BIGGER ATTACKS

Grey River Argus, 22 December 1943, Page 5

BIGGER ATTACKS

BY RUSSIANS Ih Northern Sectors [Aust. & N.Z. Press Assm] LONDON, Dec. 20. A Soviet communique stated: The Red Army south of Neval, continuing to develop its offensive .occupied over 70 more localities. Von Hammer, the Germans News Agency’s commentator, stated tonight that the Russians launched a new attack east of Vitebsk, and added: “The winter campaign is now really started. The Russians are pinning their hopes on winter. The Germans won’t confine themselves to defensive strategy. ’

It is six days since the Russians began an offensive south of Neval, in the north of the White Russia front. An advance of 20 miles on a 50 mile front is reported, with Russian tank units, supported by cavairy and ski troops are less than 60 miles from the Latvian border. The German bases of Vitebsk and Polotsk are threatened, and the great supply line to the Leningrad front is almost within striking distance. Moscow radio said: In thg first three days over 150 localities were liberated, including the district centre of Yezerisch. The enemy constantly brought up fresh reserves and launched up to 17 counter-attacks daily, but Sbviet troops continue the offensive, winning one position after another. The offensive was made more difficult by numerous lakes and swampy terrain. Cloudy weather made action by the Soviet Air Force difficult; Soviet troops having launched the offensive simultaneously from three directions, broke through the enemy’s defence zone on the first day. There are 350,000 Russian Ski troops undergoing vigorous training in the Kalinin area in preparation for a winter offensive. The British United Press correspondent in Moscow stated: “Cold weather in the Neval area had hardened the ground sufficiently for major Red Army operations. There is every indication that Red Army strategists have a big rod in pickle for the Germans and are carefully avoiding giving the slightest indication where the next push will develop. The rival armies are now jockeying for positions along a 550-mile front from Leningrad to Jlobin, ?’eady xor the winter campaign. The operations at Neval, 270 miles south of Leningrad and 60 miles from tne Latvian frontier, may prove the first prong of a Red Armyl drive to tne Baltic. The Russian’ drive from Neval area, which is already within sirring distance of the Vitebsk-P oloisk railway appears to be the first move in a giant drive to sweep the enemy entirely - from White Russia. _ Another correspondent stat e a: Two veteran armies are now poised tor a decisive spring towards tho Polish border. These are General Bagramyan’s men, who forced a dangerous wedge south of Neval, and Geneial Rokossovsky’s White Russian forces, who after a lull enforced by bad weather, are now prepared to deal fresh blows against the vital Jlobin-Minsk-Orsha railway triangle. According to the Pans radio, the Russians are using over half a million men in the great Neval offenSlX Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: The fall of Vitebsk would be more important than the fall ot Gomel, because with big gaps torn at both ends of the Germans “Fatherland line” in White Russia, the enemy would scarcely be aole to hold the intervening sectors, including Jlobin, Orsha afld Mohilev. lhe Russian advance on what is significantly called the “first Baltic front, threatens to outflank Vitebsk and cut off its garrison. lhe Russians smashed a way across the railway from Neval and penetrated westward 15 to 20 miles from the railway. The enemy’s defence belt protecting Vitebsk is 10 miles deep. _ The Red Army's advance is continuing. Messages from Stockholm yesterday reported feverish evacuations in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

