RUSSIAN STAND

Grey River Argus, 14 December 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN STAND

IN KIEV BULGE Further Gains in Bend [Aust. & N.Z. Press Assn.] LONDON, Dec. 12. General Von Mannstein is '■ maintaining the intensity of the Germans protracted counter-blow against the Kiev salient. After another day or lull-scale battle’ for the salient west of Kiev the issue is still not decided. for the second day running the Russians are able to report that their lines 60 miles or more from Kiev have held. o A Soviet communique stated: Russian forces south and south-west of Malin fought battles against enemy tanks and infantry, in the course of which they dislodged the enemy from several inhabited places. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent stated: The capture of several villages south and south-west of Malin means the Red Army is pressing back Von Mannstein’s forces, in the great battle for the Kiev bulge. Previous Moscow communiques reported that the attacks against. Kiev were being held. A British United Press correspondent stated: Two weeks in which the Russians held the enemy at Chernyakhov, enabled the Russians to pick a new battleground and work out the pattern of their defence. The Russians seem to lie able to build up new defences in the Kiev salient, which is constructed in sufficient depth to prevent a recurrence of what happened at Jitomir and Chernyakhov. After the Russians had brought up sufficient artillery to the new battleground they > allowed the battle to drift towards their chosen site, where it is now raging. Fighting is also going on for a series of heig-hts which bar the enemy’s way to Kiev. Another report stated: General Vatutin’s forces are fighting back strongly, having received big reinforcements of anti-tank artillery and mobile guns. Especially, heavy losses were inflicted on the enemy on Saturdav '.south and south-west of Malin (30 miles south-east of Korosten). A Russian communique says the Red Army fought successful engagements against tanks and infantry south-west of Malin. According to Russian reports the Germans have lost 350 tanks in four days of fighting. Correspondents say the Red Army.s admirable artillery again seems to be a most potent factor in the situation and by smashing down endless hordes of tanks so far has enabled the Russians to stand firm after o() days of practically non-stop Panzer onslaughts. The enemy, nevertheless has continued unabat.edly pouring in fresh reserves, and the counter-attack shows no signs of dying down. Reuter’s Agency says: The climax of the great Battle of the Bulge is near. 'lt is the greatest battle 19*13. Reports indicate that General Vatutin’s army is steadily wearing down German counter-blows and that a' crisis cannot long be delayed. The struggle is going on with unabated fury. German commanders are whipping up troops who waver before Red Army artillery. Fog swirling through ravines, masking the Panzer concentrations, is providing a new hazard for the defenders. Russian gunners, accustomed to operating side by side and even ahead of the assault troops, are smashing up tanks at point-blank range. The Germans are unable to match Hie Russian artillery, despite hurriedly revised 'production schedules. The enemy from the Chernyakhov and Malin sectors is concentrating as many as 300 tanks on narrow sectors and, according to Moscow correspondents, is losing a tank division daily/ in the prodigal expenditure against the Red Army’s new defences. The Germans still hold the initiative in this battle, and on Saturday they flung in more tanks and infantry into massed attacks in their effort to force the Russians back to the Dnieper and wipe out the salient. It is the greatest trial of strength since the German offensive in the Kursk area five months ago. The Moscow correspondent of the National Broadcasting Company reports that German attacks north-ea'st of Chernyakhov (west of Kiev) have been checked. The Berlin radio has claimed that German tank and infantry forces are advancing in the sector west of Kiev. ENEMY LOSS IN KIEV SECTOR (Rec. 7.10) LONDON, Dec. 12. According to Soviet communiques there were 171 German tanks either destroyed or disabled in the past week in the battle of the Kiev Bulge. Check to Germans IN KIEV BULGE BATTLES RUSSIANS RECOVER' SOME GROUND. (Rec. 11.35) LONDON, Dec. 13 A new phase is opening m the great battle of the Kiev Bulge, south and south-west of Malin, following, on Russian counter drives, which have driven the Germans back in this area, for the first time for over a month, says the British United Press Moscow correspondent. General Vatutin’s forces .are now . consolidating newly won territory. Groups of Soviet infantry and tanks are probing German lines in preparation for a new move forward. Front line reports indicate that battered German Panzers are reforming in several sectors. while Russian artillery is massing in readiness for a renewed German assault. There is heavy -fighting raging in two sectors near th a main KievKorosten railway, where General von Manstein’s forces are driving hard against the Russian lines in an attempt to break through. Fighting in several other sectors has died down during the last few hours, after the defeat of crack Nazi armoured formations in great battles which raged continuously for two days and nights. This is first major Russian victory ip. this area since twin victories of J'itomir and Korosten w’ere won in the middle of November. Germans in Difficulty IN DNIEPER BEND uONDON, Dec. 12. To-night’s Soviet communique reports the capture of Chigirin, 40 miles soutn-east .of Cherkasy;, and the terminus of a branch railway from Cherkasy. The Russians also captured Rushin, 25 miles north-west of Kremenchug. The communique savs the Red Army in the Kirovgrad sector fought offensive engagements and captured seven inhabited places. (Rec. 12.10) LONDON. Dec. 13. The Exchange Telegraph’s News Agency’s Zurich correspondent reports: A German War Office spokesman confirmed that the German forces south-west of Kremenchug Were facing a critical situation. The spokesman stressed that the * Russians now possess considerably better railway communications. Describing the capture of Chigirin, a Soviet supplementary com-

