The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-17


 promptly toward the Dniester, 1t was reported.
 serhroueh employment of their last reserves" the German high command said, "the Soviet leader ship Is attempting to halt the for- ward storming of the German armed forces and their allies.
 "On the entire eastern front a gigantic conflict for decision Is under way.
 9,00O,OOO Men In Battle
 Approximately 9,000,o0O soldiers confront each other here in con- flict whose size exceeds all imagina- tion in history.
 ''The way is being paved for great successes.
 Ion the southern wing German and Rumanian troops occupied Chisinau, capital of Bessarabia."
 Fierce German drives toward Ieningrad and Kiev are said to be continuing but German sources off, fered no fresh reports on their prog eees today.
 The official DNB News Agency re- Vealed, however that in breaking through the Russian front impor- tant fortified Russian strongholds were left still uncaptured to the rear.
 One of these was PolotSk. about T6 miles northwest of Vitebsk, which was said by DNB to have been cap- tured only yesterday by German <, Troops.
 Polotsk was described by DINE as particularly important as rail Function and river port on the Upper Dvina.
 "The Russians said DNB, be sides considerable losses in killed and wounded lost several thousand yprisoners and were compelled to leave great quantities of armaments and equipment, particularly all kinds of munitions"
 Occupy City Yesterday
 The Germans and Rumanians oc- tcupied the city yesterday after short fight in which they took many priEoners and in which "the main mass of the Soviet army with it's axull equipment was destroyed, in- tcrmants asserted.
 A bend of the Dniester river to- ward which the German- -Rumanian &ofces are now driving is but 10 miles east of Chislnau and is 85 miles from Odessa, chief port of the Ukraine.
 (Chisinau or Kishinew Is capital 0f Bessarabia, which Rumania took Grorl Russia after the last war and the Russians took back last year. Cccupation of Chlslnau represents M 35 mile German advance in that Nrea in 25 days of attack.)
 1nformants said they had heard nothing of reports that German tank Spearhead had driven to within 400 miles of Moscow, but they said that such an advance was 'poSsi- Nle."
 Huge masses of Russian troops, apparently constituting every avail. able combat unit, are being rushed 70 tho eastern front in an attempt 70 stop German advance which is Constantly gaining momentum, in- vormantS said.
 Fleets of German planes are bombing and machine gunning the fuads over which the Russians are moving toward the front, infiictinR heavy losses, 1t was said.
 The air force also is steadily at- tacking great Russian armies re- treating before the German tanks and infantry informantS said, and pilots report that the Russian with. drawal has ceased to look like al, orderly retreat and now looks like . flight"
 Reports from the front intirnated mat big German gains might be eX. pected within the next few days es- pecially on the Leningrad and Mos. COW front.
 Germans Far Ahead
 1nformarlts said 1t was certain that the German advance lines were Considerably beyond the lines which nigh command communiques had Indicated.
 An official news agency dispatch EAid that in the Pskov area of the Leningrad front the Russians had started to leave strong rear guards to protect their retirement, appar- ently in hope that new defense lines could be organized by the time the rear guards were wiped out.
 It was added that the German ad- vance had been so speedy that the attempt had failed and the main Russian force had been brought to hattle' and had suffered consider able" losses.
 German bombing planes continue to attack objectives along the en- tire front, the agency said. It was asserted that IA munitions trucks and supply train laden with mu- nitions were destroyed yesterday.
 Reconnaissance planes observe that the retreat of the Soviet armies is more and more degenerating into retreating tide of disorganized masses which are dissolved into small bodies of soldiers and indivi- dual vehicles, tanning and pressing the roads and highways to the east" the agency said.
 German planes almost uncondi- tionally" rule over the Soviet area'' the agency said, and have disrupted portant lines for SO miles behind the front.
 Raid On Suez
 Berlin, July l7-CUP)-German hombers raided the harbor of Suez Tuesday night, setting fire to oil tanks ct the southern exit of the nnnal. the German high cmomand naid today.
 A communique said that German HIaues bombed and set fire to air Mnlds ln the English Midlands. last Naslaf, causing powerful explosions and fires ia hangars and living 4|lagters."
 Other planes were said to have HNided military objectiyes At Great Yarmouth. It was claimed that a 4reiehter Of 5000 tons was sunk of zz..lAl.Aa laannk aElnilA anOfhRf