RUSSIAN ADVACE CONTINUES IN NORTH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1944, Page 5

RUSSIAN ADVACE CONTINUES IN NORTH

APPROACHING PSKOV

tied Parachutists Land West Of Narva N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 17. The Russians are across the lower Dnieper between Kherson and Nikopol, according to an official announcement from Berlin, which added that General Tolbukhin a few days ago established a bridgehead 30 miles above Borislav. near the river port of Malayalepetikha and was attacking the German flank forces which had been resisting the Russians since the abandonment of Nikopol. The Times Moscow correspondent says the Germans are lighting hard to stem the Russian advance against Pskov from the Luga and Gdov highways and the parallel railways in the north. The sharpest fighting so far had occurred on the roads. The Russians advancing from Luga were now 50 miles from Pskov. The Russians advancing from Gdov were less than 50 miles from Pskov. German reserves had appeared north of Pskov, and although these counter-attacked yesterday they did not impede the Russian advance. Berlin Views on Vitebsk According to reports received at Stockholm from Helsinki, Russian parachutists have landed west of Narva, while some German troops still clinging to positions on the east bank of the Narva River, had been encircled. Two German commentators tonight agreed that the Russians' attacks at Vitebsk were on a large scale, but disagreed on the Germans' prospects of holding the town. The Berlin radio speaker, von Hammer, hinted the Germans may be preparing to abandon the town. He said: "Fresh Russian attacks, which occurred south-east and north-west of Vitebsk, were repulsed. Vitebsk area, however, no longer has any basis of importance in the German defensive plans." The German news agency's commentator, Hallensleben, said: "Major fighting is going on at Vitebsk, where the Russians are making large-scale assaults. German resist anrpM; so successful that one must assume the German Command means *o hold the position at all costs, at least for the present."