munique states: Russian forces fought their way to the southern and eastern outskirts of the town. Mobile units simultaneously nut roads to the south-westward. The Germans were threatened with complete encirclement. They counterattacked, but their attempts to restore the situation failed. Russians broke into the town, wiped out the garrison, and captured booty and prisoners. RUSSIAN ADVANCE ON KIROVGRAD (Rec. 7.30) LONDON, Dec. 12. A Moscow report stated that Red Army troops pressing on from Snamenka are now less than 15 miles from Kirovgrad. It added that large forces of German tanks and mobile guns and infantry are counter-at-tacking the Russians. Their operations have already been greatly hampered by the loss of Snamenka. RUSSIANS IN CHERKASY (Rec. 8.10) LONDON, Dec. 12. Berlin radio admitted Russian forces penetrated to the area of the Cherkasy railway station, but it claimed that the Russians were thrown back by a counter-attack. It added that bitter fighting is going on in other parts of Cherkasy. The Stockholm paper “Afton Tidningen” says: It is reported that the German garrison of Cherkasy has been ordered to evacuate the town. It is also reported that evacuation preparations have begun at an important railway junction, Smyela.

GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACKS DIMINISH.

FIGHTING WEST OF jxIEV.

(Rec. 1.5.) LONDON, Dec. 13. The British United Press Moscow correspondent, quoting the latest front-line dispatches, says that German counter-attacks west of Kiev had diminished following the passing of the initiative to the Russians. The decrease in the strength of the German attacks is undoubtedly due to heavy enemy losses since the counterdrive launched on November 19. GERMAN LOSSES (Rec. 7.30) LONDON, Dec. 12. According to figures compiled from Moscow communiques there have during the past week been 659 German tanks destroyed, or disabled on the Russian front. There were 171 German planes shot down in the same period, according to the Soviet communiques. SPORT IN DONBAS LONDON, Dec. 13. “Football is being resumed in the liberated Donbas area,” says Reuter’s Moscow .correspondent. “The Germans during their two years’ occupation razed thousands of sports stadiums and plundered sports equipment, but a Stakhanovite flag is again flying over the stadium in Stalino. Soccer had long been popular among miners in this region. Millions of athletic society members are making efforts to restore sports organisations in liberated areas. CZECH-SOVIET TREATY. LONDON, Dec. 12. Russia and Czechoslovakia' to-day signed a treaty of amity and mutual air collaboration after the war M. Stalin, M. Kalinin and Dr. Benes attended the ceremony, Mr. Molotov signed for Russia and M. Fierlinger for Czechoslovakia. (Rec. 8.15) LONDON, Dec. 12. Reuter’s Moscow .correspondent says: Dr. Benes, in an interview at Moscow, after signing the CzechoRussian treaty, said: “The treaty represents a return to the policy that Czechoslovakia and Russia were carrying out before the war. It emphasises wha't. all great Allied Powers have several times emphasised before, namely, that the Ger- . man drive eastwards must be definitely ended, and that the gangster policy of Germany must not he repeated.