IN SUBURBS OF BRYANSK

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24053, 15 September 1943, Page 5

IN SUBURBS OF BRYANSK

Russians Striking

Across Desna . i m.iii-i- 1 SOUTHERN ARMIES ADVANCE (NJS. Press Association-Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, September 14. Russian troops are battering at the gates of Bryansk. Yes* terday they launched a swift and sudden attack which drove the Germans back to the eastern suburbs. The Russians seized the two great railway junctions of Bryansk and drove on to the eastern bank of the Desna. Correspondents in Moscow say this morning that the Russians have already begun to strike across the river for the city itself.

All the Railways to Bryansk are now in Soviet hands except that to Roslavl, to the north-west; and the city has already been outflanked in the south-west. There are also strong Soviet forces north and north-west of Bryansk, and these are threaten* ing Roslavl.

In the Ukraine the Russians are developing their two main thrusts towards Kiev. The northern arm is striking towards Nyezhin. Yesterday it took Kruty, a few miles to the east The southern arm, striking at Priluki/yesterday advanced from six to eight miles.

The Soviet spearheads in the southern Ukraine driving towards the Dnieper cities of Zaporoahe and Dnepropetrovsk are meeting stronger resistance in some sectors, but advance! of up to p|ne miles were made. The latest Soviet commmunique says: “The Russians continued to develop the offensive west of Stalin and; advanced from four to nine miles and captured over 90 inhabited localities,including Bolshaya Yanisol, a. district centre in the Stalin region. “Russians in the Nyezhin direction advanced from six to 12 miles and occupied over 40 places, including the railway station of Kruty, 35 miles west of Bakhmach and a few miles east of Nyezhin. They also captured the dis-j tnct centre of Komaro. “The Russians in the Prlluki direction advanced, from six to eight miles and occupied over 14p inhabited localities, including two railway stations. “TH Russians, In the Roslavl direction advanced from two miles and a half to three miles and a half and captured over 40 places! “In , the Bryansk direction we continued our successful offensive and advanced from six to nine miles and occupied over 30 places, including Ivot and the two Bryansk railway junctions on the eastern side of the Desna river, thus closely approaching the town of Bryansk.” The capture of the major railway {Unctions near Bryansk announced in he Moscow communique will give the Red Army \ a stranglehold on all German communications behind, the central front. The Bryansk railway, junctions are about two and a half miles south-east of Bnransk. - They are the meeting place of the four main trunk lines from Smolensk, .'Orel, Kursk, Kharkov, and Gomel

The Stockholm correspondent .of “The Times” says that the Position at Bryansk increasingly resembles that of Orel before its fall. Report* suggest that the Germans have removed much material-from the Bryansk base and are apparently initiating an evMUS* tion to avoid encirclement. J The Berlin radio made the first men* tion of autumn rains, in Russia when it claimed that the weather was hampering the fighting west of Khar* kov. • The military writer of the . British United Press says that given a normal Russian autumn,;the Germans cannot hope’for a lull in the fighting as a re* suit of the weather, for. at least thrag weeks. The roads in the Ukraine are unlikely to become Imnawablfi tOf heavy vehicles until the first, week; in October. The lull normally continues for nearly four weeks and the ground begins to freeze in This year the, Russians’ communications position may enable more mobile .units to cut through the German lines and break their forces .into: small pockets. The Russians this autumn might be able to take advantage of the position; if they are able to pin down, toe Ger»‘ mans against' the Dnieper by the end' of September, The Russian break* through in the Byelgorod area, earlier this summer, was made in heavy rain, which forced the Russians to advance knee deep in water in some areas. : „ The: Berlin radio admits that a Bus* sian landing force which established * bridgehead on the Novorossilsk area four days ago was still fighting yester* day. ; , -Vf'