RUSSIAN TRIUMPHS

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 March 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN TRIUMPHS

FRUITS OF RZHEV CAPTURE OREL’S HOPELESS POSITION

LONDON, March 4. Already Russian troops, after the capture of Rzhev, have pushed on beyond the city to the south-west and captured 11 more places. Repeated German counter-attacks were repelled, with the loss of much equipmßzhev was defended with desperntp determination, the Germans realFsing that if it fell their whole position on the central front would be in danger The new Russian advance from Rzhev already shows how the nnfire Vyazma salient is in danger ot being pinched out. j . The capture of Lgov and Dmitriev Lgovisky leaves Orel in an almost honeless position. Russian forces have pushed far bevond it to the south, levaing it in a deep salient and almost cut off from Bryansk, further back. Bryansk itself is now menaced by Russian forces. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent . Hitler’s Eastern Front is bending and cracking from Staraya-Russa to Orel, as the Red Army drives on after new successes on the Moscow 11 The “Daily Telegraph’s” Stockholm correspondent says: “The Germans before leaving Rzhev, destroyed all supplies and ammunition that they were unable to take away. They drove civilians before them to work in labour camps. Demolition squads set fire to the town. . Moscow radio says Russian forces ■are scoring more and more succcesses as they drive the enemy westwards. They are preventing the Germans from consolidating .their positions, and are storming their centres of resistance and are capturing enormous booty. The Red Army has already liberated fifteen districts in the Kharkov region. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: The Red Army’s spirit and striking power in the fourth month of its great offensive are-as high as over. Vichy radio announced that Marshal Timoshenko is massing big forces from Orel to Staraya-Russa. GERMAN CLAIMS DOUBTED RUGBY, March 4. Heavy fighting has been taking place on the Donetz front since the Germans began counter-attacking a week ago. The enemy were evidently obliged to make a great effort to stop Russian progress which was dangerously swift towards the Dnieper bend, and across the neck of the Donetz Basin. There is no confirmation of the enemy’s repeated statement giving the Izyum area as the scene of fighting. Neither is there confirmation of the enemy’s claims to have recaptured Lozovaya, Bar venkovo, Kramatorskaya, and Slaviansk. The enemy claims to be along the Donetz River are not convincing, as their troops never left its neighbourhood in certain areas.

RUSSIAN FURTHER GAINS

(Rec. 1.45 p.m.) LONDON, March 4. The Russians have made fresh gains west of Rzhev. To-night’s special Moscow communique announces the capture of Olenino, also Chertovino, which is between Olenino and the Rzhev railway line. The enemy has been cleared throughout the length of the railway from Moscow, through Rzhev to Veliki Luki. In the Orel region, the Russians occupied Sevsk and also captured the railway town of Sundzha about fifty miles south-west of Kursk. j Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that Hitler is estimated to have deployed more than 70 Divisions on the Moscow front. The salient is now threatened by the fall of Rzhev. These forces protect the north-east-ern approaches to Smolensk. The whole area of the salient is saturated to the limit with fortifications ot the most modern type. A German military spokesman stated that the Russians on the wings of the Orel semi-circle launched attacks with numerically far superior assault and tank forces, engaging the Germans in heavy defensive battles. The Russians achieved local breaches.

To-day’s German communique claims that Slavyansk was taken by storm.

LONDON PRESS REVIEWS

(N.2.P.A. Special Correspondent)

(Recd. 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 4 ■‘Rzhev is a major German disaster,” is a headline describing the latest news from Russia. It is remarked that the Germans’ official announcement of their withdrawal was dramatic in its suddenness. Ever since the (German defeat on the Moscow front in the Winter of 1941, Rzhev remained a spearpoint poised towards Moscow. It was regarded as a supei - hedgehog. For nearly fifteen months, the greater part of the labour organisation was employed in the Rzhev-Gjatsk-Viazma sector and the concrete and armour plating sunk into the ground fortifications represented the last word in construction of static defences according to modern designs of the German army engineers. One view is that these defences proven useless as soon as their heavier calibre artillery had to be moved to assist the corps fighting in the Donetz Basin. Another view is that Rzhev was abandoned because of the increasing Russian pressure on Veliki Luki, Demyansk and Gjatsk, placing it in imminent danger of encirclement and also because the Germans intend to shorten their lines. The “Daily Express” military correspondent believes the abandonment can mean only that the Germans adopted the policy of saving as much of the army as possible by making a long retreat. In other words, refusing fight except in the Donetz Basin. “It seems clear the enemy is smelling a new Stalingrad in every fresh blow the Red Army strikes. His abandonment of one strongpoint after another is enough proof. But now he is also abandoning any future hope of mounting a new offensive towards Moscow. That is a tremendous moral victory for our Allies.” Comment is cautious nowadays on on the Donetz fighting. It is observed •that the early thaw in the Ukraine upset the Russians calculations, halting General Vatoutin’s drive over the ridge of the Donetz Basin. The “Daily Telegraph's” Moscow correspondent reports a huge confused battle is raging between Voroshilovgrad and Stalino. “The final thaw is clearly very near in the Ukraine. When it comes it will mean heavy black mud but not for long. It will not be followed by the usual floods, because I have never seen so little snow there. From the farmers’ standpoint that is doubtless disastrous, but for the Red Army, which intends at any cost to resume and maintain the offensive, it is ideal. It means hard going again soon.” The “Times observes that the situation is complicated in the Donetz area, and the Germans claim that they cut off the most advanced Russian spearhead towards the Dnieper. The Germans undoubtedly inflicted considerable loss on the Russians and recovered ground, but it remains to be seen whether they can maintain either effort or territory. “The Times” believes that even if the widening of the corridor does succeed in securing the withdrawal of (the German Donetz army, it is unlikely that it aspires to do more than that. “To attempt for very long to

maintain any position east of the Dnieper would expose the enemy to rapidly increasing risk, seeing that the Russian advance westward from Kharkov is still flowing powerfully ahead towards Poltava. This movement, if unstemmed, might cut the line of the Dnieper on the north side of the great bend, and further imperil both the retreating forces, and those sent to their relief.” Another view is it is still militarily possible for the Germans to launch a new offensive in the south, but chances are increasing rapidly that the Germans plan only defensive warfare in the east in future, which means they are preparing to divert all possible available resources ' westwards to meet the Allied threat.

NO FINNISH OVERTURES

WASHINGTON, March 3.

The chief of the United States Office of War Information (Mr. Elmer Davis) said authoritative information contradicted reports that Finland had sought the mediation of the United States for her withdrawal from the war. He said the United States Government knew of no direct or indirect Finnish overtures elsewhere.

TWO POLES EXECUTED

WASHINGTON, March 3

The Soviet Embassy here has disclosed. that two former Polish Socialist Labour leaders, Henryk Erlich and Victor Alter, have been executed in Russia, because they attempted to discourage Soviet troops, and urged a separate peace with Germany. Mr W. Green, President of the American Federation of Labour, had cabled to M. Molotov, seeking intervention in their case.

The Soviet Ambassador, M. Litvinov, sent a letter to Mr Green, explaining that Erlich and Alter went to Moscow when Germany invaded Poland. They were sentenced to death, for subversive activities in 1941. They were released at the Polish Government’s request. When the Russians later were engaged in desperate battles against Germany, Erlich and Alter resumed a hostile attitude. They again were tried, convicted, and executed.