FALL OF JITOMIR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 30, 15 November 1943, Page 3

FALL OF JITOMIR.

LAST TRUNK RAILWAY CUT. MAJOR CALAMITY FOR ENEMY. LONDON, November 13. A Soviet force has captured Jitomir, and so cut the Leningrad-Odessa railway, the last north-south trunk line in Russia held by the Germans. This was announced in an order of the day addressed by M. Stalin to the army general commanding the Ist Ukrainian Group. M. Stalin’s order describes Jitomir as “a most important centre of communication and a powerful centre of German defence.” It is about 85 miles west of Kiev, which th,e Russians captured just a week ago. Jitomir had a pre-war population of 100,000, and its capture means not only that the Germans have lost yet another base for their troops during the Russian winter, but that they will have to switch reserves by a roundabout route when Russian attacks develop on either side of the Kiev area of operations. The Russians are 25 miles from Berdicliev, on the main railway 20 miles south of Jitomir, and the same distance from the important junction of Korosten, 50 miles north of Jitomir. On the White Russian front the Russians yesterday again extended their bridgehead on the Dnieper southwest of Gomel, forcing the Germans out of a dozen strongly-fortified points. The struggle for Kerch, in the eastern Crimea, goes on. The Russians continue to strengthen their bridgeheads on the Kerch peninsula. A Russian supplementary communique says: “Large quantities of war material were captured at Jitomir. The Russians, continuing the offensive, captured Malin (25 miles from Korosten) and Chernyakrov. The enemy suffered enormous losses of men and material.

“The Russians in the Fastov area continued to beat off enemy tank and infantry counter-attacks. One Russian unit, throwing back the Germans, wiped out 800 of the enemy. In another sector Russian gunners and tank-busters dispersed and partly annihilated a German infantry regiment, destroying 26 tanksi and SO loaded lorries.

“The Germans, counter-attacking on „the Kerch Peninsula, were thrown back, leaving 600 dead. “The Red Army south of Ryezhitsa (south-west of Gomel) made some headway and occupied several heavily fortified strongpoints. The Germans attempting to restore the situation were repulsed with great losses, 2000 officers and men being wiped out.” Jitomir fell to the Ist Ukrainian Army after fierce street fighting. The Russians, in their victorious drive from Kiev, have now liberated more than 5000 centres and reoccupied 3000 square miles of the western Ukraine. Commentators agree that the capture of Jitomir \s a major calamity for the Germans. The “Sunday Express” says that with the taking of Jitomir the great trunk railway from Leningrad to Odessa is now cut at two points—at Jitomir and at Nevel. The Germans now have no main lateral communications left in Russia. Also through Jitomir runs one of the main arterial highways from Kiev to the Polish border. The “Sunday Times” says that the cutting of the Black Sea - Baltic railway is one of the most strategically - important achievements of the Red Army’s winter campaign. “The Russians on the Kerch Peninsula have captured a number of strongpoints,” says a Soviet communique.

Soviet tanks and cavalry reached the outskirts of Korostycliev, 20 miles east of Jitomir, under cover of forests, and engaged the main enemy forces without pausing. This manoeuvre was

to cut off German rearguards, which were wiped out by the well-timed arrival of Soviet infantry. Soviet cavalry, supported by strong mobile and tank forces, smashed all German coun-ter-attacks from Korostychev. After that the Cossacks dismounted and stormed the town as infantry. Another cavalry group attacked from the north and the Germans had no choice but to abandon the stronghold. Since the capture of Kiev the Red Army has been advancing 12 miles a day. This is the result of the flanking manoeuvre by Soviet armoured divisions, which pushed the German forces southward beyond Fastov. This gave other Soviet troops an open road toward Jitomir, and they penetrated deeply before the Germans managed to reinforce this sector. Now the Germans are trying to slow up the Soviet advance by large-scale counter-attacks south of Fastov.