Evening star., 1941-10-08
Army Us Miles
From Capital,
Nuzis Claim
ev the Associated Press,

The mightiest battle of the war
RACED toward a climax today on
the road to Moscow, where the
Red Army was holding grimly
against the fury of the tank and
dive bomber offensive by which
the Germans seek to reach the
capital before winter.
German armies have preached
Soviet defense lines before Moscow,
trapped several Red armies and are
now fighting a vast battle OF an
Inhalation only 125 miles from the
Russian capital itself, Adolf Hitiers
high command reported.
German front-line reports said
Nazi troops had broken through
positions which the Russians mao
fortified for the winter east OF
Smolensk. These reports said gooo
weather favored the German of1en-
sive, which began at s am. OCTOBER z.
Soviet reports, acknowledging that
the Germans had won some initial
advantage on the road to Moscow,
declared that the invaders were
striking with the fury of mad
beast straining all efforts regard
less of cost"
No Sign of Break Through.
The Russians said there was no
sign of a major reak-through, now
ever, and that Red Army troops
were holding on grimly against the
assault of Nazi tanks and dive
bombers.
German sources in Berlin said
that on the front before Moscow
Marshal Semeon Timoshenko had
assembled "the backbone of the en-
tire Soviet defensive power" after
loss of most of the armies OF the
south and north.
In the south. too the plight OF
the Russians appeared to be growing
more desperate by the hour.
Nazi military dispatches said the
entire south wing of the Soviet Army
rdu ptth D1OhCl py o. 'SA AAAUAA
drive which has already engulfed
Ossipenko and Mariupol. on the Sea
of Azov. and is threatening the Don
River port of Rostov, gateway to the
rich Caucasian oil fields.
Thus sorely beset, the Russians
openly urged Britain to attack Ger
many from the rear with an in
vasion of the continent.
Red Fleet, Soviet Navy newspaper,
estimated that the Germans had left
cnlv 25 or 80 weak divisions-per-
haps 375 900 to 100000 troops-in
France. with little artillery and few
planes.
The British Empire now has the
possibility of taking the initiative
into its own hands, dealing de-
structive blows against the common
foe of mankind, the Hitler Fascists,
said the Soviet magazine Bolshev1k.
100 Miles From Rostov.
German battle flags were re-
ported within 100 miles OF Rostov
after a 450-mile advance from the
Prut River boundary between Ru-
mania and Russia where the Nazi
onslaught started Is weeks ago.
The Nazi commentary Dienst aus
Deutschland said Marshall Klementl
Voroshilov's forces had been badly
beaten in a series of Baltic battles,
and now had only remnants" OF
his forces south of Lake linen while
at least a million of his men were
locked up in Leningrad.
In the south, it said, Marshal
Semeon Budyennys army lost the
biggest part of its men and ma
terials" east of Kiev and now has
suffered new, heavy defeat north
of the Sea of Azov.
There was no indication whether
the Germans claimed to have en-
circled forces of Marshal limo
shenko east or west of Vyazma in
the battle on the central front
But Dienst aus Deutschland said
there was no doubt that the pri-
mary German objective, destruction
of his armies. was already almost
accomplished"
It said Marshal Timoshenko had
been virtually unmolested after the
early battles about MinSk, Bialystok
and Smolensk, while he used his re-
manning forces and reserves to Or
ganize the defense of Moscow.
Russians Admit Crisis.
The crisis in Russia's struggle on
the central front was admitted by
Red Star, Soviet Army newspaper,
which said the Germans had driven
salients into Red defense lines by
hurting great masses of reserves into
an all-out offensive.
Soviet dispatches, however, de-
clared that Russian counterattacks
had inflicted bloody losses on the
Germans in at least two salients-in
the battle-scarred zones of Vyazma,
125 miles west of Moscow, and
Bryansk, 900 miles southwest of
Moscow.
The Fascist command has thrown
into battle considerable forces of
aviation, armored troops and infan-
try" Red Star reported.
The fierce battle is raging un-
ceasingly day and night"
Red Star called on Marshal Timo-
shenko's army to stand its ground
despite bombing and tank attacks.
1t declared Russian artillery, mined
tank traps and the Red Army's own
huge tanks would blunt the Nazi
thrust.