RED ARMY HELD

Greymouth Evening Star, 30 October 1944, Page 5

RED ARMY HELD

E. PRUSSIAN DEFENCES

PROGRESS IN SOUTH LONDON, October 29. A Russian communique says: “Russian and Polish forces have occupied Jablonna, 10 miles north-west of the Warsaw suburb of Praga, and also other places in the same area. “In northern Norway the Russians on Saturday continued to advance in the Petsamo area and occupied an inhabited locality 55 miles, southwest of Kirkenes. They also liberated Neiden and a number of places between Neiden and Kirkenes.”

“The Soviet Arctic Navy and Air Arm are complete masters of their sea routes and have destroyed in the last 10 days alone 50 enemy ships,” says “Pravda.” “Gone for ever are the days of massed attacks by enemy aeroplanes and submarines on convoys from Britain and America.” “The Russians are intensifying their blows against Insterburg in freezing weather,” says the Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press. “The Red Air Force is taking advantage of clearer weather to strike massive blows against concentrations of German troops and materials. The Russian push west from Augustow, which has been overshadowed by the battle for Insterburg and Gumbinnen, is making good progress. “Front line dispatches emphasise the tremendous power of the German anti-tank defences. The German armoured divisions in East Prussia are reported to be more heavily equipped with anti-tank devices than any others so far encountered. The Germans fighting along the railway leading to Koenigsberg are grimly trying to prevent the Russians from bypassing their fortifications. Massed forces of German tanks, on Thursday launched attack after attack against the Red Army on all the East Prussian sectors. Strong Russian reinforcements are reported to be moving to East Prussia from the Memel front and also from the Bug River area.”

A Soviet supplementary communique says that during the fighting in East Prussia on Thursday the Russians killed more than 3000 Germans. and knocked out 95 enemy tanks, 11 armoured troop carriers, and more than 100 motor vehicles. Concentrations of Russian heavy artillerv have switched their fire against" the depths of the East Prussian defences, threatening vital fortified sectors with demolition. The terrific cannonade continues day and night along the whole front. Russian tanks and guns are moving forward to attack through breaches m the German fortifications and thousands of German corpses litter the roads. The Russians are now building landing strips immediately behind the fighting line for their night bomber squadrons which are being sent forward in great strength, indicating that the Red Army is preparing lor another big drive forward. The Official German News Agency commentator, von Olberg, claimed on Friday that the Germans had won the great tank battle which had been raging south of Gumbinnen, in East Prussia, for three days. He said that the German barrier from Gumbinnen to Goldap withstood the Red Army s pressure and that the Russians were now hurling their mam weight ■wainst the line between Gumbinnen and Pillkallen. The Russians he said, penetrated Pillkallen, but the Germans later ejected them. FIGHTING IN NORTH (Recd. 12.10 p.m.) The Russian offensive inLast bi us sia has temporarily slowed as a result of severe German countei-at-tacks and a bewildering prolusion ol defence works states Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. The Germans have stiffened their defences with steel and concrete, and ringed them at varying depths with mines. The Russians are also meeting more mtense artillery fire as the Geimans draw heavily on their reserves ol bi o o'uns and vast stores of ammunition. " The Red Army in East Prussia is reported to be meeting German soldiers armed as well as-any troops encountered during the war. Ihe Russians found concrete wells among the novel features of the East Prussian defences. The Germans sheltei in these wells and allow the Russian tanks to roll on. The Russians are countering these tactics with showers of mortar bombs before each tank attack. . „ ~ . The Red Army in the far north is apparently beginning a full-scale Winter drive planned to free the whole of Northern Norway. The German • News Agency commentators Plato and von Hammer, to-night, each mentioned a fierce Red Army offensive south-east of Libau. Plato said: “The Russians have succeeded in penetrating the German lines and captured Auts. They broke into the German positions before Kuln. German anti-aircraft guns used as anti-tank guns eventually checked the Russians.” Von Hammer said: “The Russians in Latvia have thrown In 35 to 40 infantry divisions and seven armoured corps. A great tank battle has flared up at Auts following the arrival of German tactical reserves.”

