BLOWS AT BOTH ENDS AND CENTRE OF LINE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 63, 15 March 1944, Page 5

BLOWS AT BOTH ENDS AND CENTRE OF LINE

THREAT TO ODESSA

lA.II Mannstein's Hopes Of

Rallying Killed

N.Z. Press Association —Copyright

Eec. 1 p.m.

LONDON, Mar. 14.

Blows at both ends and the centre of the German Ukraine' line have practically killed any hopes that von Mannstein may have entertained of rallying his defeated forces. Latest reports from the main battlefronts indicate that Soviet tank fists are less than 20 miles from the outskirts of Nikolayev. Two Russian forces are only 10 miles from Vinnitsa. Tarnopol is now threatened, by a semi-circle of steel and fire, and the Russians on three sides of Proskurov are fighting German counterattacks to a standstill.

The Red Air Force, despite low cloud and frequent rainstorms, nas driven the Germans from their forward airfields along _ the wnoie Dnieper front, and Russian bombers are smashing troop movements west of Odessa. Control of Black Sea The British United Press Moscow correspondent says that as the kussians steadily regain control of tne whole north coast of the Black Sea the blockade of Odessa by the Ku - sian bombers will soon P re vent tfl Germane using the port. The his result of the capture of Kherson will be a great increase in the Russian aerial and naval control of tne Black Sea To-day's German communique states that a bitter struggle tinues in the southern sector of the Russian front where roads aie a quagmire and the cotmti yas mud. Both sides are i fresh formations. The comm ( ed claims that the German 3 e r tKherson after destroying all impoit ant military installations. Russian Commimlaue The encirclement of;i J r ? r fjJ^ e C e man force and its continue on all southern sectors in to-night's Soviet commumque re lt says that troops % resisttion, overcoming the eneri .y rounterance and Gantry and tank^ wants|r attacks, continued °ne inhabited tions and occupied sev . ei inflicted localities. They also mmcwu heavy losses of men and. materia

Troops in Vinnitsa direction fought their way into over 30 inhabited localities and occupied the railway station of Gumennaya, 10 miles from Vinnitsa. Troops west and south of Uman occupied the town of Gaisin and over 60 other localities.

West of Kirovograd troops captured three district centres and over 70 other localities.

Troops in Nikolayev direction occupied the town of Shirokayabalks, on the northern bank at the mouth of the Dnieper, and two district centres and over 60 localities.

Troops in the Third Ukrainian Front encircled a large force consisting of several divisions of Germans who repeatedly attacked with a view to breaking out, but were repelled. About 10,000 Germans were killed, 4000 taken prisoner and over 300 guns captured.