NEW RUSSIAN ADVANCES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24074, 9 October 1943, Page 5

NEW RUSSIAN ADVANCES

Dnieper Crossed At Three Places SUCCESS NORTH f OF VITEBSK (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) LONDON, October 8. The Russians have resumed their offensive along the whole front, from the sector south-east of Leningrad to the Black Sea. The Red Army has crossed the middle Dnieper and established bridgeheads at three places—north of Kiev, south of Pcreyaslavl, and south-east of Kremenchug. Front line dispatches to Moscow since the communique announcing the crossings say that the bridgeheads are firmly held. Great quantities of men, guns, and equipment are being poured across the riyer. By the capture of Nevel, an important town and railway junction 60 miles north of Vitebsk, the Russians have cut the main German supply line between the Leningrad and White Russia fronts. Nevel, with 100 other inhabited places in the same area, was captured after two days of hard fighting in which the Russians advanced 15 miles. South-east of Leningrad, on the Volkhov front, the Russians advanced nine miles and captured the town and railway junction of Kirishi (50 miles south-east of Schluesselburg). In the southernmost sector of the front the Russians report the capture of the town and port of Taman, in the Kuban, just south of the Kerch Strait. The Russian communique says that enemy bridgeheads on the Taman peninsula are being successfully liquidated.

The news of the Russian offensive was given in a communique which followed swiftly the issue of an order of the day by Mr Stalin announcing the capture of Nevel, 60 miles north of Vitebsk and astride the vital railway from Leningrad to White Russia. Mr Stalin’s order emphasises the strategic importance of this victory. The Moscow radio observed the usual procedure for big occasions. The communique was read twice and patriotic songs followed. The communique said: "After the lull necessary in order -i to bring up troops from the rear, our troops again launched an offensive along the whole front from the Vitebsk sector to the Taman Peninsula. "Our troops on the north Caucasian front are at present engaged in successfully liquidating enemy bridge- ' heads on the Taman Peninsula. We hive captured the town and port ,of Taman and a large number of localities. Enemy troops who had not time to evacuate the peninsula are being lV annihilated. _ . y “Our troops in the middle Dnieper ' Victor have successfully forced the VUleber and captured bridgeheads at places—north of Kiev, south of wofeyaslavl, and south-east of KremenWfig. W'fhe Germans have launched fierce ’ 'cofinter-attacks against our troops who crossed the Dnieper, but these are being repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy. Our troops are enlarging their bridgeheads step by step. “Soviet "troops broke through a strongly, defended line on a 15-mile front to a depth of 15 miles in their attack on Nevel. There were two days of hard fighting before they captured the town and railway station. They also captured 100 other places in this area.

German lines north of Nevel. t The struggle with these forces continued throughout the night.” The Berlin radio commentator (Cap* tain Sertorius), commenting on the capture of Nevel, said: “The Russians’ attack accords with their habit of sur-, prisingly. shifting their centres of gravity. It cannot yet be said whether the Russians have sufficient reserves to sustain the attack. Should their reserves be adequate, it must be presumed that che Russians aim at cutting the north-south railway from Leningrad to Vitebsk as their immediate objective, while the long-term objective would be a break-through in the direction of the Dvina river.” ‘‘German newspapers have been congratulating the German army on safely reaching the Dnieper, ‘thus bringing to a close the greatest retreat movement in history, greater and more difficult by far than Hindenburg’s withdrawal on the Western Front’,” says the Stockholm correspondent of “The Times.” “A German military writer says that the German withdrawal in Russia was a perfect masterpiece of military art, through which German armies escaped disaster. ’But now this important phase on the southern half of the Russian front has closed,’ the writer adds, ‘and the Germans are making a firm stand on the Dnieper.’ Another German article says that the vast quantities of Russian artillery were among the greatest surprises of tho summer offensive.”

