GUNS LINKED HUB TO HUB

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 117, 12 February 1944, Page 7

GUNS LINKED HUB TO HUB

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) 'Received February 11, 10 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 10. Seven Russian columns are moving in to finish off the Kanev pocket, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. Two of these which are thrusting from the south-west and one from the north-east are making direct for Korsun in the heart of the pocket. Three more Red Army columns are converging to cut off the south-eastern bulge of the pocket while the seventh is moving up from Gorodische. Compressed within an area of less than 250 miles, with a 90-mile front to defend, the Eighth German Army faces its doom, says the Moscow correspondent of “The Times.’ All the trapped German divisions except two are crack veteran groups, the loss of which is likely to have important repercussions when Field-Marshal von Mannstein has to defend the Dniester and the Carpathians. ' Reuter says that the encirclement of the remainder of the 25 German divisions routed on the Baltic front has been brought a stage nearer through the Red Army’s capture of Tolmachevo. The Red Army has only nine miles to go in order to close a further gigantic trap.

These are the last grey days for the 10 German divisions trapped west of Kanev, says the Moscow correspondent of the British United Press. Two Red Army groups entrusted with cut-, ting the German “island” in two are now only six miles apart. Messages exchanged between the German High Command and General Stemmerman, commanding the entrapped forces, and also (between Stemmer-, man and his battery commander, perfectly sum up the situation. The High Command told Stemmerman to “fight to the last man and wait for tank relief from outside.” The battery commander in a later message (to Stemmerman’s headquarters said: “It is difficult to hold out. Senfl reinforcements.” Stemmerman replied to the battery commander: “Sending reinforcements. Use available men and ammunition. Use ammunition only against targets you can see.”

These messages more 'than anything else reveal the Germany army’s plight. An official map of the Kanev trap shows that the width of the corridor separating the encircled forces from the Red Army’s front line running south of Svenigorodka from Shpola is in the narrowest part about 25 miles. Wavering German Positions.

The seven Russian columns are hammering the entrapped forces. General Vatutin’s and General Koniev’s heavy guns, linked-up hub to hub, are pumping thousands of shells into the wavering German positions. Stemmerman left picked rearguard detachments to hold strategic points. Tough German machinegunners and tommy-gunners, covering ail the crossroads and heights, are pouring a crossfire into the advancing Russians, hoping to trick them into believing big forces are lurking about. These suicide squads are hanging on to the last, hoping that German armoured divisions will break through from the west and relieve them. The Germans are now digging their mobile guns into the muddy earth, preparing for a last stand. Moscow radio says that fighting north of Svenigorodka and Shpola is nearing a climax. The Russians have driven wedges into the German lines and are now tearing to pieces small groups isolated from the main enemy force within the larger area of encirclement. Number of Sick Increasing.

The Germans are running short of ammunition and also rations, while the number of sick is increasing daily. “Pravda” says that fierce tank battles are raging outside the trap along a 20-mile line from Svenigorodka to north of Shpola. The Germans, in their efforts to rescue their doomed comrades, are making dozens of attacks, but no tank has penetrated the Russian curtain of fire.

Tonight’s Soviet communique reports that north of Svenigorodka and Shpola the Russians are tightening the ring round the encircled enemy group, and captured several places, including the railway station of Zavadovka, six miles north-west of Gorodische, which the Russians captured, yesterday, and six miles south-east of Korsun. West of Apostolovo they occupied several in-' habited places. A Berlin radio spokesman said that violent battles are raging west of Nikopol, where the German withdrawal to new positions is continuing. Oslo radio reported that heavy fighting had flared up in the ..Crimea near Kerch and Perekop. According to Berlin radio powerful Russian tank and. infantry forces are being thrown into a big new offensive north of Navel, which the Russians are trying to cut the KingiseppPolotsk railway, one of the few main supply routes left to the Germans on the northern front.