RUSSIAN ARMIES

Grey River Argus, 26 January 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN ARMIES

STILL CLOSING TOWARDS ROSTOV Fast Caucasus Progress 1 Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.l LONDON. Jan. 24. Saturday’s Soviet communique stated: The six Russian offensives are progressing in the same directions as before, namely the area of Stalingrad, south of Voronezh, in the northern Caucasus, in the area of the lower Don, in the area of Northern Donetz, and south of Lake Ladoga, according to latest Soviet communiques. The capture of Novo Egorlyk, announced last night, represents an advance of 35 miles from Voroshilovsk along the railway to Kropotkin. On the Donetz front the Russians are now seven miles from the big industrial centre of Voroshilovgrad. Having crossed the Donetz. Russians appear to be developing a pincer movement with the object of enveloping German armies in the Don bend. They have captured Siniyelpyagi, 30 miles south-west of Voronezh, and are sweeping on to Voroshilovgrad. Moscow correspondents report that the Russians’ northernmost wing on the Voronezh front, which is driving hard against the Voronezh-Kursk railway, is nearing Kastornoye, the line cuts the Yelets-Valuiki railway. West of the Voronezh-Rostov railway, Voroshilovgrad, another vital rail centre held by the Germans, is already under fire from Russian heavy guns. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent stated: Golikov’s armies on the Voronezh front, after the capture of Tudenny, are 45 miles from Byelgorod. an important junction on the Mos-cow-Crimea railway, via Kharkov, the cutting of which would isolate the Don Basin coalfields and increase [he Germans’ communication difficulties. Golikov’s coloumns are also reaching out towards Kursk. The Russians seem to be avoiding an advance via the Don Basin, which is full of towns and villages—many with easily-defended stone houses. They are working round to the north-west-ward, possibly aiming at throwing the Germans back to the Dneiper.

Russians in two places are now only about 50 miles from the line whence the last German offensive began on the southern,half of the front. One of these areas is between Voronezh and Kharkov, where the Russians are aboua 50 miles from the German starting point near Bielgorod. The other is the Lower Donetz near Voroshilovgrad. Between Voronezh and Rostov the Russians are nowhere more than about 100 miles from the line they held last spring. An observer says Mr Stimson’s statement that Russia now has air superiority over the whole front goes a long way to explain the decisive turn of the tide. It, moreover, is one aspect of the Russian victories to which British and Americans have contributed. Six thousand planes produced for Russia in British and American factories, delivered by the valour of British, American and Russian sailors, contributed as much to this Russian air superiority as the destruction wrought on the Luftwaffe in Tunis, Libya and elsewhere. Front-line correspondents report that the sense of doom is spreading among the Axis forces, especially the Italians’, Hungarians’ and Rumanians’ unfits. \Yho increasingly surrender en bloc. When surrender is refused, destruction goes on pitilessly. Nearly all the Germans’ satellite divisions fighting in Russia are now accounted for, it was stated in London to-day. All the Italian and Hungarian troops have been so heavily defeated in recent weeks that their effective fighting strength must become negligible,- while of the original 20 Rumanian divisions all but four are known to have been badlv mauled. Capitulations en mass e by Italian, Rumanian and Hungarian troops have been a frequent: occurrence, sometimes with Generals and their staffs.

The Algiers radio reports that Bulgarian soldiers are being sent to France, Belgium and Poland to replace German troops, wno are needed on the Russian front. The Paris radio said that Germany will never capitaulatcL E-ven if the army is defeated in the east and has to retreat, Germany will continue to fight. The German Army will fight in the marshes of Poland, the plains of Germany, or the hills of France if necessary. KURSK-KHARKOV RAILWAY. STILL IN DANGER. (Rec. 9.25.) LONDON, Jan.' 24. “The Times’s” Moscow correspondent says: The Russians have graspen th e initiative on the Voronej front more decisively than at any time before or during the war. Mobile columns are oloughing up enemy positions and inflicting enormous losses on Axis forces, which were thrown into utter confusion. There are as yet, no signs of the successful restoration of the position bv the enemy. The vital Kursk-Kharkov railway will remain imperilled while such a situation continues.” Stalingrad Sector LONDON, Jan. 24. An Agency correspondent says that, during a recent visit to lhe Stalingrad front he learned that the previous day the commander of a Rumanian unit had crossed 1 the front line in his car, to surrender. The Russians, however, turned the commander back with a request to bring bis men and equipment, which he did. In the Stalingrad area the Russians have reduced still. further the trapped Axis army just outside the city. A tough battle developed When the Russians attacked German positions, but after fierce resistance the enemy was overwhelmed. Berlin admits tonight that the Russians hpve driven a breach in the German lines from the west. GERMAN RESISTANCE LONDON, Jan. 24. The commentator Colonel Vassiliev, in a breadcast said German resistance on the southern and southwestern fronts had noticeably strengthened in the past few days, after receiving reinforcements, but the Russians were repulsing the counter-attacks and continuing to press on.