RED ARMY GRIMLY INVESTING KIEV CITY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 229, 27 September 1943, Page 5

RED ARMY GRIMLY INVESTING KIEV CITY

THREE MAIN THRUSTS

Bid To Trap Germans From Poltava Area

N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. noon. LONDON, Sept. 26. The Red Army is grimly investing the city of Kiev, capital of the Ukraine. A force from the northeast is striking down between the Desna and Dnieper Rivers, a second force from Nyejin is assaulting the city from the front, while a third force is working up the Dnieper River from the south. Reuters correspondent says the Germans are counter-attacking six times a day, but there is no evidence that tne enemy is able to hold the attackers. To-night's Soviet communique says the Russians have reached tne Dnieper at a number of places m the Kiev, Kremenchug and Dnepropetrovsk sectors. _ , *, The Russians south of Smolensk have advanced eight to 15 miles anu captured the district centre or Khotin. In the Vitebsk sector, north Vest of Smolensk, the Kea Army has advanced four to seven miles. Over 800 inhabited places were occupied during the day. There is equally bitter ng htl "g B the Kremenchug sector, wheie me Russians are making an all-out I Dia to trap the Germans, who are reti eating from Poltava. . ._ arl : hlp • Millions of men and incredible numbers of guns and tanks aie oe ployed in this battle for the Dniepei —termed the greatest battle m nis tory since the smashing of tne nm denburg Line in the last war. Powerful tank and motorised Kus sian spearheads are tackling thetre mendous task of crossing Europe s third largest river, which in some places is a mile wide. Hundreds ot rafts, rubber dinghies and flat-bot tomed boats are ferrying across:int river under the protection of_a artillery barrage where resistance is encountered. t The Russian communique reports the occupation of Kobeliani, 30 nuUjS east of Kremenchug. The Germans •had made the place a centre of resistance andJamc nea frequent counter-attacks to Keep but the Russians forced them to retreat in disorder and abandon quantities of valuable war materia^ Moscow radio reports that• durmg the past week naval units and tne air arm of the Soviet Black sank 18 landing barges and one tvu ton transport. Seventeen »ai»| were damaged. The air arml raidea a concentration of enemy oaigeb the Taman Peninsula and sans number of them. The capture of Khotin' g^ ss f a B for Army spearhead into White «u& by the the first time since it was over rui Germans over two years ago.