CRISIS FOR RUMANIA

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 153, 25 March 1944, Page 7

CRISIS FOR RUMANIA

Hitler And The Red Army LONDON, March 24. Unconfirmed reports state that the German Army has started to occupy Rumania. A message from Ankara says that more than 50,000 troops have seized control at many points throughout Rumania. Some reports say the Germans have also begun to occupy

Bulgaria. _ , . While the Rumanian Chief of State, General Antonescu, is reported to be at Hitler’s headquarters, a Stockholm message says that the Bulgarian Regents, Prince Cyril and Professor Filov, havd been summoned to leave tomorrow for Hitler’s headquarters.

In the north the Red Army, advancing across Bessarabia, is now only to miles from tlie Rumanian frontier on the River Pruth. To the north-west Marshal Zimkov’s army yesterday completed a "Civ break-through of the German defences on a 40-mile front to a depth of up to miles, and is advancing southward toward Cernauti and the Carpathian Mountains just behind that city. The advanced forces are about 25 miles from the Dniester. . The Russians are fast clearing the enemy from the lower Bug. Red Aimy troops last night were fighting in the outskirts of both Nikolaev and Vosnesensk, important centres which lie across the main routes to Odessa.

Soviet Triple Thrust. LONDON, March 23. The British United Press correspondent says that with a triple thrust over a 500-mile front the Red Army is throwing the last German divisions from the U On the south Ukraine front the German hold on the east bank ot the Bu= River, following the fall of lervoinaisK, has been reduced to a mere bridgehead. The Russians on the central Ukrainian front are pushing on over a 60-nule area against Rumania’s frontier on the 1 ruth River, while on the north sector of the Ukraine front the whole nose of the salient east of Lvov is moving toward the great German base. The Russians are ejecting, the Germans from Nikolaev after night battles in which they routed the Germans from many strongpoints on the edge of the town. Fierce fighting is going ou, but the issue is in no doubt. , , . Pervomaisk had been converted into a strong fortress, but General Malinovsky’s forces have killed or captured, almost the entire garrison. The Russians have now crossed the Bug opposite the town. . . . Tonight’s Russian communique states that troops of the First Ukrainian H rout

several days ago resumed the .offensive on the Proskurov-Tarnopol sector and, after breaking the enemy’s defences, in three days’ fighting advanced 2o to miles and captured the town and. large railway junction of Kopyczynce, 30 miles south-east of Tarnopol. It is the junction of the railways from Tarnopol and Proskurov to Cernauti. The Russians also captured Trembowla, on the Tarno-pol-Cernauti railway, 18 miles below Tarnopol, and occupied two district centres, Pershk and Felshin (the latter is 14 miles south-west of. Proskurov) beside over 200 other inhabited places. . The Russians south-west of Kremienie continued the offensive and occupied two district centres, Salotshtsy and Bluboczo (six miles north-west of Tarnopol) besides over 20 other places. The Russians west and south-west ot Vinnitsa continued the offensive, and occupied the large town of Letichev, 30 miles south-east of Proskurov, besides 2o other places. , . South of Mogilev they continued the offensive on the west bank of the Dniester and occupied Ryshkanovka, district centre in the Moldavian Soviet Republic, and Tarnovo, on the Bnlti-Cernauti railway. The Russians also captured Vortizhany, 16 miles south-west of Soroki, and over 40 other places. The Red Army south-west and south of Gaivoron captured a railway station and district centre, Katynov, and over 30 other places. On the Nikolaev sector the Russians continued the offensive for the clearance of the east bank of the Bug River and captured a number ot places, including Goycv, on the river 11 miles above Nikolaev, and Konstantiuovka, also on the Bug. The Red Army closed in on Vozesensk. lighting took place on the outskirts of the town. . ' Today’s German communique, admits for the first time that the Russians are on the Dniester. It says the German soldiers are having to fight superior Russian forces.