RED ARMY SURGE

Grey River Argus, 30 November 1943, Page 5

RED ARMY SURGE

TO WHITE RUSSIA ENEMY’S RETREAT DISORDERLY Bobruisk and Jlobin in Danger [Aust. & N.Z. Press Assn.] LONDON, Nov. 28. Sunday night’s Soviet communique stated: The Red Army between the Dnieper and the Soj continued to develop an offensive and captured Buda Kosheveskaya .on the Gomel-Bob-bruisk railway, twenty-eight miles north-west of Gomel, also a hundred and fifty inhabited places. Russians in the lower reaches of the Beresina captured twenty-four places and in the lower reaches of Pripet River captured seven places. The Red Army is still swarming forward, apparently practically unchecked in the new great White Russian front offensive.

General Rokossovsky’s men through cutting the Mosir-Jlobin railway at Yelsk, have virtually isolated enemy garrisons at Mosir and Kalinovichi, because General Vatutin’s forces are astride the southern continuation of the line in the Ovruch-Korosten areas. “Red Star” declares: Mass expulsion of Germans from White Russia is in progress.

The British United Press says: Taking advantage of Gomel s fall, Rokossovsky’s armies are swinging round the north fringe of the Pripet Marshes, and are now threatening Jlobin, Rogachev, Mosir and Kalinovichi. which are the Germans’ four main bastions on the White Russian front. The enemy is on the run along the whole of this vital front. Red Army units are already fighting on the approaches to Jlobin and Rogachev. Other advanced forces, thrusting up the Beresina' River Valley, are now within striking distance of the important rail town at Bobruisk The entire German lower White Russian front appears to be dis'entegrating. Russian Drives ON 100 'MILE FRONT. (Rec. Midnight) LONDON, Nov. 29. The British United Press correspondent at Moscow says: German forces are in a disorderly retreat north-west of Gomel, where the new Russian drives threaten to carry away whole fortified lines guarding southern approaches to White Russia. Russian cavalry, and tanks are rushing through German rearguard screens, harrying the retreating enemy forces, and trapping isolated massive groups. Red Army forces moving south-west of Jlobin are ready to strike for the great railway town of Bobruisk. Russian spearheads are already probing German lines a little over twenty miles from Bobruisk, which is the main supply ba'se for northern bastions of the enemy’s line in White Russia. The Germans are trying desperately to break off a running battle which has been going on since the fall of Gomel. They are abandoning great stores of arms and equipment. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports: One column of General Rokossovsky’s Army is driving German forces back towards the Polish border along a 100 mile front in White Russia. The column is under twelve miles from Jlobin. Other Soviet forces on the east side of the River Dnieper advanced ten miles, and now are under twenty miles south-east of Jlobin. A third force is advancing up the west bank of the Beresina River in a wide outflanking sweep, threatening Bobruisk. German forces falling back on Joblin are blowing u b bridges and mining roads, but thej? have failed to stem a Russian surge westward. The correspondent adds: “Further south where General Rokossovsky’s and General Vatutin’s armies link up, the position of the German garrison at Mosir, as a', result of the latest Russian encircling movement, is now desperate. BEND LULL ENDS. LONDON, Nov. 28. A Soviet communique stated: The Red Army south-west of Kremenchug, overcoming counter-attacks captured several strong points. Russians in the Dnieper Bend overcame enemy resistance and occupied fifteen places. (Rec. 12.15.) LONDON, Nov. 29. The British United Press Moscow correspondent states: Fresh Russian advances south of Kremenchug and south-west of Dnepropetrovsk ended a long lull in the Dnieper Bend, The main objectives of the twin Russian drives are Krivoi K°g and Nikopol. UKRAINE FRONT. KIEV RECKONED SAFE. LONDON, Nov. 28. Reuter’s correspondent on the First Ukranian front after a tour of the Dnieper battlefields, including the crossings .of the Dnieper and Desma rivers, testifies: The Red Army on this front is in a most powerful position, with excellent and growing supplies of all .arms. White camouflaged tanks are now rumbling forward oyer the snow on Vatutin’s first Ukranian front, ready for clashes of real winter war in the Steppes. Another correspondent says: me feeling about Kiev is that the Rus sians will frustrate the German attempts at a comeba'ck in this area. The Russians are daily strengthening the communications with Kiev. Crossings have been swiftly constructed on remnants of giant bridges. Soviel mobile guns and heavy tanks are being carried over on ferries towed by powerful motor-boats. The Luftwaffe is creating slight interference A Soviet communique stated: ine Red Army in the Korosten-Cherny-akhov-Brusilov areas repelled tank and infantry counter-attacks. German Claims KOROSTEN ENTERED. LONDON, Nov. 28. Paris radio’s commentator, 1 Jeap Pa'quis, says: The situation at Korosten is very muddled. It appears as if the Germans have so far occupied only part of the town. A Moscow “Izvestia” correspondent stated- In the area of Chernyakhov, Brusilov and Korosten the Geimans night and day are throwing in power, ful tiger tank formations. The enemy) in a' single sector in the past hours; despite mud, flung m ai)o Panzers.” < , - The Russians announced their capture of Korosten on November 17. but the Germans never admitted its loss. _ , The German claim that Genera) Von Manerheim’s forces have captured Korosten. ’ The German News Agency says that

after several days of street fighting, our grenadiers cleared Korosten of the enemy. The Berlin radio claimed that Korosten was firmly in German hands, and Russian attempts to retake it resulted in only slight penetrations, which were wiped out. FIGHTING IN KOROSTEN. (Rec. 12.10.) LONDON, Nov.. 29. The German News Agency did not to-day repeat the claim that the Russians have completely been driven out of Korosten. New German Forces ENTER KIEV BULGE BATTLE. (Rec. 12.10.) LONDON, Nov. 29. Renter’s Moscow correspondent states: The seventeen-day battle of the Kiev Bulge is going on with undiminished fury. The Germans are throwing in powerful new armoured forces. SOVIET PRESS WARNS RUSSIANS. (Rec. 10.40) LONDON, Nov. 29. The leading Soviet newspapers, the “Pravda,” the “Izvestia” and the “Red Star.” yesterday, all devoted their front page editorials to warning the Russians against complacency or over-confidence, and they called for an intensified effort and a quick completion of the re-occupation o[ White Russia.