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RUSSIAN DRIVES.
-0----
MORE TOWNS OCCUPIED
FIERCE FIGHTING.
SUPREMACY IN THE AIR.
LONDON, Dec. 25.--The Russians
continue to report the reoccupation
of towns and villages in their drives I
against the German invaders. Tues
day night's Moscow communique
mentioned fighting on all fronts, and
added: "In a number of sectors on
the Tver tor Kalinin) and central
and south-western fronts our troops
fought fierce engagements and con
tinued to advance, occupying several 1
localities, including the important
railway junction of Gorbachevo and
also the towns of Cherepor and
Odeyev."
T'er is 110 miles north-west of
Moscow and Cherepov 250 miles
north of the capital. Gorbachevo is
south of Tula and 150 miles from
Moscow, while Odeyev is in the same
sector.
The Moscow newspaper "Isvestia."
describing the capture of Gorba
chevo station, said the Germans had
no time to destroy a large quantity
of military supplies massed at the
station. "We captured two trains
with ammunition and military
equipment and also a fuel depot," it
declared. "'We have captured in the
past six days nearly 600 enemy
lorries and many tanks in this area
and have liberated populated places.
The Russians are pursuing the rem
nants of General Guderian's Second
Tank Army, retreating to Orel t200
miles south of Moscowl."
"Isvestia" also states that General
Guderian has been recalled to Ger
many.
Yesterday's Moscow communique
stated: "There was fighting on all
fronts yesterday. Our troops in a
number of sectors on the Tver cen
tral and south-western fronts fought
fierce engagements, continued to ad
vance and occupied a number of loc
alities. Twenty German planes were
destroyed on Tuesday for the loss of
three. Nine German planes were
brought down in combats near Mos
cow yesterday. Our air force on
Tuesday destroyed or damaged It
German tanks and 125 lorries with
troops and supplies, five guns and
about 100 ammunition lorries. It
annihilated two regiments of infan
try."
Today's communique said: "Our
troops last night fought the enemy
on all fronts."
German Defences Broken.
The fiercest battles on the central
front are raging in the direction of
Mojaisk (65 miles west of Moscow)
against two German tank and five
German infantry divisions, rein
forced by Finnish, Austrian. Hun
garian and Czech units. When the
drive against Moscow was halted in
October the Germans immediately
began constructing lines of dugouts
and trenches and carefully prepared
mine traps in the Maloyaroslavets
area (70 miles south-west of Mos
sow), but the Russians have now
broken through these defences.
which the Germans hoped to use for
winter quarters. On all sectors of the
Russian front German soldiers, clad
in flimsy clothes, freeze to death at
their posts, while lorryloads of win
ter comforts, thick clothing and
special Christmas food are leaving
Kuibyshev for the Russian soldiers.
A division formed entirely of Lat
vian peasants and officers is now in
action on the Moscow front. The
Moscow newspaper "Pravda" says
that when the Germans occupied
Latvia the freedom-loving Latvians
made their way through their
native forests and also through the
German lines, eastward to the Rus
sian troops, where they immediately
volunteered for service against the
invaders. After training for a month,
in which they completed a year's
course, they formed their own unit
and proved themselves brave and
skilled fighters.
Air Toll Over Moscow.
It is announced in Moscow that
the aerial and ground defences of
the capital between June 22 and
December 20 brought down 852 Ger
man pla'hes out of a total of 8,278
raiders. This figure does not include
planes destroyed over the front or
on bases'used for attacks on Moscow.
A supplementary Moscow com
munique states that the Russian air
force on the central front on. Mon
day destroyed 11 tanks and 220
1 motor vehicles, with troops and sup
Splies, and 311 ammunition carts. and
also dispersed two battalions of in
fantry. A land unit operating in a
Ssector of the central front in one
1day's fighting occupied 14 villages
Sand destroyed 100 lorries, three guns
and 150 ammunition carts. and
wiped out a company of infantry.
The Stockholm correspondent of
the '"Daily Telegraph" says it is
persistently reported that the Rus
sian ski troops, after furious as
saults, have recaptured Shlusselbu:g,
which is 20 miles east of Leningrad,
on Lake Ladoga.
The Tass newsaagency states that
in the southern sector in the first
two days the Russians have liberated
several scores of villages.
The Moscow radio reports fierce
fighting in the approaches to .~e
bastopol (the important naval base
in the Crimea), which it says t.he
enemy is striving to occupy at any
cost. So far Russian troops ha-e
repulsed all attacks with heavy
losses, but the enemy pressure is
very strong and the position of the
besieged city remains serious.
Tuesday's Berlin communique said
that heatvy battles were going on
in the central sector of the eastq?n
none Help
front and German troops in sevw ral
sectors successfully threw back
heavy Russian attacks. Bomb.,rs
and dive bombers inflicted blo.;.y
losses. Yesterday's communique
said: "The enemy continued his at
tacks on the eastern front on Tu1s
day and suffered heavy casualties.
Our troops counter-thrusted rs.d
eliminated single local breaches. The
Luftwaffe bombed Moscow and also
Soviet columns on the ice track
across Lake Ladoga."
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