Evening star., 1941-08-04
VituI Rail Links in
Ukraine Disrupted,
Berlin Declares
~ the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Aug. 4.-The bulk OF
Russian troops blocking the Ger
man drive on Moscow through
the Smolensk gap in the Stain
Line have been destroyed as a
fighting force and vital railroad
communications behind the Red
Army in the Ukraine have been
disrupted, German war reports
declared today.
On the central front:
Germans counted another obstacle
cleared on the highway to Moscow.
but they conceded that some OF
Russia's tough fighting men still are
resisting strongly and that they yet
may be able to organize other de-
fenses of their capital.
THE bulk of Soviet armed forces
trapped east of Smolensk now have
been destroyed" said the COM
munioue from Adolf Hitler's head
quarters which has been wary OF
pinning itself down to fat state
ments.
THE remainder is facing disso-
luton"
Rail Links Reported Cut.
On the southern flank: a
The daily war bulletin said'sWlft,
deep stabs by German and Hun
sarian schnell truppen (speed
troops have cut off important Rus
sian rail connections, and other
dispatches indicated the greatest
German progress on the eastern
front was through the ripening grain
fields of the Southern Ukraine, tar
below the provincial capital OF kiev
Unofficial reports told of numerous
new encirclements" by tanks slash
ing through faltering Russian lines
south of Kiev.
There was no indication OF the
number of Russians claimed to be
caught in the German pockets In
the Smolensk salient, but other
communiques have told OF SOVIET
forces isolated. surrounded and
wiped out one by one.
On the same front west of Mos
COW, the communique said the Luft-
waite bombarded All important traf-
fc junction near the headwaters
of the Dvina River besides delivering
another overnight smash at supply
and armament industries IN MOS
cow"
As for the northern sector, yester-
days high command communlque
said 10000 Russians were captured
west of Lake Peipus in Estonla along
with many tanks, cannon ana sup
plies. t-.
Adding to this, DNB., official
German news agency, said advanc-
ing Nazis captured vital territory.
killed 2.30O Russians and seized
thousands of prisoners and II tanks
IN an unstated northern area.
General Declared Seized.
It told furthermore OF the capture
of the commanding general OF Red
Army corps, but did not give his
name. nor did it link this report
with the northern operations.
Another guarded claim was that
a fractional but nonetheless impor-
tant part of the outer defenses OF
Ieningrad. the old czarist capital
and second city of the Soviet Union,
had been "liquidated."
In the central sector the Germans
described tough resistance by the
Russians, but asserted there had
been steady NaA progress.
Front-line dispatches stressed that
everywhere the Russians were resist
ing bitterly and mourning heavy
losses. There were intimations, too,
that the campaign in the East was
costing the Germans many sacrl-
fees.
The commentary Dienst aus
Deutschland related that German
development tactics, which are men
toned most often in dispatches from
the front, are carried out by panzer
units travelling at the same speed
along parallel east-west roads where
the going Is easier than in the fields.
Wedges by Armored Cars.
When large enough Russian
group has been cut out by the
Panzer vanguard, it added, the two
armored car wedges then turn in
of the roadway and, with infantry
support, start fighting toward each
other.
Although there are plenty OF
hearty assertions that the eastern
front still is "bewegungskrieg "a
war of movement-DN.B. released
a story from one of its correspond
ents entitled Trench Warfare Also
Yields Results"
He admitted some operations are
taking place "in regulation con.
structed trenches"
Meanwhile, DN.B. said the polygot
southern front under command OF
Rumanian Gen. Ion Antonescu
would be joined in battle within a
few days by newly-arrived italian
expeditionary force. The Fascist
units were described as ''elite troops
out of northern italian provinces
..x .x,nelIapt oo,1innent"