Evening star., 1941-07-06
Moscow
Continued From First Page.)

the invaders throughout yesterday,
| the communique said, bombing
tanks and motorized troops and
carrying out bomb attacks on the
Rumanian towns of Constanta and
Sulina and Ploesti.
Constanta and Sulina are on the
Black Sea and Ploesti is in the
heart of the rich Rumanian oil
| fields
Nazi Bodies Fill Rivers.
In its day communique yesterday,
the Russian high command reported
that the banks and waters of two
rivers were filled with bodies of
Nazis who pounded vainly at
Soviet wall of flesh and steel.
The official Soviet communique
named the BereZina and Drut Rivers
as the sceen of sanguinary fighting,
which ran through the night and
into it's fourth day, and stated that
attempts to force both rivers were
frustrated.
The Drut lies 80 to 40 miles east
of the Berezina and about 20 miles
west of the Dnieper, along which
runs Russia's S main defense barrier,
the Stain Line. All three rivers run
roughly parallel there in north
south flow. The region is so to rs
miles east of Minsk on the road to
Moscow, the capital lying nearly 300
miles away.
1t was not Immediately clear how
the Germans could have reached
the Drut and yet failed to have
forced the Berezina. as the Russians
stated. 1t was possible that para
chute or glider troops might have
been borne by air behind the Rus
sian Berezina line, and also that the
Russians might have been f1anked
by a German mechanical column
from the north.
Withdrawal Acknowledged.
The Russians acknowledged early
yesterday morning that they had
withdrawn In the face of heavy Ger
man tank attacks In the vicinity of
Lepel, at the head of the Berezirla.
This column might have struck sud-
denly southwark to flank the
Berezina defenders. There was
nothing in the Russian announce
ments to indicate this, however, ex-
cept the mention Of heavy fighting
at the Drut.
CThe Germans announced in
Berlin that Nazi forces had
reached the communications CEN
ter of Orsha. which lies on. the
Dnieper itself and in the heart
of the Stain Line defense zone.
A column smashing from the
west could have reached Orsha
after crossing upper reaches of
the Drut and continuing east
ward approximately 20 miles,
The Red Army stated specifically
Yesterday that no particular
changes" occurred either in our
position, or in the movement of
our troops during the night and
early part of yesterday.
The Soviet communique said Of
the Berezina sector:
I'm the directions of Borisov and
Bobruisk, fighting continued all
night on the rivers Berezina and
Drut. The repeated enemy att
tempts to force the rivers success
fully were frustrated by fire of our
troops.
The enemy suffered heavy losses
in the water and on the banks"
Tank Attack Diverted.
The Russians reported smash
ing a heavy German all-night as
sault in the Tarnopol area of the
southern front, forcing heavy tank
units to turn to the northeast after
failing to smash Eastward toward
the rich Ukraine Heavy losses were
declared inflicted on the Germans.
The Red Army acknowledged,
however, that farther south the in
vaders had crossed the river Prut
boundary at several points. enter
ing Bessarabia, former Rumanian
region ceded to Russia year ago.
The invaders thus entered Soviet
territory here, but the communique
said "the advance of the enemy is
being halted by our troops"
The Russians reported that Fri
day was a successful day for the
Red Air Force, which shot down
43 German planes in air combat
while losing only n and attacking
German airdromes and motorized
detachments successfully.
German mobile forces continued