NEW RUSSIAN DRIVE

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 281, 24 August 1944, Page 5

NEW RUSSIAN DRIVE

Rapid Advance In South (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received August 23, 7 p.m.) LONDON, August 23. Marshal Stalin, in an order of the day, addressed to General Tolbukhin, announced a new Russian success on the Rumanian front. In addition to the capture of Jassy (lasi), the order states that troops of the Third Ukrainian Front went over to the offensive under massed support from artillery and plane, pierced the strongly fortified and deeply echeloned enemy defence south of Bender (also called Tighina), and after three days of offensive battles advanced 42 miles on a front eight miles wide. The Russians liberated more than 150 places including the large centre of Causani.

The British United Press says the Russians are pouring south and southwest. General Tolbukttin’s spearheads are only 70 miles from Galati and the Danube gateway to the Balkans. This new offensive means that the Russians are attacking over 1000 miles from the Baltic to the Black

Sea, with an additional offensive progressing in the far north against Finland.

Stalin’s latest order reveals that General Malinovsky has taken General Koniev’s place as leader of the Second Ukrainian Army. Tonight’s Soviet communique says the Russians south of Tartu captured oil places, also south-west and west of Mitava they repelled major German tank and infantry attacks and captured Zambrow, south-east of Loniza. The Red Army waged battles north-east of Braga, where they cleared the Germans from the southern bank of the Bug River for 40 miles. Between Olechny and Slob they captured 40 localities. General Malinovsky’s troops of the Second Ukrainian front, between August 20 and August 22 killed 13,000 Germans in the Jassy area, took prisoner 7000, and captured much booty and destroyed 80 tanks and self-propelled guns. General Tolbukhin's troops of the Third Ukrainian front between August 20 and August 22 in the Bender area killed 12,000, took prisoner 5655, and captured much booty. Position Around Riga. The ground which the Germans have won in the Tukums sector west of Riga at the head of the Russian salient enclosing the German Baltic army was achieved after enormous losses. However, it is threatening to nullify the effect of the earlier Russian.successes and hold up the Red Army’s drive into East Prussia. The Germans are exerting all thenstrength to lop off the salient toward the coast and thus establish a broad passagewav to their trapped divisions., General Bors communique says extremely heavy fighting continued on Monday in the district of the old city. On the whole the Polish underground forces held their previous positions in Warsaw.