Evening star., 1942-07-09
Soviet Defenses Wesl
|0f Don River Shaken,
Germans Declare
DisorderIy Red Retreat
Along 300-MiIe Front
Claimed by Nozis
B, the Associated Press.

b. the Associated fress
BERLIN (From German Broad
casts, July ga German breach
in the southern sector Of the
Russian front has shaken" the
Soviet defenses west of the Don
River for breadth of more than
800 miles and sent the Red Army
into disorderly retreat, closely
pursued by Nazi mechanical and
air formations, the German high
command reported today.
CThe communique dealt in
broad generalizations, implying
that a great German victory was
in the making, but gave no sup
porting details or specific loca-
tions and leaving the situation
open to speculation by use OF the
unusual word shaken" in refer
ence to Russian defenses.
(These defenses were placed
"west of the Don," and again
there was no reference to the
Germa claim in Tuesdays COM
munique to the capture OF Voro-
nezh. 10 miles east Of the DOM
German and German-allied troops
are I'm full movement" along tae
whole 300-mile line, the communl-
que said.
Russians Repelled.
The Russians tried to relieve the
pressure on the south by counter
attacks on the northern flank, north
and northwest of Orel, but have been
repelled with heavy casualties after
four days of bitter fighting, the high
command said.
(The implication was that the
Germans had spent at least four
days on the defensive around
Orel, which is about 80 miles
north of Kursk, one of the take
of points for the present Ger
man drive, and a logical point
for a Russian flanking attack.
(The British Broadcasting Co.,
in a broadcast heard in New
York by CHS, said that "in the
Orel region the German radio
today admits the Red Army has
made what it calls a temporary
breach in the German lines"
Such an admission was not heard
in New York from the German
radio direct and the Russians
made no claim of breaking the
German lines at Orel,
CThus far 289 Russian tanks
have been destroyed. the Ger
man communique said. [Although
this statement followed the sec
ton dealing with Orel, it did not
specify whether the total was at
Orel alone or all along the
front.D
490 Soviet Tanks Claimed.
DNB. official German news agen'
cy, said 1t learned from the high
command that 400 Soviet tanks hae
been destroyed or put out OF actor
on the eastern front within six days
In the rear area south of Rzhev
100 miles west of Moscow on tn
central front, encircled Soviet force
are under attack from all sides an,
have been pressed more closely to
gether, it was announced.
yesterday the Germans said
they had surrounded strong
Russian forces in a large area
north of Rzhev)
On the Volkhov River front soutl
of Leningrad repeated Soviet at
tacks against German bridgehea
we're declared to have been frus
trated with severe Russian casual
ties and loss of II tanks.
German planes attacking tn
Arctic port of Murmansk were cred
tied with causing extensive fires.
In all, IS Russian planes wer
listed as shot down yesterday alone
with Soviet losses totaling SO
planes between June % and July
The repetitious reports Of heav
air attacks on Murmansk indicates
the importance attached by tn
Germans to that port Of entry fo
shipments from Britain and tn
United States.
The deduction also could be mad
that, rather than near-total destruc
ton of British American convoy q
claimed during the past two days i
Arctic waters the Germans had +
send their planes directly over Muir
mansk to strike at the ships afte
arrival.