RUSSIAN ADVANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 62, Issue 89, 26 January 1942, Page 3

RUSSIAN ADVANCE.

huge WEDGE IN ENEMY LINE. ATTACK NORTH OF SMOLENSK. THREAT TO ENEMY FORCES. 'United Press Association—Copyright J LONDON, Jan. 24. The Russians last night, announced their biggest advance in- seven-weeks, after breaking through the German lines on a 70-mile front between, Smolensk and Leningrad. A huge wedge 65 miles long has cut off the Germans in front of Leningrad from the retreating Axis forces on the central front.

Soviet forces are now 100 miles from the Latvian frontier. Rzhev is almost surrounded, and one of the main enemy railway lines has been out and captured. General Khukov’s forces, in co-opera-tion with troops of the Leningrad command sweeping south in the Valdai Hills, have been responsible for the successful drive.

The Russians have now rc-occupicd 5000 square miles of territory and have liberated more than. 2000 inhabited localities.

Vyazma has been by-passed and, Smolensk is now seriously threatened. German casualties number 17,000 killed. Twenty-six thousand mines have been captured, as well as 800,000cartridges and 20 radio stations.. Huge quantities of food and fuel have also fallen into the hands of the, Russians.

The communique announcing this success said: “Russian troops on the north-west front and the Kalinin front, after fierce battles, broke through the German defences south of Ostashkov and Selijarovol, and advanced 65 miles. After further fierce fighting they occupied the towns of Terno, Deinno, Andreapol, Kliolrn, Tbropets, Zapadniiydvina, Selijarovol, Olenino, and Staraya To>ropa. Thus -one of the main lines of communication for the German troops, namely, the Rzhev-Velikye Luki railway, has been cut and captured by our troops. We liberated more than 2000 inhabited localities, and from January 9 to January 22 killed more than 17,000 Germans and took prisoner several hundreds.” The rapid advance north of 'Smolensk, which has brought the Russians within 40 miles of the important railway junction of Velikye Luki, on a line running south from Leningrad to Vitebsk, is expected in military quarters in London to have great repercussions on the rest of the front in a few da vs.

The Germans in the Rzhev area west of Kalinin are now in a very difficult position, with the railway cut behind them. The Russians at- Staraya Toropa are 100 miles north and slightly west of Smolensk, and at Kliolrn are 100 miles from Latvia. This new thrust, which is on a broad front of nearly 100 miles, therefore seriously threatens —this time from the north —the flank of the large German forces withdrawing in the central region. »

The first details of the liberation of eight Soviet cities and 2000 settlements are disclosed in agency messages from Moscow. The Red Army launched a surprise attack on January 10 and Raptured Peno. They followed up this success by clearing the railway lines west of Rzhev. The surprise attack was carried out at very high speed, in_ spite of the terrible cold. For example, the Russians made a 35-mile march a ftp;' their capture of Andreapol and then plunged immediately into: battle. Shivering Germans who surrendered in groups repeatedly say: “It is madness to fight the Russians in the snow.”