SOVIET VICTORIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 218, 14 September 1944, Page 5

SOVIET VICTORIES

LOMZA AND KROSNO

Strategic Gains In Central And Southern Poland

N.Z.P.A. and British Wireless Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 13. Marshal Stalin in an Order, of the Day announced the capture of the town and fortress of Lomza, important German defence base on Narew River, 30 miles south of the East Prussian border. To-night's Soviet communique repeats the -capture of Lomza and adds that the Russians in the area of Praga, on the right bank of the Vistula, are engaged in fierce fighting, in which the First Polish Army is participating. The Russians, south ■ of Rzeszow, in South Poland, after, stubborn battles have captured the town and railway station of Krosno and 100 other places. The Russians have reached the Polish-Czechoslovak frontier.

In North-west Rumania, as a | result of stubborn fighting, the Russians have captured Campulung, important German-Hungarian strong point in a pass through the Carpathians. The Russians in North Transylvania, in co-operation with the Rumanians, have captured the .town and railway junction of Odorhei and 50 other places. , The Rumanian High Command last night said Soviet and Rumanian troops driving rapidly west across j Transylvania were fighting in the region of Timisoara, less than 40 miles from the frontier of pre-war Hungary. The Moscow communique confirmed the report that Russian forces had crossed the mountains and were* advancing in the direction of Timisoara, but did not put them so far to the west. The Russians' six-barrelled rocket mortar is proving successful as a mountain weapon, saj's Reuters correspondent in Moscow, and is wiping out whole German units in fierce clashes through the Transylvanian Alps. Soviet mechanised and horse cavalry is ' penetrating through the winding passes, leaving the Hungarian and German defenders marooned on the mountain tops. HUGE GERMAN LOSSES FIGURES FROM RUMANIA Rec. 1.30 p.m. LONDON, Sept. 13. According to an announcement, which was broadcast over Moscow radio, the Russians have completely liquidated 15 German divisions in a fortnight's fighting for Yasi and Kishinev. The announcement stated that not a single German detachment escaped from the ring. Over 150,000 Germans were killed, including five generals, and two colonels. Those captured number 106,000, including nine generals, four colonels and the commandants of Yasi, Kishinev and j two • generals, who abandoned their | troops and sought refuge in Bulgarian territory. The Germans also lost, destroyed or captured 338 planes, 830 tanks and self-propelled guns and 35,000 guns. TOKYO EVACUATION Rec. 9.30 a.m. NEW YORK, Sept. 13. The Tokyo official radio says that : the Home Minister, Shigeo Odachi, 1 said that 1,000.000 of Tokyo's I 7,000,000 population had already been evacuated because of the danger of air raids. '■