Show REDS DESTROY B 8 DIVISIONS OF or ENEMY FORCES Rout Germans Poised for Moscow Assault MOSCOW Sept 9 UP The UP-The The soviet official spokesman esman de declared declared de- de dared Tuesday night that the red army has launched a full- full fledged offensive In the direction direction direction tion of i MOSCOW Sept 3 UP- UP The r red d ar army ny of Marshal Marhal Semyon Semyon Sem- Sem yon has smashed nazi preparations reparations for an attack on Moscow and is driving backa back bad a virtually encircled German Germar field army in disorderly flight toward it was re reported reported reported re- re ported officially Tuesday The rhe Russian force is less Jess than 40 miles from front Russian correspondents reported and is rolling roIling forward at an average rate of eight miles a day through a amaze amaze amaze maze of smashed German blockhouses blockhouses blockhouses block block- houses and heavy field fortifIcations fortifications fortifications hastily thrown up by the Eight German divisions have been ce h smashed Ii d the reports reports' said sald and more than 50 soviet villages reoccupied in the last 48 hours The soviet attack is directed west from the town of ot 50 miles from and has advanced advanced advanced ad ad- 11 miles beyond this intermediate intermediate intermediate inter inter- mediate base the soviet reports said Rumanians Punished At the same time the soviet high command reported that the the- red army forces and Black sea marines marines marines ma ma- rines protecting Odessa have in inflicted in- in casualties on the Rumanian Ru Ru- manian force attacking that Black Blacksea sea port and have captured quantities quantities quan quan- titles of ot war materials The central front operation of it was evident is the most extensive Russian offensive undertaking of ot the war Russian forces were said to have captured at least cannon machine guns and hundreds of thousands of ot shells The correspondent of the Communist Communist Com Corn party newspaper Pravda reported that troops have lave fought their way through a aGerman aGerman aGerman German fortified region of heavily heavily- built bulIt permanent blockhouses elaborate elaborate dab dab- orate trenches and barbed wire entanglements The Russian attack was said sald to tobe tobe tobe be proceeding both frontally and andon andon andon on both flanks of the virtually encircled encircled encircled en en- circled nazi army which was described described described de de- de- de scribed as in disorderly flight 27 Days Das Fighting The offensive was started 27 days ago Russian reports said and advanced steadily until September Septem- Septem her ber jer 5 5 when by storming operations operations operations opera opera- the German positions were almost surrounded The day before the big attack it t was said red fed air fleet carried carried car car- ried ned out heavy bombing operations in n which 85 German Germon planes planes' were were smashed on the ground The eight broken German di divisions divisions divisions di- di visions were said to have lost 70 per er cent of their effectives When the he remainder attempted to retreat retreat re- re treat reat Pravda's said they found that the narrow road down which they were fore forced d to move was ivas covered ered on both sides by soviet artillery The stricken panic-stricken enemy was Wa C on Pall Pai Three Column Si Na REDS WIPE OUT EIGHT DIVISIONS Continued from Page Paje One ODe mowed down Pravda reported Our glorious troops are continuIng continuing ing their pursuit of the retreatIng retreating retreating retreat retreat- ing enemy and are not giving him hima a moments moment's rest or respite The United Press listening post postIn In New York Y-ork heard a German radio report on the central front fightIng fightIng fight fight- Ing In which stubborn fighting against superior soviet forces northeast of was admit admIt- ted In this battle it yos us claimed nazi troops took 2650 prisoners Russia and Russian n tanks Burn Villages in Retreat The Germans retreating before the biggest Russian counterattack o of the war are now burning and blowing up villages in their w withdrawal with withdrawal with with- th- th it was asserted men have freed more than square miles of territory terrItory territory ter ter- in a strategic zone within the past two days it was said and inhabitants of are al already already already al- al ready returning to their homes The high command h had d preserved preserved preserved pre pre- served strict silence regarding the counteroffensive offensive though hough It was known that the Russians were at attacking at- at tacking They had first stopped a German drive toward Moscow and then in their steadily developed developed developed de de- de- de had relieved pressure on the a 6 army r m y of the Ukraine to the south under Marshal Marshal Marshal Mar Mar- It was still uncertain whether the Russian success had attained a scope which might reduce pressure pressure pressure pres pres- sure on Leningrad admittedly In Ingrave Ingrave grave danger as the result of a II desperate German drive |