THE LATEST REPORTS

NEW PEAK IN ATTACKS

[Aust. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec. 1.0) LONDON, Dec. 21. Paris radio says: Russian attacks on the Vitebsk-Nevel front are reaching a new peak. Russian forces launched twenty-seven attacks in the Vitebsk sector on Monday, and they ar e increasing pressure north of Nevel. . ' Vichy radio says that German military experts believe that the Russian operations east of Vitebsk are a prelude to a gigantic attempt by the Red Army to breach the German lin e and thus to crush the whole German eastern defence system. tank battles all along FRONTS. (Rec. 1.0.) LONDON, Dec. 21. The Russian war has entered a new phase, on cold, hardened roads. Both sides are making an extensive use of armour. Tank battles are going on all along the front. LONDON ESTIMATES. LONDON, Dec. 20. Little is known in London of the Army General Bagramyan commanding on the first Baltic front. An Armenian, he was Chief oi Stall to Marshal Timoshenko earlier in tne war and commander of an army in the heavy fighting in the ByelgorodOrel sector last summer. He holds the Order of Suvarov, First Class. London military commentators express the opinion that the Neva'l drive is the prelude to a great offensive designed fto keep the Germans completely from the Leningrad area, and possibly from the Baltic States. If the Russians capture Polotsk the Germans will be forced to withdraw the line from Leningrad. The Russian break-through in the Neval area is also likely, to have a profound effect on the fighting on the Kiev bulge because German communications and routes between the Kiev front and the. north are seriously endangered. General Bagramyan’s forces include Siberians, veterans from the Don, Moscow and Stalingrad battles, and crack ski detachments. The Germans were confident the Russians could never penetrate the defence line south of Neval and had built Dutch ovens for cooking, and furnished dugouts with mirrors and armchairs, many of which were removed from the , Minsk Opera’ House. Parquet floors were laid down in the officers mess. The Germans had incorporated everything for the defence of the line. Dozens of tanks, mobile guns and armoured cars, which were knocked out during the fightihg last summer, had been dug into the ground and converted into permanent pillboxes. When the Red Army attack broke with a crashing artillery barrage, the Germans massed every man, including engineers and Alpine troops, for inclusion in desperate counter-attacks. The Red Army, however, sustained the attacks over a 50-mile front, the combined effect of which brought success. The Russian gains reported focus attention on the northern sector where for the first time troops of the “Baltic front’’ were mentioned. Such designation is thought to

show considerable optimism on the part of the Russians, as it implies the hope and intention to advance to the Baltic but it is felt in London that such optimism Is sure to be justified. Dnieper Fronts — LONDON, Dec. 20. The Stockholm “Dagens Nyheter’s” Berlin correspondent says: According to a Berlin spokesman, a threat ot a new Russian offensive jn the Dnieper Bend, aimed at surrounding Kirovgrad from the south and east, forced th e Germans to switch their reserves from the Kiev Bulge. The spokesman claimed that the German High Command has never really intended to start a counter-offensive against Kiev, but it had only launched its attacks in the Kiev salient to give its forces in the Jitomir area a breathing space. A Soviet communique stated: lhe Russian forces in the Korosten area repelled tank and infantry attacks. The Russians south-east of Kirovgrad repelled strong tank and infantry counter-attacks, inflicting heavy losses. 1 The British United . Press correspondent in Moscow reports that the Germans are counter-attacking with , strong dive-bomber support, attempting to halt the three-pronged Russian drive towards Kirovgrad, which threatens to disrupt the en- , emy’s road communications. The Russians’ new gains in this area have given them favourable positions for the development of final assaults against the city. Some of the bitterest air battles of .the last two years are being fought in the Kirovograd area. While German divebombers are supporting the enemy’s ground troops the Russians are reaching out behind the city to attack enemy concentrations and supplies. Berlin radio announced that the Germans had evacuated their small bridgehead on the southern bank of the Dnieper opposite Kherson, near the river’s mouth. The radio said > the withdrawal was made because with the freezing of the Dnieper the bridgehead became useless. This is not yet confirmed from Moscow, but the Germans have some days spoken of strong Russian -attacks in this area. Russian reserves at the southern ed of the front, which have been held to counter anv German move from the Kherson bridgehead, are now being thrown in against German lines bn the Perekop Isthmus the gateway to the Crimea. GERMAN COMMANDER QUITS RUGBY, Dec. 19. The Commander of the 9th German Army, together with 20 men, has surrendered to Soviet troops. The Commander said: “I was transferred from France in 1943. I always listened to the London and Moscow radios. The news about the Teheran Conference astounded me. I was especially impressed by the fact that Germany will be attacked from the east, south and west. The main German forces are now' on the Eastern Front. Under the Soviet blows Germany is suffering enormous losses. The Russian offensive has weakened Germany and undermined her army. J wonder what will happen when the enormous untouched reserves of English and American forces are sent against Germany. There is no doubt that the German Army will then perish, I don’t see the need of sacrificing myself and my men for a lost cause. Therefore I give myself up to the Soviet troops.’’