Evening star., 1941-06-26

German pushes had been checked,
including the Wilma offensive.
The Vichy reports said there had
been slight German gains on the
southern Polish front in the region
of Brody, but that farther south,
in the Cernauti area and along the
Prut River line, the Nazis have been
blocked.
The Wilma column was said to
be making considerable progress, ap-
parently distancing the one moving
northeast from Brest Litovsk along
the main road to the Russian capi-
tai.
The two columns were operating
about 100 miles apart, with the Rus
slams still holding positions 100 miles
in front of the Wilma Baranowicze
line.
In London Reuters British news
agency quoted roundabout, uncon-
firmed reports that the Germans
had occupied Lwow, in Russian Po-
land. Reuters said this report
reached .Vichy in a dispatch from
Budapest. quoting Hungarian war
correspondents.
Tells of Leningrad Raids.
Meanwhile, Germany, although
making no specific claims of ad-
vances on land, told of operations
of her air force.
The Luftwaffe has directed heavy
attacks during the last two days
against Leningrad, second city of
Soviet Russia and center of her war
industry, DN.B., official German
news agency, said. Earlier reports
from Helsinki and Stockholm said
German bombers had set huge fires
in Leningrad.
DNB. indicated the military i'm
portance of the city by stating that
1t contains many metal factories,
docks, aircraft, munitions and ma
chine-tool plants.
DN.B. also reported that COM
bined German and Rumanran air
forces had bombed important Rus
sian naval bases along the north
ern coast of the Black Sea.
Attacks on munitions depots
along this coast were said to have
been especially successful, with
great stores of shells exploding In
this area railway centers, roads and
marching columns we're said to
have been subjected to slashing air
assaults which brought Soviet mill
tary traffic virtually to a standstill.
Nazi Regiment Claims Air Field.
A German regiment surrounded
a Russian air field and destroyed
28 Soviet fighter planes on the
ground in taking the field by storm,
DNB. reported tonight.
Without giving the location of the
engagement, which it said occurred
yesterday, DNB. related that a
regiment of troops and a battery
of artillery fought forward almost
inch by inch to seize the field.
Every house and every cornfleld
has to be searched" the agency
stated.
Finally the field guns and ma
chine-gunners were placed around
the airport, and only one Soviet
fighter plane escaped the whitening
fire which criSs-crossed the field.
Fire soon enveloped the buildings,
DN.B. said, and the infantry moved
in and took possession.
Iran Remains Neutral.
The Russian government an
nounced it had been assured that
Iran PERSIA would remain neutral
In the Russian German war. Tass,
the official news agency, issued this
statement:
The Iranian Ambassador to the
U. S. S. R., Mohamed Saed, in a
note verbale of June 26 communi-
Gated to the Peoples Commissiariat
of Foreign Affairs the following:
Upon instructions from its gov
ernment the Iranian Embassy has
the honor to inform the Commis-
siariat of Foreign Affairs that in the
face of the situation created by the
war between Germany and the
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
the government of Iran will observe
complete neutrality.
The Canadian Press said In Lon
don it had learned from informed
sources today that there is "a Ger
tain amount of truth" to reports in
Ankara, Turkey, that Germany
sought British cooperation against
Soviet Russia.