GOMEL FALLS

Grey River Argus, 29 November 1943, Page 5

GOMEL FALLS

RUSSIAN PUSH TO POLISH BORDER Enemy Getaway Risky LONDON, Nov. 26. The capture of Gomel, the great German base in White Russia wa ® announced in Moscow, and M. Btaiin. in an order of the day, addressed to General Rokossovsky, stated: Troops of the White Russian front are continuing to develop their offensive and, as a result of a daring by-pass manoeuvre they occupied twenty-six localities in the region of, and the large industrial centre of Gomel, an important railway junction and a powerful centre ot German defence in the Polessye direction.” , The official German News Agency admits that the Germans have evacuated Gomel and neighbouring sectors thereby considerably shortening and’improving their defensive positions. A German High Command communique, stated that the city had been completely destroyed. Russians first threatened Gomel from the rear and two sides, and then smashed across the Sozh River in an attack from the north, got astride the Gomel-Mogilev road and left the Germans with only one rail outlet. This in turn fell to the Russians. The Russians will be greatly aided in their drive to the west now by having the use of the whole stretch of railway from Bryansk to bring up supplies. This should be of major importance, especially in the Russian drive towards Bobruisk. It is stated in London that the fall of Gomel completes the separation of the German armies in the Ukraine from those on the central front Gomel controls two railways to Poland, while the main railway connection between Leningrad, Vitebsk, Zhitomir and Odessa, passes a few miles west of Gomel. f The Stockholm correspondent ot “The Times” states that the Germans made Gomel one of the most important bases on the central front wit large stores of food and materials. The elimination of the Gomel salient shortens the German line, but it also shortens the Red Army line. Red Amy Offensive SWIFT ADVANCE MUDDLES ENEMY LONDON, Nov, 26, The Red Army has mounted . a new offensive in White Russia. North of Gomel,, a strong German defence line has been penetrated and Russians have advanced thir y miles along a 40-mile front between the Sozh and the Dnieper. Tney have reached the eastern bank ot the Dnieper and are moving rapidly forward to pass Mogilev. of Gomel other Russian units, which had been responsible for outflanking and cutting the communications of the city, continue their advance. They nave cut the Jlobin-Kalinkovichi railway and increased the threat of Mozyr. Great concentrations of troops were brought by night to the banks of the Sozh, says correspondents in Moscow, describing the development of this new offensive. Early in the morning a heavy Russianartillery barrage in half an hour smashed most of the key points in the first line of the German fortifications and hit the enemy’s communications. Russian infantry followed the barrage and the German line broke quickly. Not tor two days did the Germans mount any sort of counter-attack. It was then too late for the Russians were well beyond the Sozh. ■■ The Russians’ broad salient between Gomel and Mogilev is rapidly being deepened and widened, especially to the southwards. A German force, estimated at least twenty divisions, is in danger of being cut off and completely trapped in the Gomel sack, the neck of which has already been reduced to 50 miles wide. Russians have reached the east side of the Dnieper at a point midway between Mogilev and Zhlobin, and they are now advancing swiftly towards Dovsk where the road from Gomel to Mogilev crosses the road from Propoisk to Rogachev. The penetration of the. Germans carefully-prepared winter line in this area makes the Russians masters of a big sector between the Sozh and the Dnieper. Describing the break-through at Propoisk, the Moscow radio states: The Germans, for their winter operations, had constructed a series of pillboxes resembling a small underground town. The enemy had a dense network of firing points, minefields and anti-tank and anti-infan-try obstacles. The Russians surprised the defenders .after crossing the Sozh River by rafts and barges. The Soviet troops captured reinforcements who continued to arrive after the. Germans had lost the stronghold. West of Gomel other Russian units, which had been responsible for outflanking and cutting the communications of the city, continue their advance. They have cut the ZhlobinKalinkovichi railway and increased the threat to Mozyr. The whole of the enemy’s White Russian front is threatened with the southern half already crumbling .after the blows of the latest Russian offensive from Propoisk. Dispatches from Moscow state that the Red Army troops which cut the MogilevGomel highway are ’now within striking distance of the imnortant town of Rogachev. Moscow radio stated: The Soviet wedge driven into the German lines in the direction of Bobruisk is now 27 miles deep. The enemy is in full retreat and fast Soviet motorised formations are in hot pursuit. The Russians hold the west bank of the Beresina River for about 20 miles from its junction with the Dnieper. The Red Army, further to the southwest, is now 20 miles from Mozyr. The Red Army commander who successfully struck at the enemy’s Gomel-Mogilev lines relied on complete surprise, states the correspondent of the British United Press. The I Germans, for two years, have lived in this sector undisturbed by Red Army activity. German magazines featured pictures of their dug-outs showing how easy life was in this sector of the Russian front. With the enemy lulled to .a sense of false security, the Russians struck With paralysing suddenness. Many Germans were surrounded so quickly that they surrendered within a few hours. Red Army tommy-gunners fanned out ahead of the infantry after crossing the River Sozh, gained control of the road junctions behind the lines, and turned the enemy’s defence system into one of the most hopeless muddles of the war. The Germans became so completely disorganised that entire reinforcement units at some points marched into villages which the Russians had already captured. The enemy, at other points, in his confusion shelled his own units as they moved up to the front line. The main body of the Russians .finally swamped the last German lines

