HORSESHOE CRACKING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 90, 26 January 1944, Page 3

HORSESHOE CRACKING

LINE AROUND LENINGRAD.

RUSSIAN SUCCESSES HOURLY. SEVERAL CENTRES MENACED. (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright. v (Rec. 1.5 p.m. LONDON, Jan. 25.

“The much-vaunted German horseshoe around Leningrad is cracking. Every hour brings fresh Russian successes," says the Soviet Army newspaper “Red Star,” published in Moscow. “Leningrad is seeing the first tangible, proofs of the German rout. The columns of prisoners moving along the streets and the thousands of German dead littering the battlefield are but a foretaste of things to come."

General Govorov’s troops are preparing to wipe out Krasnogvardeisk and Tosno, the last German strongholds in the horeshoe-shaped Todt line, which once held Leningrad imprisoned, says Kfeuter’s correspondent at Moscow. The Germans at Krasnogvardeisk, with their escapeline to Narva cut, are isolated. The Red Army, after crossing the railway, stands north-west and south of Krasnogvardeisk. A semi-circle of Russian forces is menacing Tosno and the railway between Tosno and Krasnogvardeisk is already under fire from the Red Army units, which during last night advanced southward. The Russians hold a dozen miles of the Narva railway west of Krasnogvajfdetsk and have established firm hedgehog positions south of it. The bulk of the network of railways concentrated on a radius of 20 miles from Leningrad is back in Russian hands.

Armoured Trains Busy.

Armoured trains are bringing up troops from Leningrad almost to the front line. Thaws have softened the the roads in the Leningrad battle area but further south large numbers of ski troops are being used in the drive from Novgorod to Shimskaya. The Vichy radio says, that violent fighting is in progress north of Krasnogvardeisk, east and south of Lisino. The Germans in the area south of Mga, also round Novgorod, have withdrawn southward because there are not sufficient strongpoints left to maintain defensive positions. Germans west of Novgorod are retreating on a broad front.

According to reports reaching Moscow, the Germans lost Pushkin and Slutsk through a. tactical error in failing to attack the Russian flank in strength while the Red Army was driving' south-west from Pulkova to Krasnv.

On entering Pushkin, the Red Army found Catherine the Great’s Palace burned down and the famous Alexandrevsky Palace wrecked. The German News Agency’s commentator (Von Hammer) said that the great offensive battle between Lake Ilmen and the area south-west of Leningrad continued unabated. The Red Army, owing to far superior forces, pressed back the German lines at various points for several miles. The fighting was particularly heavy north of Krasnogvardeisk, where the Germans were finally pushed back to the northern outskirts of the tOAvn.

Last Desperate Effort. The British United Press correspondent at Moscow says that the Germans east of Vinnitsa are again pushing their counter-attacks in a last desperate effort to draAV off the Red Army forces from the Leningrad drive. He adds that the opinion is expressed in Moscoav that the enemy has no chance of success because General Vatutin has adequate forces to Avithstand the attacks of Vinnitsa Avithout calling on reinforcements from other fronts. Violent fighting is going on in the Kivovgrad area, Avhere the Russians are using a large number of tanks and infantry divisions.

The Berlin radio reA r ealed various penetrations by the Russians and said that over a Avide front in the Kirovgrad area they had made deep penetrations and captured Burtki. The Russians had also succeeded in piercing the main German defence areas in various points in the drive for Bobruisk.

A communique' issued at Moscoav says that the Red Army south-west of Pushkin had developed an offensive and captured a number of inhabited places, including Vladimirskaya, Avhich is 2C> miles south of Leningrad, on the Leningrad-Dim and Tosno-Esthonia raihvays. The capture of Vladimirskaya, cuts off Ihe Germans’ retreat by railway from Tosno. The Russians have closed in on Krasnogvardeisk. Fighting is going on in the suburbs of the city. Our troops Avest and south-west of Kirishi occupied a number of inhabited places and cut the Chudovo-Tosno raihvay. The Russians north-Avest, Avest and south-Avest of Novgorod captured a number of inhabited places, including Lyabolyede, 13 miles north-west of Novgorod also east of Vinnitsa. North of Kliristinovka they repelled large tank and infantry counter-attacks and inflicted heavy losses.