Evening star., 1941-07-12
Nine of Invaders
Pontoons Smashed,
Moscow Reports
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, July 12.-The Red
Army reported today that Soviet
bombers and infantry had
smashed German attempts to
cross rivers along which Russian
troops are massed and waiting
for a major assault.
No substantial changes occurred
in the position Of troops at the
front" the high commands COM
munique said.
Russians were reported holding
the Eastern banks of the Dvina,
Dnepr and Dnestr Rivers
The Red Army dispatches told of
beating off German attempts to
cross two rivers, but did not give
their names.
Pravda, Communist party organ,
said 100 guerrillas raided a German
mechanical unit in the Berezina
River sector and killed $50 Germans
and forced others to fee Another
German tank unit was set afire by
65 guerrillas operating in the
Polotsk area, the paper said.
Pontoon Bridges Destroyed.
One dispatch said the Germans
set up nine pontoon bridges on *"
River, three of which were destroyed
by bombers while troops and 10
heavy tanks were on them.
However, using the remaining
bridges, one tank battalion and up
to two infantry battalions and an
artillery unit with % anti-tank guns
forced their way to our bank" the
dispatch said.
After that our artillery and avia-
ton destroyed all pontoon bridges
on which tanks, artillery and a con-
siderable number of infantry we're
annihiliated.
Cut off from the bank, the Ger
man troops were caught in a pincers
by Soviet troops and annihilated
Up to 80 tank crews surrendered and
429 German men and officers were
taken prisoners"
Another crossing attempt was
thwarted at "B' river. dispatch
said. 1t declared that the Germans
were held for two days by artillery
and machine guns, but that finally
one German motorized infantry bat
talon crossed on a pontoon bridge.
Daring Comdr. Povetkin charged
the enemy and his Red army men
followed suit" the dispatch said
AT this moment a Soviet bomber
destroyed the pontoon bridge by a
direct hit. The enemy battalion was
annihilated."
Rumanian Oil Center Raided.
In one of the shortest Moscow
communiques of the war. the Soviet
Information Bureau dealt almost
entirely with activities of the Red
air fleet, which is credited with
dealing new crushing blows against
NaZi tank and motorized forces
overnight and a second successive
raid on the Rumanian oil center of
Ploesti.
The communique said IS German
planes were downed in air combats
yesterday and 10 Russian aircraft
were lost.
An earlier Soviet communiQue,
which reported Germany's eastward
drives stalled through two successive
days, said Russian planes destroyed
l79 German aircraft Monday and
Tuesday and carried the fight west
yesterday by bombing the Ploesti
oil center in Rumania and attacking
German airdromes. Russians rid
iculed German claims that 5000
Red planes had been destroyed.
The Red Army was rushing up
masses of men and guns during its
first reathing spell since the June
% invasion and hastily strengthen
ing Notifications, anticipating that
the Nazis were drawing up for new
and fiercer onslaught after their
two-day pause.
(Reuters, British news agency,
reported last night from Ankara
that 5000 900 newly modified So
Wet troops were moving to the
front to meet the shock of the
next NaZi blows
Both Berlin and Moscow have
estimated their foes losses in
killed. wounded and captured as
a million or more men. although
these figures have been regarded
as high by neutral Observers
Real War Only Beginning"
The Russians, who have said the
Nazi invasion gave the Germans the
advantage of surprise. declased the
Red Army stood ready for the next
onset, and Vice Foreign Commissar
S. A. Lozovsky asserted last night
'the real war is only beginning
He ridiculed as myth the Ger
man high commands statement that
See MOSCOW. Page A-30