Evening star., 1941-06-24
German Warp|anes
Reported Battling
Russian Navy
Soviet Air Force Holding
Own, Red Sources in
Ankuru Declare
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, June "a. - Reuters
British news agency in dispatch
from Ankara today told of uncon-
firmed reports that Russian cruisers,
destroyers and submarines were
battling German aircraft of the
Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea.
These reports. said to have come
from the Bulgarian port Of Varna,
declared the Germans had mined
the Bulgarian and Rumanian coasts,
leaving only a narrow channel lead
ing to the Bosporus, one OF the
Turkish straits linking the Black
Sea to the Mediterranean.
Russian sources in Ankara were
quoted as saying the Soviet air
force was holding its own in heavy
air fighting on all fronts.
German sources in the Turkish
capital we're said to have heard that
the Russians in BucoVna-which
they took from Rumania last year
were taking the offensive and giving
the Germans very strong opposi-
ton"
Use "Triangular Tactics"
The Reuters dispatch added re-
port from Bucharest. quoting an
Axis military expert as saying the
Germans were employing "trian-
gular tactics" in an attempt to tso-
late and destroy large bodies OF
Russian troops.
The German troops advancing
from Lublin CPolandD, for instance,
were described as driving along the
railway to Kiev in an attempt to
meet another column advancing
from Bucovina toward Cernauti,
Berdichev and Kiev. If this attempt
succeeds the Germans expect to cut
off in this triangle some 80 Russian
divisions.
The dispatch added a report that
the Germans have organized a
White Russian terrorist band at
Mira, in Slovakia, and that former
Czarist officers in Slovakia had
been formed into the nucleus Of .
"Czarist general staff"
A Soviet spokesman quoted by
Reuters said Russian strategy was
not based on foreign help, but on
the realization that "if we were
forced to night We would fight
alone"
Naturally" he added. I'VE will
welcome any help Britain can
supply"
Penetrate 125 Miles.
One German spearhead has pene-
trated about 125 miles into Russian
territory in a drive that smashed
through Brest Litovsk, and has
Minsk as its next objective, Reuters
said in dispatch based on a Vichy
news agency report from the Ger
man-Russian front.
THE offensive from the north
has Kaunas Capital of Lithuania)
as its objective where the German
command apparently is counting on
support from part of the Lithuanian
population, Reuters quoted the
Vichy agency as saying.
Russian resistance. however, ap-
pears to be energetic in this sector" !"
Third Offensive Developing.
A third offensive is developing
in one direction toward the Brody
railway station on a line between
Lwow and Loutsk, IS miles north
west of Lwow, and in another di-
rection toward Vladimir Wolynsk,
some IS miles north of the Brody
station, the dispatch said.
Germans here are aiming at the
creation of salient leading Lwow
to the south and Kowel, impor-
tant railway junction to the north"
the Vichy report added.
The German high command was
said to regard the Lithuanian and
Polish front as the principal theater
of the war.
The Russians were said to be mo-
bilizing slowly, and German troops
were confronted only by those
massed at the front before the war
started.
The Germans appear to be trying
to get in a crushing blow before
the Russian Army can reinforce
itself with reserves, the dispatch
said.