GREAT GAINS IN SOUTH

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 283, 26 August 1944, Page 7

GREAT GAINS IN SOUTH

Rumanian Front Folding Up HUGE BATCH OF PRISONERS LONDON, August 24. The Rumanian front appears to be folding up. Marshal Stalin, an in order of the day tonight, addressed to Generals Tolbukhin and Malinovsky, announced that troops of tbe Third Ukrainian Front, with the determined support of troops of the Second Ukrainian Front, captured Kishinev, capital of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, and also a communications junction and powerful enemy stronghold. • A second Order of the Day addressed to Malinovsky annouuced the capture of Bacau, Roman, Barlad and Husi. Bacan is the centre of eastern Rumanian oil production, but its output is far smaller than that of Ploesti. The Russians today anouneed the capture of 63,000 men during the past five days. These included Major-General VVener-Kebe, commander of the German Ninth Infantry Division. \ Kishinev was the German stronghold whiefl stood ’like a breakwater between the Russian double thrust from Jassy and Bender. It was already partly submerged as the tide of war flowed down toward the Danube, and it fell to a combined attack. Barlad is 60 miles north-west of Galatz. Other forces, fanuing out to the west, crossed the river Seret to take the town of Roman and other strongholds in the defences covering central Rumania. Roman is on the main road and railway running doiyn from Cernauti to the Ploesti oil-fields. Race to Escape Gap.

Having shot the Luftwaffe from tbe skies, the Russians are making most rapid headway in a twin drive toward the F'alatz gap, says the Moscow correspondent of “The Times.” Less than .50 miles this morning separated Tolbukhin’s vanguards at Baimaelia and Malinovsky’s advanced forces at Vaslui. A junction is to be expected within 24 hours, closing the escape route from Kishinev.

The enemy apparently placed some hopes on the high ground between the Pruth and Seret Rivers acting as a brake on Malinovsky’s armour, 'but yesterday’s attempts to disengage and take up new positions failed. The Red Air Force, which on August 20 shot down 80 German planes over the Jassy sector alone, prevented the German reserves from coming up, consequently Vaslui was captured with its stores intact.

General Koniev’s First Ukrainian. Army, north of the Carpathians, has driven westward and seized dozens of German war factories. Aerial photographs reveal there were 150 factories and branches in East Debrica alone. It was here that thousands of Polish and Russian prisoners were sent to forced labour in. 1941 and 1942. The Russians are now getting into the section containing some of Germany’s vital war industries and factories on which Hitler is depending to keep the Reich in the war. Moscow radio announced that Red Air Force bombers on Wednesday night mass raided the rail junction of Tilsit, 30 big fires being started. Military trains ami dumps were directly hit. Two bombers arc missing.