Evening star., 1941-06-27
Hy the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
MOSCOW, June 27.-Russian
Armies have fallen back to new
positions on the wilma and Ba-
ranowicze fronts after infllctlng
a heavy defeat on the German
columns driving toward Mlnsk,
a communique said today.
The Russian forces, said a war
bulletin issued by the Soviet 1nfor-
nation Bureau, Withdrew during the
night and were reformed for new
military operations No indication
was given of the depth of the re-
tirement.
The communique also reported
furnishing raids by the Red air forces
on Bucharest, Ploestl and Constanta.
the capital, oil industry center and
chief port, respectively, OF Rumanla.
Throughout yesterday, it said, the
Russian warplanes without cessa-
ton slashed at the Nazi tank col
umns operating in the directions OF
Wilma, Brody and Baranowlcze,
IN which heavy losses were exacted
of the armored units.
Destruction in Constanta.
The communicate issued in addl-
ton TO the usual early morning war
report. said great destruction was
caused by the bombing OF Con-
stanta. German planes repeatedly
bombed the Russian cities Of Borl-
soy, northeast of Minsk; Dobruisk, to
the southeast, and Mogilev east OF
Minsk, it added.
Fighting in the Luck region (250
miles south of Minsk and IN the
Sculeni sector of the Bessarablan
front ragged throughout the night.
the communicate reported. The rest
of the front was quiet.
In the Wilma. Brody and Barano-
Uicze regions Soviet airplanes were
described as attacking again and
again" throughout Thursday prior
to the retirement of the Soviet
troops. Russian officers and soldiers
continued to fight with intrepid
courage" the communique declared.
Attempt to Bite On MlnSk.
The Germans were attempting
by driving two panzer columns
across the Polish plains north OF
the Pinsk marshes the Wilma and
Baranowicze operations) to bite off
Minsk, which lies just inside the
old Soviet boundary.
No mention has yet been made
IN Russian communiques OF a pen
etration beyond the Russian-occu
pied section of Poland and Lithu-
ania into Russia proper.
Baranowicze lies just to the north
of the Pinsk marshes and is only
about 40 miles from the pre-1939
Soviet border. wilma is on the
Lithuania side, and if the German
drives in both areas were success
full the two columns could converge
on Minsk.
The German drive in the Brody
sector is considerably to the south
and may be aimed at Kiev, capital
of the Ukraine.
Claim Tank Advantage.
In the Luck Uutsk) sector of for
mer Poland, $50 miles south of
Minsk, the Russians declared great
tank battle had turned to their ad-
vantage after raging all day yester-
Gav. Luck is about so miles inside
Soviet territory, but the Russians did
not indicate the actual depth of the
German penetration There was no
later indication of how this fight
resulted.
Along the Balkan end of the front
the Russians said their troops were
successfully holding the Prut River
boundary between Rumania and
Soviet BesSarabia and had frus-
trated repeated German attempts to
cross the stream.
These attempts were said to have
cost the Nazis heavily. At one point,
the Russians said, their artillery
laid down a devastating fire which
smashed three pontoon bridges the
Germans were trying to lay across
the Prut.
Foray Made Across River.
At another point Russian scouts
were reported to have made a foray
across the river, returning with
prisoners and equipment.
(The Russian radio, in broad
cast heard last night in New
York, challenged Germany to
rome forth with the details of
the great military successes 1t
said the Nazis have been promis-
Ing to disclose. The Germans
have been dealing in generalities.
7see MOSCOW, Page A-3)