HUNGARIAN FRONT j

LONDON, October 29

Th.e British United Press Moscowcorrespondent says: Russian forces, after capturing Uzhorod, reached the outskirts of Cop on the Czech-Hun-garian northern frontier. There is a big battle looming for this key railway junction. Cop is strongly defended, the Germans having erected fortifications and blown up all bridges and roads leading to the town. They also have reinforced their units that were mauled in the retreat from Czechoslovakia in preparation for their last attempt to hold the Red Army at the northern Hungarian frontier.

Von Hammer claims that the Germans have recaptured the important Hungarian rail junction of Nyiergyhaza.

Hitler, according to the German News Agency, sent a message to the Hungarian Regent, Szalasi, saying:: “I am convinced that we will master the situation in spite of all temporary setbacks. Germany will not abandon Hungary.” . ’JUGOSLAV UNITY LONDON, October 28. The Free Jugoslav radio, quoting an official communique, says that Marshal Broz and the Jugoslav Prime Minister (Dr. Subasic), at a meeting in Naples, reached full agreement for the formation of a united Government in liberated Jugoslav territory. Marshal Broz has returned to Belgrade. A Jugoslav communique says that the Jugoslavs and the Russians have liberated Ruma, which was a strong centre of German resistance and have annihilated the entire garrison. Heavy fighting is in progress in the Sjenica sector. Street fighting is going on in Sjenica, to which the Germans have penetrated with strong tank force's. A German column was repelled with heavy casualties near Gostivar. The Jugoslavs and the Russians are marching against Mostar. After three days’ fierce fighting the Dalmatian port of Split has been liberated. A Moscow communique says the

Jugoslavs and the Russians and the Jugoslavs, continuing the offensive m the Srijem Province, between the Danube and the Sava, occupied two villages. In Bosnia the Germans were falling back on Visegrad. in Dalmatia a column of the enemy 4000 strong suffered defeat on the Neretva River. ALBANIAN GOVERNMENT LONDON, October 28. The puppet Government of Albania has resigned, giving as the reason ‘•increasing pressure both from within and without.” POLAND’S INDEPENDENCE LONDON, October 28. Mr Churchill made a further statement on the future of Poland after his general statement about the Moscow conversations. Major Lloyd (Conservative) asked the Prime Minister: (1) If he could say whether it was the Government’s nolicv and wish to defer decisions on ail “Russo-Polish territorial and boundary questions until after the cessation of hostilities; (2) whether the British Government was in general sympathy with the desire of the Polish Government lor specific joint guarantees from the three Great Powers in support of Poland’s continued independence as a completely sovereign State after the war. Mr Churchill replied: ?With regard to the first question, we should welcome a solution between the parties themselves and an agreement’ between them, that we should bring the whole matter to the Peace Conference in the form most helpful and favourable to all concerned, and also which would take us over the difficult and potentially tragic period through which we are passing. With regard to the guarantee by the three Great Powers, it is certainly our hope that the three Great. Powers will guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the Poland which may emerge. As far as the Soviet Government is concerned, I understand that it will be its fixed intention, and I have not hesitated to say that the British Government certainly concurs and joins itself in such a guarantee. It is not for me to speak for the United States.”

MOSCOW TALKS.

LONDON, October 28.

Moscow “Pravda’s” foreign editor, reviewing the Stalin-Churchill conference, says: “Discussions, having cleared up all misunderstandings, have considerably shortened the war.” He added: “The conference dealt not only with the Allied Powers’ main goal, namely, complete crushing and destruction of Hitlerite Germany, but also with rebuilding strong, last; ing peace after the war.”

VITAMINS WASTE NEW "YORK, October 28. Dr. Edward Tuohy, head of the medical centre at the Duluth Clinic, told the American Dietetic Association convention at Chicago that 85 ' per cent, of vitamins bought by the 1 (Ji

public were utter waste. Synthetic food was not the answer to the problem of improving national nutrition. Dr. Tuohy expressed the opinion that the garden and the fields, not the drug stores, were the source of the suitable multifarious diets abundant Nature had made- available to man. _ _