IN GERMAN REAR

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 122, 18 February 1944, Page 5

IN GERMAN REAR

Fierce Fighting In Estonia WARSHIPS ASSIST PARACHUTISTS LONDON, February 1 7. Messages from Stockholm report fierce fighting behind the German lines in Estonia. Russian parachutists who landed 20 miles west of Narva, are being supported by the fire of Soviet warships. On the northern front, Soviet troops are converging on Pskov and have captured 30 more towns and villages as well'as masses of supplies and equipment. In the forests and marshes north of Pskov, Russian troops, after smashing five counter-attacks, then went on and stormed and captured a strongpoint. Furious fighting continues in the north-west corner of the Dnieper bend where the Germans are making all-out efforts to rescue their trapped forces. Yesterday 2500 of those trying to break out were killed and General von Mannstein’s relief effort collapsed under the concentrated fire of Russian guns.

Paris radio reported yesterday that the Russians had concentrated at Vitebsk the strongest forces anywhere on the Eastern Front, comprising 58 infantry and 28 tank divisions. The Russians, it said, had forced some breaches, but had been unable to achieve a break-through. »

One of the bloodiest battles of the war is going on at Vitebsk, said the Stockholm Telegram Bureau. It may well be compared with Stalingrad in hardness and ferocity.

A German war correspondent on this front said that the Russian assault columns, mainly composed of 1 crack troops from the Far East,' were attacking with unbelievable fanaticism and contempt for'death.

Vichy radio said that violent fighting was raging round Narva. The Russians were attempting to outflank the town from the south-west. Awaiting Supplies.

LONDON, February 16.' : The right wing of General Govorov’s armies, which occupied the entire east bank of the Narva River, is apparently delaying the assault against Narva itself, while fresh supplies and reinforcements are being brought up after the 100-mile advance from Leningrad, says the Moscow correspondent of the United Press. Nevertheless, isolated German garrisons in the forests along the northern approaches to Narva are being relentlessly hammered and exterminated. I Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports that the Red Army’s triple drive against Pskov, with an outflanking threat to the German positions at Staraya Itussa, is gaining ground on all sectors. The Germans, as they fall back further south of Gdov and Luga, are making strenuous efforts to keep control of the roads, .strategic villages, and wooded heights, from which to check the Red Army's advance.

The Russian reply to these tactics is te send out mobile parties, which filter through the thick” forest and liquidate resistance nests by surprise attacks. On cue route south of Luga the Germans have already lost control of the main highways, causing their transport on secondary roads to pile up. The. “Aftonbladet’s” Helsinki correspondent reports that the Germans ordered the evacuation of all the country east of Tapa (120 miles west of Narva), and that Government archives and records in Tallinn are being packed for speedy removal. Relief Efforts Weaker. The German efforts to break through the north-west of Svenigorodka to relieve the divisions trapped in the Kanev pocket are/ getting weaker, according to Reuter's Moscow correspondent. The latest reports show that the Russians have the situation well in hand and are continuing the methodical destruction of the encircled Germans. The Germans inside the ring are being killed at the rate of nine to every one capturedReuter quotes Lieutenant - Colonel Denisov, who is the aeronautical writer for the Tass 'News Agency, as saying that hundreds of Junkers 52 transport planes attempting to relieve the encircled forces have been destroyed. iSwarms of Russian planes are massing for the final rain of death on German remnants in the trap, continues Reuter’s correspondent. The indications are that von Mannstein may soon find that in his efforts to liberate the pocketed troops he is sticking his head into another trap. Von Mannstein’s most determined attacks failed to deepen or broaden the dent made in the Russian positions earlier this week. He must be beginning to see the tables turning against him. When the mopping up Operation is completed he will be faced by the most powerful Russian group yet assembled west of the Dnieper. Soviet Conununique. Tonight’s Soviet communique says that Russians south and south-east of Gdov continued the offensive and captured several inhabited places, including the railway station of Yamm, 44 miles north of Pskov on the Narva-Pskov railway and also south-west and south of Luga they captured 30- inhabited places including the railway station of Lyamtsevo, 03 miles north-east of Pskov on the LugaPskov railway. The Russians north of Svenigorodka continued the battle for the annihilation of the encircled enemy forces and tightening the ring captured strongpoints in the enemy’s defences. The enemy repeatedly tried to break out of the encirclement, but was repulsed, suffering enormous losses in manpower. The Red Army simultaneously beat off tank and infantry counter-attacks south-west of Svenigorodka from the forces trying to break into the encirclement ring and relieve the entrapped units. Tile German news agency’s commentator, von Hammer, says that the_Rus; sians between the Dnieper and Krivoi Rog continued their attack against the German positions and succeeded in achieving a minor penetration, which was sealed off.

