The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-09

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 Furthermore, 1t was the first time that the Russians had said the Germans had "retreated" west ward from any position they had won in the offensive against the Red army, although on previous oc- casions there had been frequent gains and counter-gains in fluid form of fighting.
 The communique did not indicate that the Germans had fallen back tn disorder on the central front, but on the Pruth front it was stated that the enemy had been caught fin a counter-attack and had dropped their arms and fled back to Ru- mania. These were described as German and Rumanian troops.
 In the far north, the Red army was reported fighting strongly against German Finnish thrusts both toward Leningrad on the Karelian isthmus and in the Arctic toward Murmansk. The enemy ap- parently had failed to make any appreciable advance through former Finnish territory toward the great Industrial city of Leningrad.
 Heavy fighting continued last night at Polotsk and Lepel on the central front and in the Novograd- Volynsk sector of the southern or Ukraine front. (The Germans had thrust several spearheads into each of these fronts and the Russian re- port of smashing the Lepel and Pruth river drives would not neces- sarily affect other forward stabs such as those at Novograd-V -Volynsk In the Ukraine and at Bobruisk, on the Berezina river, where the Ger mans had been held up since last week..
 The communique said that in the Ostrov direction, Russian troops were holding firmly in night patrol fighting and were consolidating their positions.
 (The German advance here is al- most due west of Moscow but the Na1 drive apparently is headed both toward Moscow and Lenin- grad.)
 Up to last night, fighting was de- veloping il1 the Sebez area where enemy tanks and infantry endeav- ored to break through to the east Fighting in this area was said to be going on furiously.
 In the Polotsk area, stubborn and intense fighting continued in the Borkovichi and Ulla sectors where the Red forces inflicted heavy casualties upon the enemy.
 Tn the Lepel area Red troops in- fiicted a smashing blow to two Ger man motorized regiments, destroyed four heavy and light batteries and large quantity of anti-aircraft guns. Hundreds of bodies were said to have been left on the battle field as the enemy retreated to the west. The Red forces also were said to have driven back the Germans in the Novograd- -Volynsk areas.
 There was no heavy fighting in other sectors, the communique re- ported.
 The Red air forces directed Se- were attacks against enemy motor- ized and mechanized troops in the CstNOv-Lepel and Novograd-Vol- ynsk areas as well as on grounded German planes at various air fields behind the lines.
 Early today, it was said, 62 Ger man planes were destroyed in aH battles and attacks on German air fields in the Lepel-Borisov and Bobrulsk areas. Seven Russian planes were said to have been lost
 In beating back the Germans and Rumanians in the Falctu area, at the extreme end of the eastern front. Russian forces drove the enemy back across the Pruth river frontier line and the Axis troops dropped their arms and ran, 1t was asserted.
 Russia had admitted that the Germans and Rumanians, attack ing in mass for days without pause despite heavy losses, had forced their way across the Pruth. Today'S communique said the Russians then delivered a series of counter-at- tacks.
 Finally, 1t was asserted, the Ger mans and Rumanians were "over- whelmed" and, throwing down theil arms and equipment, made a dis orderly retreat back beyond the Pruth.
 Russian troops, supported by ar. tiIlery, tanks and airplanes. art counter attacking at numerous points along the entire front, hold ing back the German advance, tho communique said.
 (The communique implied tha the Germans were making almos no progress. It was apparent, iron positions cited, that the Nazi blitz krieg had been stopped when thu main bodies of Russian troop clashed with the motorized Ger mans infantry and other force which had sought to reach the ad vanced rapid troop" spearheads It was indicated that unless tn Germans could smash their wa, forward soon, some of their spear head columns might find them selves in an embarrassing situa tion.)