and cut'the Gomel highway. The Germans, as the Rus sians swept on towards the Rogachev highway, threw reinforcements, but these failed to halt the rush. . . Reuter’s correspondent states ti at the Russians’ powerful, blow has cracked Hitler s winter line Marshal von Kluge’s forces, who have been ejected from deep belts o warm, snug, and well-equipped, dugouts where they evidently intended to dig in for the winter, are now being chased into the swamps ana forests, where guerrillas lie rn wait and where the snow is already thicK. A gap of 30 miles has been torn m the German defences between Gomel and Mogilev, through which Red Army forces are pouring swiftly. (Rec. 12.5) LONDON. Nov. 28 . Russian forces between the boj and Dnieper Rivers pushed nearer the Polish border, and still further narrowed a gap, north-west of Gomel, through which half a million Germans are trying to escape. This was earlier reported to be only 40 miles wide. A railway from Gomel to Jlobin, over which retreating Germans must pass, is already under Russian artillery fire. The latest Moscow messages .say General Rokossovsky’s forces, driving up the Dnieper’s right bank, almost contacted Russian forces bearing down from the Propoisk area along the road to Rogachev. Other Soviet forces, after crossing the Beresina, are also driving against Jlobin from the south-west. A Russian communique states: West of Propo’sk Russian forces yesterday beat off counter-attacks, and occupied several inhabited localities. Between the Dnieper and Soj Rivers Russian forces occupied three towns, including Chechecsk-Uvarovichi, 22 miles north-west of Gomel, and 80 inhabited localities. Kostukhovka and Usa stations on the railway to Jlobin were also captured. On the lower Pripet we captured the town of Yelsk, also five large inhabited localities. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports: The Red Army, in a lightning push after its great Gomel victory, Is now within 15 miles of Jlobin. Gomel fell to a four-pronged Russian drive says Mosccow “Red Star.” The Germans suffered huge losses when they launched dozens of coun-ter-attacks w’th tanks and self-pro-pelled guns. Russian forces first bypassed German fortifications at Gomel and reached the Beresina River with the aid of White Russian guerrillas. Soviet troons finally smashed into Gomel from the south-east. The Russians found the centre of Gomel was destroyed. Fires are still burning. but heavy rain is helping to extinguish them. Thousands of Gomel residents were driven off for forced labour. The majority remaining in the city spent the last two weeks underground. The Soviet press describes the capture of Gomel as one of the Red Army’s greatest strategic successes in the war.

The Paris radio reports: A great battle of movement is raging on a 90-mile front between Ryechitsa and Propoisk. The Russians have massed considerable forces. They may be nlannin? a vast encirclement movement against Mohilev. which is the nwot of the Germans’ White Russia line. German Attack Peters Out WEST OF KIEV. LONDON, Nov. 26. The German counter-offensive against the southern flank of the Kiev salient is still held, although new attacks, by infantry only, have been launched against the Russians in the Korosten area. Marshal von Mannstein in the great battle of the salient, is still pinning his hope’s on attacks against General Vatutin’s south flank. The German counter-blows in the past 48 hours have increased in force and extent but dispatches from the front indicate that the Russians have not ceded any significant positions. A German attempt at a breakthrough near Korosten, was also apparently unsuccessful. “Red'Star” states that the German .counter-offensive is continuing in the Chernyakhov and Brusilov areas where the Russians have fallen back in the face of some ferocious tank attacks in which the Germans are using as many as two hundred tanks on narrow sectors. The official German news agency reports that the Russians have renewed their attacks against the Nikopol bridgehead and have reached the German lines at some points. (Rec. 6.30) RUGBY, Nov. 27. The German counter offensive in the Kiev area has not made progress in the last few days. The Germans now admit that it has come to a halt. It. seems safe to assume, therefore, that the main danger has passed, and that the German effort is now likely to affect the Russian position west of Kiev. Failure is likely to have serious repercussions on the whole German front. German positions from the Fripet to the Black Sea now are potentially even more dangerous than they wefire at the time of the Russian advance west of Kiev. Not only has the vast Russian springboard not been removed, but large German reserves, which were accumulated with diluculty and cannot be made good, have also been used up. Moreover, the Russians are moving in a new major offensive north of the Pripet to the Mogilev region. Beypnd that they have a valuable springboard round Neval, which juts forward and threatens the whole Baltic position. A Russian communiaue stated: We have repelled tank and infantry attacks in the Korosten, Chernyakhov, and Brusilov areas. NEW KIEV SALIENT BATTLE. (Rec. 1.5.) LONDON, Nov 28. Paris radio states: Another battle is progressing in the Fastqv area on the southern edge of the Kiev salient. It adds that the German counter offensive west of Kiev is at a standstill as a result of bogs and mud and the Russians’ violent opposition. German Claims KOROSTEN ENCIRCLED. (Rec 1.5.) LONDON, Nov. 28. The Berlin radio claims that the Russians are encircled inside oi Korosten, and are offering a desper ate resistance. The Germans ha Y a J pelled all their attempts to break out. 1 ' U.S.A. Raids FRANCE AND GERMANY. j LONDON, Nov. 26. On Thursday American fighters carrying bombs for the first time in the European theatre, t airfields near St. Omer m daylight. Thunderbolts and out offensive operations in the Calais area. Thunderbolts destr enemy machines. Two Ameiica fighters are missing. United States Headquarters. announced that Marauders, escorted by R.A.F. fighters attacked military objectives in the Pas de Calais area this morning. , , United States heavy bombers went to North-west Germany.