The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-04

irgs at Cairo claimed that the Ger mans had been forced to send three dspislons--from s0O00 to 4S,000 men
 Unto Q general offensive on Q @third front" in Serbia in Q cam nalgn against the guerrillas,
 Far East Critical
 Wha Far Eastern situation contln- ued increasingly critical. Japanese EUfeign Minister Shigenori Togo said that Gan unprecedented crisis" con- fronts the nation and the controlled prcsse intensified it's attacks on the United States,
 The extremist newspaper Kokumin Mald that President Roosevelt's rec quest for information regarding Japanese achievements in Indo- china was Q scheme to shift rec sponsibillty for the Pacific situation to Japan" and did not require an anBwer.
 The newspaper Hochi charged that the United States had de- snanded through Brig. Gen. John Magruder, at Chungking, full au- thority over defense of southwest arn China and that this must be called preparation for invading East Asla."
 Tn 6 broad way, however, the Jap- anese appeared to be continuing their efforts to keep the Far EaSt- ern crisis active and frustrate Bri- tain's efforts to force a showdown ct once in which Tokyo would be required to decide whether she would veer away from the axis or 4ight. ...
 The British pressure for Q show. down continued, with apparent sup- port of the United States, in connec- ton with the mastering of British naval strength in the Pacific. At the same time, the Thai government inc dicated increasing fears of an at- tack.
 V But Japans delays appeared to At for the present at least Into the axis pattern Of immobillzing as much British power as possible in fhe Far East pending more definite decisions on the North African and &susslNn war IrontS,
 Russian Front In Turmoil
 The Russian front was in turmoil rom the Arctic south to the Black Sea.
 < Smashing west of Rostov, the punlShing offensive of Marshal Sem- yon Timoshenko still was unhalted. Soviet forces were reported to have fought their way five miles ebyond Teganrog, 70 miles west of RoStov, and to be driving for Mariupol, GO miles further on.
 Just north of Tlmoshenko's zone 1f operatoins, the Nazis suddenly started with powerful attack east 1k KharkoV in an obvious effort to force the Russians to divert troops north and thus relieve pressure on tho fsea Of ASov coast,
 Tho Russians said that their lines i'd the Kharkov zone arc holding fairly well despite Q Nazi attack Of great feroclty.
 On the Moscow front both the Russians and Germans reported gAinS in heavy fighting. The Rus- slanH claimed Q success in fight ing on the northern salient, rec pcrtlng the capture of 0 most im- portant town in the Kalinin area ~~the town of "K". This might be Kiln, Sl miles north of Moscow.
 On tho Gulf of Finland the Rus- sians were reported to Dc evacuat- ing their base of Hangoe on the Tinnish coast. Hangoe was leased by Russia from Finland for 30 at the conclusion of the RusSo-Fin. nAsh "winter war;.
 Berlin Claims
 Berlin claimed that the Soviet Transport, stalin, i2,000 tons, was captured while attempting to evacu- ate 5000 men and officers Of the IRnRoe garrison. Swedish circles heard that the transport MoltoV was aet afire during the evacuation and that six other Russian vessels were sunk or damaged. Finnish troops were reported moving into the Han- goo area.
 Stockholm believed the Russian action was part of coordinated sniiitary-diplomatlc maaeuver by Russia and Britain designed to squeeze the Films out of the war or produce 0 full British war declar. ation against them.
 Sweden believed Russia IS evacu. ating all Finnish territory back to the line of the 1889 frontier. Han. zoo is the chief Finnish point still held by the Russians except for aepot, killing about 2000 persons" {"
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