Late War News TANKS THROUGH

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 98, 21 January 1944, Page 6

Late War News TANKS THROUGH

Push Toward Link With Estonia SOVIET STRATEGIC VICTORY (By Telegraph.—l’ress Assn.— Copyright.) (Received January 21, 12.40 a.in.) LONDON, January 20. Russian tank divisions, which have smashed through the 12-mile defence belt on the Gull of I inland, have broken into open country and are now racing toward the great a.erai railway linking Leningrad with the Estonian town of Narva, says the Moscow correspondent ot the British United Press. . . 'i'lte Red Army nt three places is onlj 12 miles from this vital line, which supplies SO many German divisions mi the Leningrad front. 'Lius breakthrough is the first major strategic victory in tlie latest offensive to free all the .Baltic countries. . ...... A number of Nazi divisions are stilt resisting south of Peterhof, a town wlncn is famous for its great Imperial palace, which is already back in Istissian, hanos. These German divisions , are virtually trapped between the Russian "’ings advancing from Oranienbaum and 1 ulkova, which may already have met. The Russians under 100 miles to me south-east are still advancing in the big double drive on both sides of Novgorod after capturing Vitka. The northern force pushed on another 10 miles ana cut the Novogrod-Leningrad railway at Bolofnaya, 12 miles from Novgorod Forward units of this force are a litLle under 70 miles from the Russian advanced units thrusting south from Oranienbaum. Between them and stretching to the north-east are 5000 square iniies T ot country in which the bulk of the Nazi divisions of the northern front are still concentrated. Most railways serving the area run from tlie Russian controlled area to the Novgorod-Kirishi line, which is already cut, and another big German encirclement seems possible in this area.