Evening star., 1941-12-07
Moscow Facinq
New Peril From
Enemy Hordes
1,5oo, 900 Soldiers
In Great Offensive,
Italians Report
By the Associated Press.


LONDON, Dec. 6-Moscow ap-
peared tonight to be in her direst
peril. although informants here
could provide no confirmation for
an Axis declaration that the Rus
sian capital had become the target
for 100000 advancing troops, 5000
tanks and 1000 guns.
The Italian radio. which reiayed
the Axis claim, said that this great
mass of men and arms, although
opposed by congeallng cold of 81
degrees below zero Fahrenheit and
blood hot defense. were executing
the most terrific offensive of all
time"
The Soviet midnight communique
said nothing of specific fighting at
MoscoW-only its customary for
mula: Fighting on all fronts con-
tlnued throughout the day"
Evidence that the German air.
force was pounding Moscow was the
communique statement that three
German aircraft were brought down
on the approaches to the city dur.
ing the day.
Equipment DESTROYED.
Without specifying the area, the
Russians announced that Yesterday
their airforce destroyed 70 German
tanks. more than $50 motor vehicles
carrying troops and supplies, seven
field guns, nine fuel tenders. more
than 200 carts with ammunition
and dispersed and annihilated two
regiments of enemy infantry and
300 enemy Cavalrymen.
The mounting danger confronting
Moscow was illustrated by an extra
ordinary series of sweeping claims
both for the offensive and the de-
fensive. with both Russians and
Germans reporting successes in
flanking actions. The Germans were
attempting to enfold Moscow. the
Russians were striking at northern
and southern fanks Of the enyelop-
ing movement.
Ski Troops In Action.
Winter hardened Russian ski
troops were said to have gone into
action on deep SHOWS all along the
Moscow front. The Moscow situa-
ton. by fanks. was outlined as fol-
lows in Russian advices:
On the north:
Red Army units drove across the
ice bound V~lga at several points.
gaining two important "bridgeheads'
at various points in the Kalinin sec
tor. 90 miles northwest of the city.
A Red Army counter-offensive also
was said to be countering German
pressure in the vicinity Of Kiln, 80
miles northwest of Moscow.
On the south:
The Germans were attacking
fiercely north of Tula. 100 miles from
the capital. having cut across the
Tula- Moscow highway in some
places. The Russian counter-ofen-
sive in that general region had
brought recapture of a number OF
villages with the Germans thrown
back to the west bank of the Nara
River so miles from Moscow.
Germans Report Thrust.
In Berlin. the Germans reported
a stroke midway between Moscow
and the DOnetS Basin front, that
is. 200 miles southeast of Moscow,
which may have a bearing on Ger
man strategy against Moscow.
although how the Germans might
thus exploit it was not vet apparent.
These dispatches quoted Germans
as saying they had overrun five
more towns close to the headWaters
of the Don. The towns captured
were listed as Maloarkhangelsk,
midway between Orel and Kursk.
and Livny. Novosil, Mtsensk and
Chern, all in a 60-mile arc east OF
Orel and near the upper reaches
of the Don.
A Berlin spokesman said MOI
haisk, 81 miles west of Moscow, and
Kiln. so miles northwest of the
capital. are firmly in German hands,
he declared.
From the Russian side OF the
Donets-Rostov front came reports
of continued pursuit of shattered
German armies toward Marlupol.
100 miles west of recaptured Ros-
tov
In the area of Taganrog. which
the Russians apparently had by
See RUSSIAN, Page A-30