ARIES BLED WHITE

Evening Star, Issue 25003, 23 October 1943, Page 5

ARIES BLED WHITE

GOST OF DNIEPER BATTLE TO ENEMY USING BANDSMEN IN FRONT LINE (Rec. 1 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 22. The Press Association's military writer calculated that between the Pripet marshes around Kiev to the Sea of Azov between 70 and 90 German divisions are engaged in battles, representing between a million and one and a-quarter million men. The Moscow radio to-night declared: " Tho German war machine is tottering and growing daily weaker after its enormous losses in the battles for the Dnieper." Reuter's Moscow correspondent 6ays the Germans before Kiev are throwing into the fighting, line bandsmen, supply troops, and security police. " They seem to machine-gun whole groups of German soldiers attempting to retreat. The approaching Russian threat has given the signal for a new wave of terrorism within the city. Night after night the sound of volleys on the outskhts of the city tells of more Soviet citizens dying before German firing squads." The German News Agency reported powerful new Russian attacks in the Pereyslavl area, where the Red army holds a bridgehead 50 miles south-east of Kiev. ' Berlin radio stated that the Russians made new attacks north-west of Smolensk and south-west of Veliki Luki, but claims that the breaches were sealed off.

The German war reporter, speaking oyer the Berlin radio to-night, referring to the fighting in the Kremenchug area, admitted that the Russians had effected a deep break-through. lie said: " Our troops have had a hard time. They have been fighting without rest since -June 15, and hardly ever have had time to take off their boots."