Evening star., 1941-09-07
Leningrad Defenses
Penetrated at One
Point, Nazis Claim
Strong Attacks by Planes
And Artillery Preceded
Advance, Germans Soy
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Sunday, Sept. Ger
mans reported today that they had
penetrated the defenses of Lenin-
grad in at least one place after
attacks by strong German air force
units and long-range artillery bonn
bardment.
War Correspondent Kurt StolZen-
berg wrote that I'VE found soft
place in the defense belt around
Leningrad and advanced further" !"
Nazi Cycle Units Nearby.
While the site of the advance was
not specified, the correspondent said
his units approached the former
Czarist capital on forest lanes and
byways." The description indicated
that German motorcycle units were
established in a town near Lenin-
grad.
Around our town reSound shots
fired by our batteries" wrote Stol-
zenberg, "and hits in the forests
sound as if heavy, high gates were
rumbling in a castle"
The News agency DNB said Rus
sian field and artillery positions
were subdued by powerful blows of
German bombers and that the Rus
slams suffered exceptionally heavy
losses"
More Obstacles Confronted.
Great concentrations of Soviet
troops in the Leningrad area were
declared to have been scattered as
the German forces sought to win
the city, a strategic prize on the
right flank of the Russian line.
Stolzenberg said that as the Ger
mans approached Leningrad more
and more obstacles were presented
highways broken by mine traps,
mine fields and tree trunk and con-
crete fortresses.
Men, women and children, he
wrote, were used in the preparation
of these defenSes.
German artillery bombardment of
1eningrad continued with heavy
guns effectively hitting targets
which included electric power plants
and a munitions factory, German
dispatches from the front reported
last night.
Authentic Reports Meager.
Discussion of the Greer case
diverted attention from develop
ments on the east front, and al
though the war ragged furiouSly over
much of it, authentic reports were
meager. The high command in just
one sentence yesterday said the
German operations were progress
ing favorably."
A German dispatch from the front
stated that in the past few hours
the Germans had made progress
southeast of Gomel on the central
front to a position which was be-
ginning to menace the rear defenseS
of Kiev, industrialized capital of the
Ukraine.
1t was claimed also that the Ger
mans had gained considerable ter
ritory east of Vehkie Luki, which
lies south of Lake linen and about
100 miles from the Latvian border.
Cannon Boat Destroyed.
On the lower Dnieper River in the
Ukraine another Russian cannon
boat was reported destroyed. A dis
patch declared that boats of this
type, averaging 200 tons, were as
signed to break up German efforts
to cross the river, which is begin
ming to figure in the news as one of
Russia's strongest defenses in the
southeast.
There have been frequent clashes
along the river between Germans
and the Russian shore artillery. The
Germans claim to have destroyed
about 40 river boats since August 81
In the vicinity of Odessa, besieged
Russian Black Sea port, heavy Ger
man air attacks were said to have
greatly damaged port facilities and
four ships totalling 1900 tons and
to have inflicted numerous casual
fies amoOp Russian defense fnrceS