Evening star., 1941-08-26
Nazis Moved Down
In Advance Against
Leningrad, Reds Say
Infantry, MotoreycIists
And Ponzer Crews Toreets
Of Soviet Machine Guns
Nv fhe Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Aug. 26.-Red Army
machine -gunners were reported to-
day to be moving down waves of
German infantry. motorcyclists and
panzer crews trying to close in on
Leningrad for the kill after smash
ing through fortified Novgorod, in
Leningrad's outer defense system.
Battles continued along the entire
western front, but Soviet Informa-
ton Bureau communique named no
specific areas.
Odessa Forces Levying Toll.
Red Star, Soviet Army publication,
cited the work Of machine-gunners
of an infantry regiment in Marshal
Klementi Voroshilov's northwest
forces defending Leningrad, the sec
ond city and one-time capital OF
the U. S. S. r.
Defenders of besieged Odessa, at
the opposite end of the front, were
declared to be levying a severe con-
tinuing toll on attacking Rumanian
forces.
Red Star reported the Rumanian
1st Guards Division routed fol-
lowing the defeat last week of the
Rumanian Sd, 5th, 7th and 18th
Infantry Divisions.
Elsewhere in the Ukraine, the
army organ said, the German 9th
Tank Division lost half its men
and material in a single great battle
and the German 18th Tank Divi-
in one encounter.
Nazi Infantry Repulsed.
Red Star declared the Germans
attacked heavily in the Staraya
Russa zone on Lake linen $50 miles
south of Leningrad, but the Rus
slams dug in under bombing and
artillery preparation and repulsed
German infantrymen in subsequent
wave attacks against barbed wire
defenSeS.
Tanks which were sent in an
effort to destroy Soviet machine gun
nests were also reported repulsed
as were motorcyclists who attempted
to converge along roads and forest
paths to surround the gunners.
The capture of Novgorod placed
the Germans within IS miles Of
the main Moscow-Leningrad Rail-
way.
An ly-morning communique
declared today that Red Army de-
tense forces withdrew from Novgo-
rod, 100 miles southeast of Lenin-
grad, after days of stubborn re-
sistance.
A later war bulletin added that
fierce fighting continued overnight
along the entire front.
Peoples Army in Action.
Soviet press dispatches said Lenin-
grads hastily drilled Peoples Army
had gone into action alongside the
regular Red troops-checking the
Finnish thrust toward Leningrad
from the north and the German
drive past Kingisepp from the west
Dispatches to Pravda, Communist
party organ, said the Germans were
forced to bring up reinforcements to
fill gaps in their ranks caused by
tremendous losses.
The militia. called to arms by
Premier Stain, was described by
Pravda as taking the test in heroic
battles for their city-fighting 'cou-
rageously side by side with the Red
Army"
CThe British radio quoted q
Moscow broadcast last night that
Nad forces had reached the ap-
proaches to Leningrad and re-
porting that the big ports armed
citizenry would fight on at every
street corner0
Rain Soaks Whole Front.
Twenty-four hours Of drenching
rain was reported to have soaked
the whole vast battle front from
Leningrad to the Ukraine, and Rus
SLAMS counted on increasingly bad
weather to help bog down the Ger
man advance.
The early-morning communique
made no specific mention Of sectors
outside the Leningrad area.
German military reports described
the Finnish drive from the north as
approaching close to the Karehan
Isthmus town Of viipuri, and belief
was expressed in Berlin that the
town would fall within q few days.
The Germans declared they had
repulsed Red Army counterattacks
in the central section near Gomel
They said the last Russian bridge
heads on the west bank Of the
Dnieper were being mopped up one
by one.