. The German news agency stated that the monastery is in flames. The bombing followed within a few hours of demands by London newspapers that the monastery should b’e attacked. The “Star” said editorially: “Our sons and brothers cannot be asked to sacrifice themselves for the sake of our overtolerance, t . Thertt:is..somethin&_far_more.i

precious than all the art treasures in the world and the crushing forever of those who began this orgy of destruction.” The significance of the atack on the Cassino Monastery communicated itself to the watching troops, who realized that the holy place which had. withstood the ravages and vicissitudes of 1400 years was being destroyed under their eyes within a few hours. They seemed to want to cheer every time the ground quivered, but something restrained them. They had all wanted this to happen from the time when it was known that the Germans had converted the monastery into' a fortress, but they kept silent. The monastery is now cracked, ragged and crumbling. A correspondent says that more than 200 bombers took part in attacks throughout the day against the monastery. The crews included Roman Catholics. No anti-aircraft guns were in action from the monastery, but German batteries returned the artillery fire. NORTHERN "FIGHTING Swift Drive On Pskov (DONDCXN, February 15. The Russians have carried the battle to Within about 80 miles of Pskov. They have pressed down the railway converging on their objective, and enemy groups left'behind to cover them have been unable to hold the Soviet forces. The offensive is going ahead in a country of forest, swamps and rivers, and the ice is only thin and the snow soft and slushy. (Nevertheless, the offensive has developed swiftly. Tonight’s .Soviet communique says: “The Russians south and south-east of Gdov made a fighting advance and captured a number of inhabited localities, and also south of Luga they captured more than. 40 places, including Gorodets, 13 miles south of Luga, and the railway station of iSerebryanka. 13 miles southwest of Luga, on the Luga-Pskov line.” A supplementary Soviet communique says that near the shore of Lake Peipus a Soviet formation encircled and liquidated an enemy group after a fierce engagement. They captured 70 guns, 550 lorries, 1(300 horses, and much other booty, and took a considerable number of prisoners. The booty taken in Luga includes 42 guns, 61 mortars, 170 lorries, a million rounds of ammunition, 0000 shells, and 50 dumps of munitions, fuel and foodstuffs.

HELSINKI BOMBED AGAIN

LONDON, February 17. It is reported that the Finnish capital, Helsinki, was again bombed last night, and that 100 bombers took part in the raidAnother report says that a Finnish port, 100 miles north-west of Helsinki, was also raided last night. FINLAND AND PEACE Prospects Sjtid To Have Advanced LONDON, February 16. • Finland’s prospects of peace have advanced in the past few days, said M. Atos Virtanan, a member of the Finnish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, on his return to Helsinki from Stockholm. Interviewed by the Helsinki, correspondent of the Stockholm “Aftonbladet,” M. Virtanan said: “However things go something positive will have been won. It can be said that the Finns want to get out of the war as soon as possible without losing their freedom.” M. Virtanan, however, denied that he went to Stockholm on a peace mission. Reuter’s Stockholm correspondent says that the movements of other Finnish politicians visiting Stockholm are shrouded in mystery. Official quarters in Helsinki denied that there has been an exchange of Notes between Finland and Germany, ■that M. Paasikivi, the Finnish diplomat, had gone to Moscow, or that M. Erkko, Finnish Minister of the Interior, had left Stockholm. M. Ehrnrooth is believed to be still in Stockholm. Stockholm radio says that the Finnish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee met yesterday and heard a statement C.q the foreign political situation by the Foreign Minister. M. Henrik Ramsay.

Helsinki radio reports that Professor Linkomies has recovered from his illness and has resumed his duties as Prime Minister of Finland, which were temporarily undertaken by M. Tanner, Minister of Finance.

Complete silence continues regarding the actual doings and movements of the Finnish statesmen in Stockholm ns far as the supposed peace mission is concerned, says a Stockholm message, quoted by British Official Wireless. M. Erkko left Stockholm last evening by boat for Helsingfors. M. Elirnroth. who came to Sweden ostensibly to speak at a meeting in aid of Finnish children last night, is expected to leave today or tomorrow. There remain M. Pnnsikivi and M. Gripponberg, Finnish Minister at Stockholm. The former refuses to discuss peace. Perhaps the only indication of his peace mission is the uncertain time of his departure. He said : “It may be a few days; it may be a fortnight,”