Evening star., 1941-09-22
Fleeing Soviet
Ships Trapped,
Nazis Claim
Worships Beaten Back
Near Leninerod,
Berlin Says
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN. Sept. 22.-Russian war.
ships have been beaten back by
German shore guns in an attempt tc
flee the Baltic waters off Leningrad
authorized German sources declared
today.
Although this action was not men,
toned by the high command, it re-
ported heavy air blows on Russian
sea forces in the Baltic and Black
Seas-including damage to battle
ship and seven other warships ap-
parently still standing by the be-
sieged defenders of Leningrad.
The reported flight of Russian
naval units was sequel to German
claims of having captured Oesel,
fortified Russian island guarding
the entrance to the Gulf of Finland,
and to have silenced big guns of the
Kronstadt island naval base near
Leningrad, making the Finnish Gulf
perilous for the Red Baltic fleet.
"A Reuters dispatch from Stock
holm quoted Finnish reports as
saying that the Germans now are
attacking Dagoe, the fourth of
the Riga Bay islands, now that
they claim conquest of Oesel.
Muhu and Vormsi Islands in
their battle with the RuSsians)
Russian Cruiser Shelled.
Authorized sources said German
batteries on the Baltic coast shelled
a Russian cruiser and destroyer
at Kronstadt, forcing both quickly
to cease fire and turn from their
course
The Luftwaffe, said the war bulle-
tin from Adolf Hitler'S headquarters,
ton Russian battleship Oktiabrs-
kaya-Revolutia October Revolu-
tom, two on the 8,000-ton cruiser
Kirov. four on another cruiser and
also inflicted bomb damage on three
destroyers, a mlne-SWeeper and a
gunboat, all off Kronstadt.
In e.ir raids on Russian vessels il
the Black Sea, the high command
said, German planes sank cruiser
two destroyers, an anti-aircraft ShiE
and nine merchant ships aggregat.
ing $4,000 tons.
GA special Communique added
that q Russian destroyer,
smaller war vessel and a 4,000-ton
merchantmen were captured in
the Dnieper River Estuary, Ma
tional BIoadcasting Co. said it
heard on a Berlin broadcast.
Capture of 900 Russian motor
vehicles also was claimed, 1t
saidD
Russians Being Cut Up.
In the area east of Kiev where
the high command said, four trap
ped Russian armies are being cut
up into small, isolated units anc
destroyed. Soviet attempts to break
out of the tightening steel ring ir
the Ukraine we're reported repulsed
In one sector alone, informed
sources said, the Russians lost q
tanks, including six 52-ton lane
cruisers and two others of A tons
German sources said about go
Ped Army divisions had been de-
stroyed in the Kiev pocket east OF
the Dnieper and Desna Rivers
Russians divisions normally con-
tain about $4,000 men, These
sources said one batch of Russian
prisoners came from "a different
divisions.
A vast quantity of Russian war
materials being destroyed or seized
in the fighting east of Kiev was said
by German sources to be more i'm
portant than the enormous number
of prisoners taken. Requirements
can only come from Great Britain
and the United States, they asserted
The high command announcement
of mounting total of Russian pris-
oners followed a series of sweep
ing military successes announced
yesterday by the high command
which appeared to have placed the
Russian Black Sea naval base OF
Sebastopol in grave danger and
cleared vital sea lanes leading to
Leningrad.
More Booty Acquired.
I'm the region east of Kiev. Ger
man forces are continuing the de-
struction of enemy troops, which are
dispersed into several groups and
concentrated into very small areas,
the high command said
1t declared there had been con-
siderable addition to the 10000
Red troops already reported cap
. tured as well as an increase in the
booty.
Russian attempts to break the
German ring have caused the Red
to suffer heavy and bloody cas-
ualties,' the communique continued
Another special communicate is.
cued over the week end reported The
capture of the islands Of Oesel anc
Muhu off Estonia, and today's com
munique said the mopping up of the
remains of the Red garrison a
Aresnburg, capital of Oesel, was un
der way.
The threat to Sebastopol was dis
closed with the week end announce
(See BERLIN, Page A-4D