The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-26

night and reported shooting down 1a German Messerchmitt planes. Five British fighters and one bomber failed to return.
 German planes dropped bombs at southern England and northeastern Scotland points during the night but the raids were on e small scale. According to air ministry figures the Royal Air Force has shot down lAe German planes In sweeps over France since June Il, with the loss of 45 British planes, Tn night at- taeks on Germany and German-oc- cupied territory Britain has lost 4S planes and Germany one.
 In night attacks on Britain the Germans have lost 20 planes and Britain none.
 The Germans have lost seven planes and the Royal Air Force one in daylight attacks on Britain.
 British on Russian War
 London, June 26-(UP)- --Russia's army, using German panzer corps tactics and colsely supported by It's airplanes, appe ared today to have thrust Q wedge Into southeastern Poland, ..,
 It was believed that the Russians were making a two- -pronge d counter-drive in which they had taken Prxemysl. and that they were thrustlng into the German lines in the Lwow-B -Brody sector to the north- east.
 Dispatches indicated that the main battle was stlll raging along l00-Mile front In the Vilna- Baranovichi area just west of the old Polish-Russian frontier. Experts said that it might he significant that the Russian cornmunique did not mention the situation at Kaunas, capital of the Lithuania, which tho Germans claimed to control.
 Despite German claims of ad- vances, the Russians continued to insist that the German and Ruma- nian forces had not crossed the Pruth river and that attacks In the Cernauu region of that Bessarabian front had been driven of.
 Ankara reports said that two Ger man. -Rumanian columns were ad- vancing into Bessarabia, one along the road toward Tighina (Bunder) and Tiraspoi, aiming at Odessa, and the other toward Kishinev. aiming at Kiev, Athird Axis column was said to be thrusting from the Huko- vina area In 6 fianking drive against the Russian right wing on the Bes- sarahian front.
 Only CeMmuniques
 Pointing out that there was no news from the Russo- German front except that of communicates, the newspapers emphasized that the Russians appeared to be holding the Germans all along the line and pointed to admissions by Berlin that the Russians were resisting stub- bornly. A Vichy report that seven German attacks had been stopped or slowed was also cited.
 There was little tendency here toward over-optinaism, but lacking evidence of any great German suc- cesses in the five days of fighting on the Russo German front, Britons evidently hoped that the Russians might be able to keep up the fight for three months.
 At first 1t had been gloomily pre- dicted that the Germans would overrun western Russia quickly. Ex- perts say now that If the Russians can hold the Germans for three months they will defeat the Ger mans and that the defeat may prove the turning point of the whole war.
 Would Keep Britain Out
 London, June 26-(UP)-Well in. formed sources said today that there was no reason to doubt the accuracy of an Ankara report that Germany had sought. through Turkey, to keep Great Britain from aiding Russia.
 The implication in the German offer, 1t was said, was that if Brit ain disinterested herself in Ger many's attack on Russia, a favor- able atmosphere could be created for examining the situation between Germany and Great Britain in a new light after (and if) Germany defeated Rusoia.
 The Ankara report was that Baron Franz von Papen, German annbassa- dor to Turkey, made the proposal through Turkish intermediation to Sir Hughe Montgomery Knatchbull- Hugessen, the British ambassador.
 Equally credible, informants said, was the Ankara report that Knatch- bull- -Hugessen. through the inter- lnediary, directed Papen's attention to Prime Minister Winston ChurchI ill's speech Sunday.
 Churchill announced that Britain