“The Russians on the Volkhov front broke through enemy defences and advanced nine miles. They captured a considerable number of places, including the important town and railway station of Kirishi.” The Berlin radio announced that Soviet forces, after fierce fighting. , penetrated the German lines north of Nevel. The Berlin radio said that the new Russian offensive was launched early 'On Wednesday morning. It added; “The Russians' used strong tank, infantry, and air formations, the objective being Nevel. Extremely fierce, fluctuating fighting developed in great depth, owing to the character of the terrain. The Russians, in spite 9f heavy losses, threw in new formations repeatedly and a strong tank group, accompanied by infantry, broke into the

NAVAL ACTION OFF BODO

MEAT RATIONING AUSTRALIAN CONFLICT MINISTER AND ADVISERS DIFFER (Rec. 10.45 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 8. Conflict has arisen over the Australian proposal to ration meat to 2Jlb lor each person a week. Economic advisers, it is understood, based their rationing recommendation on estimates that demands next year from all sources are likely to exceed production by 250,000 tons, but to-day the Minister of Commerce (Mr •W. J. Scully) told the House of Representatives: “We have more meat than ever before.” He added that he did not foresee any immediate prospect of meat rationing, although it might become necessary later. The main difficulties in the way of getting available meat to consumers were manpower and transport shortages. These were gradually being overcome. Australian sheep flocks are said to have increased by 10,000,000 head since the war, and cattle in the Commonwealth are estimated by a “Sydney Morning Herald” authority to exceed 13,000,000 head. Under the existing quota arrangement, beef is already virtually rationed. Mr Scully’s views are reported to have clashed violently with those of the Government’s economic advisers. Mr Curtin told the House: “The question of meat rationing is under consideration and certain preparations are being made.” , Dr. Earle Page said there was need for meat rationing, claiming that shipments to the United Kingdom last year were down by 130,000 tons. Australia’s present meat consumption averages 4.61b, which would be halved by the proposed ration. The “Sydney Sun,” in a leading article to-day, deplores "rationing amid plenty,” and adds that the remedy is not to restrict the sale of meat, but to put back manpower into the essential industry of food production and organise transport. COMPLAINT AGAINST U.S. NEWSPAPERS “SPREADING ANTI-RUSSIAN POISON” LONDON, Oct.’ 7. “Sections of the American press are helping Hitler by spreading anti-Rus-sian poison,” says the Russian trade union review, “The War and the Working Class.” It, adds: “This anti-Russian agitation is in shari> contradiction to feelings in wide circles of American public opinion, and also to the general line of American foreign policy, which is characterised by strengthening collaboration with the Soviet Union. . “It is impossible to ignore these anti-Russian sallies because 4hese papers are closely connected with influential capitalist circles in America. They poison their arguments by sow,ing suspicion and mistrust,” , ;

ENEMY VESSELS HIT , LONDON, Oct. 7. Reuter’s correspondent aboard a cruiser with the Home Fleet reports that the naval action against enemy shipping 'off Bodo, in Norway, had the following results;— (1) An 8000-ton tanker hit and, left down by the stern and making for a beach. (2) A 5000-ton freighter hit by three bombs and left with smoke pouring out. (3) An 8000-ton freighter left burning after a hit. (4) A loaded barge bombed and run on to a beach, i •1?) A 500-ton freighter left listing, With the crew abandoning her. Other hits, the effects of which were not observed, brought the total vessels 4 o ™n lght merchantmen of from 3000 in Jr, * ons > a landing, barge and, a 1200-ton ore vessel. Admiral Fraser told the other ships ®f the fleet in port to give a cheer as |he entered harbour to ,the United otates aircraft-carrier, from which the torpedo-carrying aeroplanes and diveoombers were launched. agenda FOR MOSCOW CONFERENCE MR EDEN LEAVING SOON RUGBY, Oct. 7. Wche Foreign Secretary (Mr R. A. ' <t is ex P ected to leave in a few ' *°. r the three-Power conference of Foreign Ministers in Moscow. According to a press statement here a draft agenda for the conference has P eso approved, the main subjects bethe political situation in Italy and we Balkans, machinery for future colrru j tlon by Russia, Britain, and the united States, and treatment of Germany 3nc * er sate^e nations after the new AUSTRALIAN CRUISER SHROPSHIRE NOW IN SERVICE P' m>) . CANBERRA. Oct. 8. ♦k ‘®. Shropshire, Britain’s gift to th j ° ya * Australian Navy to replace J, ® j* Canberra, is now in service. Regarded as a valuable addition to Australia’s cruiser strength, she is commanded by Captain J. A. Collins, 'yno, in H.M.A.S. Sydney, sank the Powerful Italian cruiser Bartolomeo ya. 1160 ? 1 . The Shropshire underwent an extensive refit before joining the Australian Navy, _