Evening star., 1941-10-06
Nozis Launch Vast Offensive:
Moscow Goal, British Report;
Attack on Leningrod DwindIes
Red Landing Smashed
West Of Besieeed
City, Germans Soy
ey the Associated Press.

ey tire Associated Press.
A vast new German offensive,
with Moscow perhaps as its prin-
cipal goal and the siege of Len
ingrad subordinated, appeared
to be emerging today on the long
eastern front.
Authoritative sources in London
which have been calling the turn
of the gigantic struggle, now in its
18th week, said the offensive "on a
very considerable scale" had been
launched all along the front, with
the possible exception of the Lenin-
grad area, where German activity
seemed to have dwindled.
The offensive may be the "gigan-
tic development of which Adolf
Hitler spoke in his Sportspalast
speech last Friday. At least that
was the line taken by German COM
mentators.
Two Columns Advancing.
The German offensive was under
stood to be proceeding in two col
umns of great strength, the one
based about the town of Roslavl, 220
miles southwest of Moscow, and the
other from the Valdal hills, some 200
miles northwest of the capital and
180 miles south of Leningrad.
Berlin, however, gave no indica-
ton of the goal of the new drive,
but Dienst aus Deutschland, a COM
mentary close to official circles, said
the operations were so great as to
be similar to the opening of new
campaign"
1t was possible that Germany was
straining every muscle for a swift
victory in Russia so as to be able
to present Britain and her allies
with an accomplished fact and an
offer of peace" before the end OF
the year.
The German high command, hold
ing its counsel in customary fashion,
devoted most of its communlque 10
the Leningrad action, saying Rus
sian attempts to land strong forces
west of that second largest Russian
city had been crushed.
"Ofensive operations in the east
Welded additional successes yester-
day" said the communique.
"An attempt to land strong Soviet
forces west of Leningrad, supported
bv the fire of the entire Kronstadt
fortress, ships and coastal artillery,
was completely crushed yesterday
through the determined action OF
German troops --F
Red Attack Timed Together.
The Russian move on the outside
of the Leningrad siege lines ap-
parently was timed with thrust
from the inside, but the Germans
said that it, too, was shattered with
''heavy and bloody losses" for the
Russians.
Troops which were landed were
wiped out or taken prisoner" the
communique went on. Several fully
laden ships were sunk and % tanks,
including 7 of super-heavy types,
were destroyed"
On Germanys air fronts, the high
command announced a Russian port
on the Sea of Azov was bombed,
along with an important traffic juno
tion west of Moscow and military
objectives in Leningrad
Forty-four Russian railway lines
In eight trunk systems were bombed
by a single German air unit yes
terday, the Berlin radio reported
today in broadcast heard in New
York by N. B. c.
1t was claimed that "A trains were
destroyed, % others were damaged
heavily and Is locomotives were
blasted. The Germans lost no planes
while the Russians lost 83 aircraft,
the radio claimed
Spanish air force flyers have seen
action on the eastern front, it added
destroying great number of Rus
sian columns being moved forward.
The Germans are making huge
sacrifices of men and heavy equip
(See WAR, Page A-50