GREAT FEAT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 95, 19 October 1944, Page 8

GREAT FEAT

THE RED ARMY

SECOND THREAT TO HUNGARY

fßy Telegraph—Press Association—CoDyriqht.) Rec. 1.50 p.m. LONDON, October 18.

The Red Army's successes after forcing the Carpathian passes into Czechoslovakia provide the first news from Moscow for weeks of General Petrov's Fourth Ukrainian Army.

The Russians have now reached the Czech valleys where Partisans for weeks have been strangling the German communications, says Reuters Ixi llii.ar^' correspondent. This forcing of the high passes in the Tatra and iieskid mountains and the crossing of the Carpathians on a front of 170 miles rank as one of the greatest of the Red Army's feats. It represents the; Red Army's second great threat to1 Hungary—this time from, the north General Petrov's army groups have ahead of them river valleys stretching southwards towards the Hungarian border, with Budapest not far beyond It also means that the Russians' northern pincer is closing around the armies of Hungary and Germany who are still fighting m northern Transylvania. The Germans, in a vast tank battle at Debreczen, about 100 miles south of General Petrov's advance, have been trying to keep the escape gap open. BATTLE FOR BULGARIA. • The Yugoslav and the Russian forces have continued the battle for the clearance of Belgrade, says a Soviet communique. They have encircled an important enemy group south-west of Belgrade, where they are fighting them successfully. The Red Army, in cooperation with Yugoslav and Bulgarian troops in fighting advances, has captured Kursumlja and other places west and south-west of Nish. The Russians have continued their offensive operations north-west of Jelsava and captured several localities. The Russians in northern Transylvania, in addition to Sighet, occupied yalea Luimihai and Cehul Silvanie and also 50 other localities. Long-range'bombers of the Red air force raided the railway junction of Goldap, m East Prussia, last night, and started extensive fires among military trains and ammunition dumps. A Finnish communique reports that the Finns, advancing towards Kemi have reached Luusua. 40 miles east of Kovaniemi.

♦v wvGe^ man riews a§sncy admits ■tbat_ the Russians have broken into viroahs, and that heavy fighting continues.

The news agency reports that the German Maj or-General Count Nogislav yon Schwerin has been killed in the Tartu sector.