DNIEPER PUSH

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 310, 25 September 1943, Page 7

DNIEPER PUSH

Russians 6S Leap4rog” Three Armies DEFENCES MASSED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received September 24, 8.5 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 23. The Red Army has already reached the Dnieper on a narrow front opposite the German-held town of Cherkasy, south-east of Kiev, says the "Daily Telegraph’s" Stockholm correspondent. Along the middle and lower reaches of the river from west of Chernigov to south of Zaporozhe the Soviet armies have advanced till they are nowhere more than 40 miles from its left bank. In the present offensive the Red Army has introduced important changes in strategy. The most important new tactics are the use of three lines of armies, leap-frogging one over the other in rotation. Two of the armies rest while one fights; when the forward army is to be rested it leaves its equipment, which is taken over by the relieving force. These tactics ensure speed, and the movement of heavy gear is reduced to a minimum.

To defeat three great armies in depth is beyond the Germans’ power, and they are acknowledging this fact by abandoning hedgehog bastions which took two years to build. The German Army is not clearing out of the vast Russian spaces to shorten its line and secure divisions for a transfer to the west. No matter what the Nazi propagandists say, there can be uo doubt that the German High Command has done all it could to hold back the Russian armies. Investing River Bastions.

The Red Amy, in its great drive against the River Dnieper, is liberating towns and villages at the rate of 40 an / hour, says Reuter's Moscow correspondcut. Russian shells iire now whistling over the Dnieper to the high western bank as the Russian vanguards drive •spearheads to the river below Kiev. and against the centre of the great Dnieper bend.- „ . , , The great Ukraine offensive has developed into a rapid investment of the Dnieper Bridgehead cities of Niev, Kremenchug, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhe. The stage is now set for a battle for the preliminary crossing of .the Dnieper itself. The Russians have. oaO miles of the river from which to choose crossing places. . The Germans are desperately resisting as the battle nears the Dnieper. The enemy has covered all the. roads, approaches, and bridgeheads, with massed cannon and mortar batteries. The Russians to the north have increased the threat to Smolensk by the capture of Unecha, a vital junction on the Gomel-Bryansk railway, from which the Russians may eventually be able to outflank Smolensk from the. south. The Red Army is within 10 miles of Smolensk to the north-east. 4 Crimea Race. Paris radio says that German reconnaissance has reported Russian concentrations east of the Zaporozhe-Melitopol line, indicating an imminent flare-up of the Russian push in this sector. Reuter's Moscow correspondent says that massed Russian bombers, after •dawn today, carried out attacks on bridges in the Dnieper Bend. The Russian armies at present are taking up'their final positions for the onslaught on Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk. The Germans are being inexorably expelled from the Kuban, says “The Times” Stockholm correspondent. The majority are escaping to the Crimea by air. some in small craft from the Temryuk and Taman Bays, a few by funicular railway across the Kerch Straits. If reports are true, Melitopol is almost isolated. An exciting race must develop to cut off the German retreat through the Perekop Isthmus. With the capture of Poltava the Russians have eliminated the last great German strongpoint barring their progress toward the Dnieper on the front from Chernigov to Parlograd. Moscow correspondents, emphasizing the importance of the capture, point out that, with the Russians astride the Poltava-Kremenchug railway, only a single narrow road is available for moving the German troops back to tlie Dnieper from Poltava. The British United Press says that the fate of the German armies in the Poltava area depends on whether they can outrace the Russians to Kremenchug. If they cannot, large German forces may be trapped, because considerable rein-

forcemeats were thrown in to retain Poltava. . . Todav’s German communique states that Poltava was abandoned according to plan after the destruction of ah installations. „ , . _ . The capture of Poltava is confirmed in an Order of the Day by Marshal Stalin. A second Order of the Day announces the capture of Unecha, on the Bryansk front. The first order stated that troops developed an offensive, crossed the River Vorslda, and, after three days of intense fighting, today occupied the’ Ukrainian regional centre and town of Poltava, which was a powerful key centre of enemy resistance on the left bank of the river. They inflicted heavy losses. of men and equipment on the enemy, seriously interfering with his movements, interrupted communications, and prevented the concentration of forces to launch auy counter-attacks. Gogolev Occupied. Nearly 900 new localities have been liberated today by the Russian troops advancing on many fronts, says tonights routine communique. In the Dnepropetrovsk direction Soviet troops advanced three to six miles and occupied more than 30 localities. In tlie Kremenchug direction the troops advanced six. to 94 miles and occupied over 140 localities. In the Kiev direction the troops advanced six to 91 miles and occupied over 200 localities (including Gogolev, to the east) In the Gomel direction the troops advanced six to 13 miles and occupied over 300 localities. In the Smolensk direction the troops advanced six to 94 miles and occupied the town of Pochinok, on the Roslavl railway, and 150 localities, one of them 94 miles north-east of Smolensk and another 22 miles east of the city. Troops north-west of Smolensk advanced three to four miles and occupied over 40 localities. Soviet forces on all fronts yesterday destroyed or disabled 28 enemy tanks m aerial engagements and gunfire. Sixfytwo German planes were shot down.