Evening star., 1941-09-07
VitoI Approaches
To Leninerod Are
Declared Retuken
BY TIE Associated Press,

By tft Associated Press.
MOSCOW, Sunday, Sept. T.
The Red Army claimed today to
have driven the Germans out of
vital approaches to Leningrad
with fierce counterattacks while
the Red Air Force gave full back
ing with "maSSed blows" on in
vading panzer troops, infantry
and artillery.
The Soviet midnight communique
again declared the battle ragged on
all fronts yesterday But the fight
in the Leningrad sector was the
greatest and the most vital of the
RuSsian-German war which en-
tered its 18th week today.
The giant rival armies fought in
the northwest over battlefields
darkened by rain and fog.
Germans reported that they
had penetrated the defenses of
Leningrad in at least one place
after attacks by strong German
air force units and long range
artillery bombardmentJ
Nazi Air Base Crushed.
Dispatches to the army news
paper. Red Star, declared the troops
of Marshal Klementi Voroshilov,
defending Russia's second city,
mopped up one occupied zone south
of Leningrad. pinched of another
German armored wedge, penetrated
the German lines at several points
and crushed one major Nazi air
base in never-ceasing counter
thrusts.
The Russians also were employ
ing the counter-attacks at Kiev and
Odessa, the other great cities to
which the Germans have ap-
preached closely. They were said
to be repulsing or holding the be-
siegers.
The communiQue did not elabo-
rate on the deeds of the air force
yesterday. but the terrific role the
Red artillery is playing was seen
in the Official report that thou
sands of German soldiers. hundreds
OF tanks, armored cars and lorries,
scores of artillery mine throwers
and machine gun batteries have
been annihilated by the accurate
fire of our guns
l5,00e Reported Slain In Day.
The connunique said that on one
single day-last Thursday-the So
Wet artillery killed at least $1,000
German officers and men and de-
stroyed over 100 guns of various
caliber, and much other materiel.
Marshal Voroshilov's Leningrad
troops have driven the Germans
from an entire sector along a rail-
way in a three-day battle, Red Star
reported.
Another unit there crossed the
river "Ch" and pushed southwark,
destroying a Nazi artillery company
and regiment of troops, Red Star
said; third surrounded German
panzer force of 40 tanks, and a
fourth swept around behind the
Germans farther south to cut their
highway communications.
Two other units were credited
with destroying German equipment
in frontal smashes.
The artillery of both sides thun-
dered through the fog which hung
low over the marshy site of Russia's
second city.
II Planes Declared FelIed.
Despite the poor visibility, 80 Ger
man planes tried to bomb military
objectives outside Leningrad and II
of them were shot down, Red Star
said.
In the Novgorod district about 100
miles south of Leningrad, guerrilas
were credited with discovering two
German airdromes which the Red
Air. Force promptly bombed. de-
stroying IA planes on the ground
and killing many of the crews.
At an undisclosed part of the CEN
trail front, great battle was re-
ported still in progress, with the Red
Air Force strongly supporting the
infantry. One Russian air squadron
there destroyed AZ grounded German
planes, ITO tanks and 600 other
vehicles and killed more than 5000
Nazis in the past few days, Soviet
accounts said.
Possibly this battle was in the
Gomel sector, since that was the
last central point mentioned in a
Russian communique and has been
the scene of repeated Soviet coun-
teroffensives.
Farther south. the Ukrainian cap
ital of Kiev, which was an estab-
lished town before history was writ
ten. stood firm against the invaders
(See MOSCOW, Page A-4)