RUSSIAN CAPTURES

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 September 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN CAPTURES

ROSTOV REGION LIBERATED ENEMY DEFENCES WEAKENED LONDON, August 31. Last night’s Soviet communique says that the Russians in the Taganrog area yesterday captured more than 150 populated places, including the strung centres of resistance of Nikolayevka ? and Kuteinikovo, 28 miles south-east of Stalin, on the Taganrog-Stalin railway; the district centre of Fedorovka, 28 miles west of Taganrog and 40 miles east of Mariupol; and also the large and important defence centre of _ Vasselo Voznesensk, on the coast of the Sea of Azov, 40 miles from Mariupol. Thus the Rostov region has been completely liberated. The Stockholm correspondent of “The Times” says that Taganrog was one of the cornerstones of the German defences in the Donetz Basin, and its abandonment not only detrimentally affects the German position in the whole of this area but also makes a withdrawal from the Kuban and from the Crimea a matter for urgent consideration. “Since the Germans have not held Taganrog with extensive and long-prepared defences in depth,” he adds, “there is little reason to believe that they will be able to hold the Russians permanently on that side of the Dnieper.” The British United Press correspondent in Moscow says that two Russian pincer arms are now aimed at the important railway junction of Volnovakha, 30 milse south of Stalin. This junction controls one of the two remaining railways leading from the Donetz. The whole German position round the great industrial city of Stalin, he says, has been weakened with the fall of Taganrog. The Russians in the meantime have trapped and are wiping out the remnants of the defenders of Taganrog. It is estimated that the enemy lost 15,000 dead in the six days’ battle lor Taganrog. The Soviet communique also reports that the Russians south of Bryansk advanced .six to 13 miles and occupied more than 50 inhabited places. The Russians west of Kharkov continued their offensive and occupied several inhabited places. DRIVE FOR KRASNOGRAD. The British United Press correspondent in Moscow says that the Russian advance on the Kharkov front has facilitated a drive for the important railway centres ol Krasnograd and Pavlograd, which control the Donetz Basin communications. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the Russian offensive swinging south and west from Kharkov is crushing the German fortifications and threatening the enemy s badly shaken armies with encirclement. Krasnograd is menaced from the north and the east. The Germans are throwing in masses oi bombers in an attempt to hold up the Russian offensive, but the Soviet Air Force is breaking up and beating off the attacks. A The Official German News Agency says that the Red Army has broken the German lines at several points west of Kharkov, and battles are still raging for the gaps. Heavy battles west of the Upper Donetz and west of Kharkov are going on, it adds. The Russians have still further intensified their efforts in almost the entire area between the Sea of Azov and Byelyi (south-west of Rzhev) to smash the German front. The focal points are the Upper Mius and the area west of Kharkov, and also sectors west of Sievsk and south-west of Vyazma. It says that the Russians in the Sievsk area and south-west of ,Vvazma and also at Byelyi have hurled in strong infantry and tank forces with particularly strong air support, and that the defensive fighting there is extremely grim.

AMAZING PROGRESS GERMAN FRONT CRUMBLING (Recd. 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 31. From the Smolensk front southwards to the Sea of Azov, the Russian offensive* is smashing forward m a series of thrusts co-ordinated under a vast master plan. This is becoming increasingly obvious from the succession of orders-of-the-day communiques in which Premier Stalin announces the capture of - keypoints hundreds of miles apart, but correlated to the Russian objective of freeing the Ukraine. An order of the day by Stalin announced that the Russians in the Sevsk area had retaken Rylsk and broken through into the Northern Ukraine. An official Moscow announcement states that the Russians have captured Valid. Communiques show that massive blows against strategic points along the front are timed to give the hardpressed Germans no opportunity to move strategic reserves or transfer forces from point to point. They also indicate that the Russians are now concentrating the strength of their air force, armoured units and army against the wider objective of smashing the German military power on the Eastern Front and forcing a victory. Moscow has announced that the offensive in the Smolensk direction has broken through strong fortificalions on a 30-mile front and advanced ten to 19 miles. The Russians, attacking another strongly-fortified zone in the Sevsk area, smashed through on a 63-mile front and drove irresistibly forward for 39 miles into the Northern Ukraine. Advances in the Kharkov area, and an official statement that the Russians are completing the mopping up of the Taganrog area complete the picture of the vast united offensive operations. Reuter’s military writer says: ‘ It is clear now that the whole German front is crumbling. Orel, Kharkov, and Taganrog are merely portents that a bigger development is m the offing. Bryansk and Poltava are already threatened. Smolensk, formerly Hitler’s headquarters and one of the greatest prizes of all, is almost within Russian hands. The prospect of a German retreat along the whole line is no longer remote, but the real question is: “Will the Germans be able to get behind the Dnieper in time? The great Russian victory at lelnia is doubly remarkable, continues Reuter. It not only represents a tremendous wedge driven through the main defensive line covering their centre but has been achieved when great Russian armies are carrying out immense successful offensives elsewhere. The might and resources disclosed in these operations is astonishing. The Wehrmacht which once deemed itself invincible is falling back abandoning position after position, even in the most strongly fortified positions. It is a most remarkable rate of progress, and the Russian advance seems to be accelerating almost daily. ' t TAGANROG CASUALTIES

(Recd. 1.35 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 31. Router’s Moscow correspondent states that the battle for Taganrog cost the Germans 15,000 dead in six days of the grimmest fighting. The first Russian troops to enter the city found scenes of utter desolation. Smoke from blazing buildings swept through the streets', which were strewn with abandoned German transport. The crash of mined buildings went on while the Russians cleaned up the city.

A war reporter’s despatch stated: “The port is dead. Thousands of citizens were driven off to Germany.” “Izvestia” says that Gestapo mass execution squads shot thousands of citizens at Taganrog. There was not a survivor among the Jewish population. Entire sections of the town were set on fire.” “DUNKIRK” PREVENTED (Recd. 2.10 p.m.) LONDON, August 31. To-night’s Soviet communique reports that in four days’ fighting in the Smolensk area offensive, over 175 inhabited localities were occupied, and in four days’ fighting in the Sevsk direction over 200 inhabited places were taken. The Germans tried a “Dunkirk” at Taganrog but were smashed by the Russian Air Force. “Red Star” detailing the occupation of the port says: “The enemy defence of the Taganrog region as .far as the Gulf of Taganrog, was based on several water lines. The main defence line was the Mius, on which our command knew there were large enemy forces. The Russians in the first day’s fighting pierced the first line of defence, after which cavalry and mechanised units were brought through to the second line of defence, and penetrated to the enemy’s rear, placing the whole Germany Army at Taganrog in a difficult position. Our mobile forces cut the enemy’s last communications. The enemy still attempted to stop our advance and save the Taganrog troops. The Russians in other sectors launched decisive attacks speeding up the final stage at Taganrog. The German resistance weakened on Monday and they started a hurried retreat. The Russians broke into Taganrog, dislodging the Germans from the city. The retreat was marked by exceptionally heavy German losses. There was no more question of evacuation of material. The Germans made every effort to save at least Army manpower, and attempted to evacuate troops by sea. The Germans intended to use the same route to bring up fresh forces to Taganrog but failed in both plans. The German remnants are encircled and heavy fighting is progressing as we continue to l annihilate them.”