ADVANCE ON LWOW

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 July 1944, Page 5

ADVANCE ON LWOW

RUSSIAN SOUTHERN DRIVE NEARING BREST-LITOVSK LONDON. July 19. The Russians have opened a new offensive in Southern Poland Mid have penetrated the German- defences in the Lwow sector. They are reported to be advancing towards Lwow on a front of 120 miles. According to a German report the Soviet offensive has spread to the Kowel sector. Further north the Russians arc threatening Brest Litovsk and arc stated lo have already reached the outer suburbs of the‘city. "Soviet forces on Tuesday advanced 18 miles in the- direction of Brest Litovsk,” says a Moscow supplementary communique. “Other units, advancing southwards, occupied Omelinka, nine miles north of Brest Litovsk. The Soviet Air Force during the day made mass raids on enemy troop concentrations and communications. Hundreds of German tanks and lorries were smashed. Our fighters m air combat, shot down 128 German aircraft.” In the north the Red Armies are advancing all along the Latvian sector and also on the Niemen River front. , , The Moscow radio has announced that the White Russian Goveniment has returned to Minsk from Gomel, which has been the temporary capital of White Russia. ADVANCeTn BALTIC. (Rec. 12.5 p.m.) LONDON, July 19. The seventh full-scale offensive has been launched against the Germans’ Eastern Front. Mr. Stalin, m an order of the day addressed to General Maslennikov, who previously operated in the Kuban, reveals a new break-through south of Ostrov, [ringing the ' north-eastern frontier of Latvia. ■ . ~ The order says: “Troops ol the Second Baltic Front, after piercing the Velikaya River, penetrated deeply the staggered enemy defences south of Ostrov, and in two days fighting advanced 25 miles. They extended their breach to a width of. 43 miles and captured 700 places. ’ The British United. Press military correspondent points out that the new offensive further increases the threat to the German 16th and 11th Armies under Lindemann, holding the northern Baltic States. A considerable portion of these armies is in Estonia holding the Pskov area just north of Ostrov. . .- Meanwhile, to the south, masses of Russian tanks are pouring through the 120-mile gap torn by Koniev’s army in the Gorman defences covr. ering Lwow, and the retreating enemy forces are being subjected to the heaviest continuous shelling of the war. J The German News Agency commentator, von Hammer, reports that the Russians reached the BialystokBrest Litovsk railway, which is the. Red Army’s most westerly advance. Some idea of the strength of the Russian forces engaged this offensive is given by the fact that Mr. Stalin’s announcement of the offensive names 20 generals in command of infantry and artillery formations and 11 generals in command of armoured formations in this sector. A Moscow communique stated: Soviet forces advanced eighteen miles in the direction of Brest Litovsk on Tuesday. Other units advancing southwards occupied Omelinka, nine miles north of Brest Litovsk. The Solet Air Force during the day mad? mass raids on enemy troop concentrations and communications. Hundreds of German tanks and lorries were- smashed. Our lighters in. air combat, shot down 128 German airera ft. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports: Russian forces _ to -day are battling into suburbs of l •.rest l.,itovsh. 1 .ARGE FORCE ENCIRCLED. (Rec. 1,>5 p.m.) LONDON, July 19.The CMicirclcmeiit of mor or five onoin.y divisions west oi Brody is announced in to-night’s Soviet communique. It says the Russians west and south-west of Opochka continued their offensive and captured,over 100 places, inducting two railway stations, and north-west and west of Drissa fought their way into 80 places. The Russians north and south of Alytus repelled infantry and tank attacks and extended their beachhead on the west bank of the Niemen River. The Red Army west oi Volovysk forced the Svisloch River and fought their way into a number of places, mclud-ng the railway station of Krynki. Lfeutenant General Fochsner, Commander of the 31st German Infantry Division, surrendered. The Russians fin the Brest-Litovsx sector have occupied 50 places, including Kleszczcle, 36 miles north ol Brcst-Litovsk, on the Bialystok-Brest-Litovsk railway. The Russians in the Lwow sector have captured 100 places, including Sokal, 45 miles north of Lwow, on the railway to Kowel. The Russians north and south of Sokal have forced the western Bug River and completed the encirclements ol four or five enemy divisions west ol Brody. GERMAN DISSENSIONS. (Rec. 10.30 a.m.) MOSCOW, July 19. All the newspapers publish a statement to the Red Army High Command by a German, Lieu-tenant-General Edmund Hofmeister, a prisoner of war. declaring that Hitler’s generals are in disagreement about German tactics on the Eastern Front. “Hitler forbade any retreat and ordered every inch to be defended. I considered the order utterly wrong, but had to obey. The German defeat in White Russia is not the only example of lack of military talent in Hitler’s direction of the war. Rundstedt, List Brauchitsch and others tried to point out the mistake, but they were dismissed. The Germans have not reserves to hold the large areas which Hitler is ordering them to hold. Young, inexperienced Nazi generals side with Hitler against the- older commanders. There is considerable antagonism among the older generals, but they remain silent because Kietel announced that any criticism of the High Command is punishable by death.” Hofmeister, a former commander of the 41st Tank Corps, is among the nineteen generals captured during the current Russian offensive,