Evening star., 1941-08-24
ImperiIed Leningrod
Forms Three Lines
For Fight to Death
Odessa and Smole ensk
Areas Also Scenes
Of Titunic Bottles
BY the Associated Press.

Red Army defenders are battling
against steadily mount
ing pressure on Odessa and
Leningrad, the Russians an
nouneed today, while in the old
Czarist capital Red Marshal
Klementi VoroShilov organized
a triple defense for a fight to
the death against the Germans.
Leningrad, proclaimed officially to
be in terrible danger" was the
object of particularly heavy German
assaults from the Kingisepp and
Novgorod sectors on the southwest
and south, today's communique said.
There and on the Odessa front
as well as in the Smolenck area
facing Moscow the Russians said
their forces were locked in titantic
battles with the Nazi invaders.
Although the Russians we're silent
on the progress of the operations in
the north about Leningrad and at
Smolensk. they declared great losses
were being inflicted on Rumanian
forces stabbing at Odessa.
Manpower Reduced.
The Russians said Rumanian
divisions on the southern front had
been cut to 20 or 25 per cent of
their manpower with corresponding
losses inflicted on their equipment.
(The Germans, reporting bloody
hand-to-hand fighting around
Odessa, said the defenders posi-
ton appeared hopeless
Marshal Voroshilov issued a new,
more urgent warning to Leningrads
population to hold fast against the
Germans approaching the former
capital of the cZars.
Voroshilov prepared for literally
a last man" defense of the city. AS
explained by the official Communist
organ Pravda in an editorial on
Russia's manpower, the city is to
be defended by three lines: % The
Red Army, ~ the Peoples Army,
and 80 a fighting reserve of both
men and women civilians now train
ing after working hours.
Dig yourselves in" said the mar
shal's new proclamation. "Lenin-
grad was, is and shall forever re-
main the city of the great october
revolution.
Decisive Moment Arrives.
"A terrible danger is hanging over
Leningrad. The decisive moment
has arrived. The enemy is nearing
Leningrad. Our holy duty is to
self-sacrifcingly defend the path Of
the approaches to the city"
The battle for Leningrad centered
southwest and south of the city, an
area which appeared to be the Ger
mans major immediate objective.
while north of Leningrad on the
Karelian Isthmus the Russian lines
against the Firms seemed to be
firmly held.
Inside the lines the broad squares
of Leningrad rang with the march,
ing of the Peoples Army The em-
bankments of the Neva River were
sandbagged, while factories and
workshops operated at top speed.
Curiously, shops did a f1ourishing
business and motion picture and
legitimate theaters played to packed
houses.
The Russians held the initiative
with counterattacks in the central
sector, according to dispatches from
the front The officials government
newspaper IZvestia reported that
five German divisions were routed
by such counterthruSts near city *. T"
Claims Rout of Germans.
The German list, 95th, 44th and
299th Divisions attacked, with the
99th in reserve, while the Russians
retired to prepared positions, the
dispatches said; then in the night
a Russian bayonet attack was said to
have routed the Germans. AS an
example of the German losses. the
dispatch said the 95th Division lost
rs per cent of its personnel.
The Russian artillery was said to
be dealing effectively with the Ger
man tanks, while the Red air fleet
was heavily bombing tank columns
moving up to the front.
The triple-strength technique of
defense being followed in Leningrad
presumably will be followed through
out the country wherever it is de-
cided to defend a city to the last.
Everyone, said Pravda, TO the
last man must train daily in mill
tary science. Every city must be-
come a fortress, every factory a
bastion, every village a fortified
point"
Pravda told how this policy al
ready had worked at one city, where
a siege was lifted after German
tanks had reached the outskirts. cut
ting highways and railways and en-
circling it. Factories, Offices and
shops organized a peoples detach-
ment which went to the front line
(see RUSSIANS, Page A-3D