FIGHTING IN E. PRUSSIA

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 October 1944, Page 5

FIGHTING IN E. PRUSSIA

RED ARMY GAINS STRONG DEFENCE MET LONDON, October 25. The Associated Press of Great Britain Moscow correspondent reports that both sides have thrown fresh reserves of armour and infantry into the East Prussian battle as the fightins? has reached white hot heat along a front of over 150 miles. Two famous German panzer formations which successfully defended Warsaw m August were among the four tank divisions committed in costly coun-ter-attacks against the Red Army s bulge east of Insterburg. A Soviet communique states. The Russians in East Prussia have captured a number ot places and a^ar overcoming the barrier of the Augustow Forest, occupied the town and railway station of Augustow, besides s °O°rde?h P i a b e e S en restored in the oecupied towns and villages, roads are being cleared, and the Russians have already set up the headquarters of a military government J has again been bombed by the Red An Unique™: who are resisting fiercely in Bast Prussia S’g d h a ave Sup to C the n Sa«a four fresh tank divisions, including fog dM&ateo two cavalry brigades an The f BeHm £ ?adM 1 has announced that RuSan tanks have entered Norway and are closing in on Kirkenes. DAY of successes GREAT TANK BATTLE (R fhe a° day "of tato e Kirkenes and a major Russ-an oncn sive between Warsaw and Naifw bridgehead. Russian air i -connais sance has revealed the evac V Koenigsberg is going on and of refugees from the city are mo\in b towards Central Gcnnsny 1 The Wehrmacht is gathering itself for a “do-or-die” bid to halt tne Russian onrush in East Prussia, says the B?itish United Press Moscow correspondent Four crack German divisions, which were specially brought nn are repeatedly counter-attacking in’a full-scale attempt to slow down the Russian advance on each side of the Kaunas— Koenigsberg railway. The Russians are attacking " nerior force, and so tar aie gainin to ground. The correspondent says that the pattern of the battle is already sufficiently clear to make it comparabffi with the battle of Caen m Normandy. Chernyakovsky has engaged the bulk of the German tanks in a great frontal assault in the Gumbm nen sector. The mam pomt is that while his centre has engaged the bulk of the German tanks his wings have been moving steadily westward, developing the threat to cut Bast Piussia in two. Any danger of a successful Geiman counter-attack from the south is believed to have been averted by the capture of Augustow. ' Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that massed Russian armour ol the cream of the Germans’ remaining Panzers and infantry were to-night locked in - the battle for..the Insteiburg Gap, which is the key to control of East Prussia.

PANIC DEVELOPING

Reuter’s adds that junker landlords of the broad farmlands in. this area, many of whom are relations of the Wehrmacht officers, have already fled. Tiger and Panther tanks are being hurled in in an effort to seal the gap. the Russian tanks and mobile guns are keeping up the pressure without a pause. The German civilians’ evacuation of East Prussian towns was so hurried that streets aie strewn with pictures of Hitier from their personal possessions. The Russians are trampling the pictures in the mud. . Moscow correspondents point out that since Chernyakovsky forced the German Command to rush all available reinforcements to the Sterburg Gap to plug a dangerous breach in the Gumbinnen area, the Red Army has launched a major attack against East Prussia from the south from the Narew River line. Berlin, for some time, has been reporting a Russian offensive on this front, and Moscow correspondents say the next few days may see the point of gravity of the fighting move to the Narew sector. Whether the German High Command has been outwitted and made to denude the south flank in a panicky endeavour to check Chernyakovsky’s advance remains to be seen. The Berlin radio commentator, von Hammer, indicated that the Red Army is not having all its own way, when he said, “House-to-house battles are raging at Stalluponen, and the Russians evacuated the greater part of Goldap and entrenched themselves in the eastern outskirts of the town. Stalin announced the capture of Stalluponen and Goldap two days ago. Von Hammer said that all military installations in Kirkenes were destroyed after the last German ships left. The Stockholm newspaper “Tidningen” said the Russian advance against Northern Norway compelled the Germans to move the Tirpitz, which is now en route to Kiel. CAPTURE OF KIRKENES (Recd. 1.40 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 25. Mr. Stalin, in an order of the day, addressed to Meretskov, said: Troops on the Karelian front pursuing German troops under difficult polar conditions, crossed the State border of Norway and captured Kirkenes. The Exchange Telegraph Agency ’says that Kirkenes for the last four and a-half years had been the main German stronghold in the Arctic. It has been invaluable to them as a port because it is icefree all the year, and provided a fine supply base for German troops in the north sector of the Russian front. It has also become an important uerman military and seaplane base, besides being used during the war to ship nickel produced by the famous north Finland mines. Of the normal population of four thousand, only four hundred remain in Kirkenes. The majority after severe Russian attacks were evacuated to neighbouring districts.

TRANSLYVANIA LIBERATED

RUGBY, October 25.

Troops of the Second Ukrainian Front on Wednesday took by storm the towns of Satu-Mare, and Carei, important strongholds of enemy resistance in Northern Transylvania thus the liberation of Transylvania has been completed. This was announced ' by \Mr Stalin, in an order of the day, addressed to Malinovsky. Satu-Mare is situated 32 miles south-west of the Czechoslovak town of Chust. Carei is about 20 miles west south-west of Satu-Mare and has -a population of over 15,000. The advance along the Hron Valley, has brought the German column 10 miles nearer Banska Bystrica, and

other German units made appreciable advances towards Zvolen, an important railway junction covering Banska Bystrica in the south. A Czechoslovak communique says that on Tuesday the enemy was oh the eastern and southern sectors. The the offensive again, particularly on western‘sector was quiet. Air activity was weak on both sides on account of the bad weather. JUGOSLAV - CAPTURE LONDON, Oct. 25. The Free Jugoslav radio announced that Marshal Tito’s forces captured Novisad, a strategic keypoint on the Danube, while Jugoslav and Russian forces captured Petrovaradin, opposite Novisad, on the southern bank, of the Danube. Marshal Tito’s troops have reached the approaches to Zagreb, says the Jugoslav radio. The city is now under .artillery fire.