POWERFUL BLOWS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 271, 26 August 1943, Page 3

POWERFUL BLOWS

SOVIET ADVANCES IN UKRAINE. GAINS FROM SUMY TO MIUS. COUNTER-ATTACKS BEATEN OFF (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, August 25.

Powerful Russian forces were yesterday driving forward along the whole length of the Ukrainian front from Rumy, north-west of Kharkov, to the Mius valley, in the heart of the Donets basin.

South-west of Voroshilovgrad, Russian troops captured several more places and beat off counter-attacks. A wedge has been forced by the Russians from Taganrog up a tributary west of the Mius River, and the advance now threatens Stalin. The Russians are operating in difficult country, but they are inflicting crippling losses on the Germans.

At the northern end of the Donets basin the Russians advanced yesterday from their Izyum bridgehead, pushing forward among loiv, wooded hills into a network of German strongpomts. The first Soviet objective is the railway running about 15 miles west of the Donets River.

The Red Army is swiftly exploiting its victory at Kharkov. One German report suggests that in one sector the Russians have driven to the rear of the German retreat to Poltava. North of Poltava the threat to Sumy is increasing, and yesterday the Russians beat off German counter-attafcks, and captured several villages. The latest communique says: “The enemy, bled white in the recent fighting, is hurriedly bringing up reserves,” says a supplement to the communique referring to the Kharkov fighting. “The Germans retreating from Kharkov abandoned a great quantity of arms and equipment. West and south of Kharkov Soviet troops pushed ahead against large enemy forces, and 2000 Hitlerites were killed in the course of the day. North-west; of Kharkov one Red Army formation, overcoming enemy resistance and repelling couu-tc-r-atack, all of which wore repelled with heavy losses to the enemy. One Red Army formation wiped out more than 800* Hitlerites. German prisoners report that in the 24th German Infantry Division only three to six men in every company are still fit. The others were killed or wounded. Key Paint Taken. “South of Izyum, particularly fierce fighting occurred on the approaches to a strongly-fortified key point of the enemy defence. Soviet troops broke in and occupied it. A thousand enemy troops were killed. “In the Bryansk direction, Soviet troops dislodged the enemy from four localities. ( . “On tlio Leningrad front a Soviet detachment wiped out 400 Hitlerites. “In the Gulf of Riga and the Gulf of Finland, Soviet naval units and units of the Air Arm sank two enemy transports, totalling 8000 tons, and one escorting vessel.” “The Russians’ southern objective is bigger than the Donets Basin,” says the Stockholm correspondent of “The Times.” “The southern battle is being waged for the Ukraine west of the Dnieper, for the Donets basin, for the Crimea, and for the German foothold on the Caucasion mainland. One of the first clear indications that tlio Germans realise their position is growing worse in the Donets basin will be the beginning of a withdrawal from the Kuban, and this may be expected.” Russians Hold Initiative,

Reuter’s correspondent in Moscow says: “The Russians hold the initiative on all fronts. Kharkov has proved conclusively that the Russians have learned to fight in the summer as well as in the winter. An early thaw cheated the Russians of Kharkov when they captured it last March at the end of their great offensive, in which they advanced 500 miles from Stalingrad. This time their troops arc fresh, roads are good, and the supply organisation is excellent. Responsible observers consider that Kharkov will never again fall into German hands.”

The Russian successes mean more that actual tactical gains on each front. The successes mean that the 1000-mile German fiont, which was undented for 18 months,, has now been irretrievably shattered. Great gaps have been torn in it in the Volikye Luki. Vyazma, Orel, Byelgorod, Kharkov and Donets areas.

The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says: “The great German retreat is still going on southwest and south of Kharkov. The last German detachments escaped to Hie south-west along the road and railway leading to Morefa, 15 miles from Kharkov. The Germans from Merefa are moving their men to the Dnieper along the railways leading to Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk and some also toward Poltava —the railway to which is under Russian contiol—along a network of secondary roads. Two Russian Thrusts. “The centre of heavy fighting on the southern front has shifted from. Kharkov to the approaches to Poltava. The Russians have engaged big forces of enemy tanks and infantry south of Oposhnc, about 80 miles north of Poltava. A second Russian thrust is bearing down toward Poltava along the railway from Kharkov, and it was last reported to have reached a point 42 miles from Poltava.

“The strategic importance of Poltava cannot be over-estimated. It defends the .approaches to the Dnieper itself, and a quick Russian advance here might split the entire German front in the Ukraine.”

The Paris radio reports that the Russians have launched new attacks in the area of Staraya Russa, south of Lake Ilmen, with huge tank forces. They broke through the German lines at two points, but were driven back in counter-attacks. The Russians are

continuing their violent attacks in the Izyum area, where they are deploying large tank forces and considerable air support and, in spite of German coun-ter-attacks, they continue to make some advances. Fierce fighting is also going on south-west of Voroshilovgrad. The radio adds that fresh Russian concentrations have been observed in the area of Bryansk, where a flare-up in the battle is expected soon.