vital Donets industrial basin.
 Counter Blows Continue
 Moscow dispatches indicated that counter blows were in progress all along the front, but the main drive appeared to be southeast of the bomb-ruined city of Smolensk on the central front where the Russians were smashing at the German flank in an effort to rescue huge armed forces caught in the Nazi trap east of Kiev.
 The German high command re- ported that 380,0o0 prisoners, 570 armored vehicles and 2,i00 big guns had been captured in thtS trap and that 50 divisions (from 600,000 to 750,000 mem had been destroyed in the military sense of being rendered useless for battle until reformed and re-equipped.
 If the German claim should prove accurate the Nazi high command would virtually have achieved It's objective of wiping out the fighting strength of the Russian armies In the south, but London experts said the figures were obviously exagger- ated and oMscow dispatches made 1t clear that the Red army was still fighting.
 The Russian counter attacks were scattered on several important fronts.
 In the north the Red army re- ported that drive through the Star aya Russa sector south of Leningrad had made important gains designed to relieve the siege of the former Czarist capital and had resulted iri l5,o00 enemy dead. A Russian gain of six miles was reported in fighting in the Leningrad defense lines.
 Russians Move Forward
 On the central front, Moscow said that Marshal Senyon Timo- ShenkoS forces (already within e few miles of Smolensk) were moving forward again and had inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. Lorl- don reported that Timoshenko ap" peared to be carrying out success. ful counter-a southeast of Smolensk in an. attempt to rescue the Russian armies trapped east of Kiev.
 Tn the south, the Russians said  that they were littering the ap- brooches to the encircled Black Sea port of Odessa with enemy dead, wrecked tanks and guns. There was one report that the Nazi advance Into the extreme south of the Ukraine had surged to within 100 miles of the oil and industrial city of Rostov, but this seemed to be an error rather than q sensational Ger man victory.
 The Germans. however. were re- ported preparing paratroops and air. plane transports for a drive on the Crimea, which has been cut off from the mainland. The Luftwaffe has been heavily attacking the narrow strip of land leading to the Crimea and has bombed the Russian naval base of Sebastopol and Russian war. aI,iyAs oaV1tapad thara