RUSSIAN PINCERS

Grey River Argus, 23 December 1943, Page 5

RUSSIAN PINCERS

AROUND VITEBSK AND KIROVGRAD Enemy Attacks in Centre * RUSSIAN PROGRESS. TOWARDS VITEBSK. [Aust. & N.Z. Press Assn.l (Rec. 12.50 ) LONDON, Dec. 22. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports: The Red Armv is converging from three directions on Gorodosk, the last bi? railtown before Vitebsk. Russian forces are only three and a half miles north of Gorodsk, and 5 to 6 miles north-east of the. town. Aloscow radio says: Russian guerrillas are operating with devastating effect behind enemy lines. They launched an all-out offensive against German rolling stock. In the Minsk region guerrillas derailed 160 trains in November.

Vitebsk Outflanked BY THE RUSSIANS. LONDON, Dec. 21. A Soviet communique states: The Red Army continued fighting a way forward south of Nevel and captured over a hundred inhabited places, including Roslyaki, twenty-five miles north-west of Vitebsk. A press message from Moscow says that the Russians have reached a point' 20 miles north of Vitebsk. The main Russian pressure in the last 24 hours has been switched to the left flank, where the Red Army, is approaching Vitebsk on the east side of the railway from Nevel. As the Germans fall back thev are leaving behind great quantities of stores, ammunition, and equipment. It is not an easy advance for the Russians. In one sector yesterday a German fortified position was captured only after 1500 of the enemy had beenjtilled. Another Moscow press message said: The Red Army has driven wedges into the German dispositions south of Nevel and spread out through the zone of field fortifications behind the permanent defence works described as the “iron wall.” Soviet artillery, following closely behind the infantry, is keeping up the movina barrage which began a week ago. Bursts from mortars met the Germans as thev fled from dugouts wrecked by heavy shells. The German commanders are fighting desperately, remustering the remnants of their depleted . battalions and driving them back into the inferno. Soviet ski troops carried out sorties in the German rear, demolishing ammunition dumps, roads, and bridges, and disorganising enemy movements towards the front. The British United Press Moscow correspondent savs: The Russians .are now roughly half-way between Nevel and Vitebsk. Their last reported position placed them less than fifty miles from the Polish border. The Russians have retaken nearly six hundred places since the Nevel offensive opened. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says; The Germans south of Nevel are in full retreat, as they fall back for a stand at Vitebsk. T’-tantic tank battles in which both sides are engaging, show the terrain on the Russian front is at last ready for all-out assaults. Russian- pincers are closing in against Vitebsk. Russian forces are thrusting towards Vitebsk on the east side of the Nevel-Vitebsk railway, reinforcing their northwards drive. Vitebsk is already outflanked from the north-west, and is now a target for triple converging, forces which are steadily reducing its defences and communications in the same way as other great hedgehog positions have been softened. The “Times’s” Stockholm correspondent says: It is impossible for the Red Armv to break right through within a few dav or a week. A rapid Russian surge forward south of Nevel cannot be expected because the Germans during the long tenure fortified the area in great depth.

Dnieper Fronts NEW GERMAN ATTACKS. LONDON, Dec. 21. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent stated: Russian forces are closing on Kirovgrad. The Germans are using about' two thousand tanks in the attacks around threatened . Kirovgrad and against the Kiev salient. The Germans are making- supreme efforts in these areas to hold up a further Russian advance towards the southwestern corner of the Ukraine. The Germans after a few days’ lull have shifted the point of attack in the Kiev salient further northwards, and are now trving to force a way along the highway from Korosten towards Kiev, and simultaneously launched the exnected large-scale attacks around Kirovgrad. A Soviet communique states; Russian forces south-west of Jlobin repelled tank and infantry attacks, and in the Korosten area repelled all major, tank and infantry attacks inflicttrip* heavv losses. The Russians southwest of Kirovgrad beat off tank and Infantry attacks, and in the Kherson area, comnletelv liquidated the enemv bridgehead on the east bank of the Dniepei' inflicting heavy losses. Germans Attack AT JLOBIN AND KOROSTEN (BREAK-THROUGH ATTEMPTS (Rec. 11.40) LONDON, Dec. 22. A Russian supplementary communique states: South-west of Jlobin, large enemy tank infantry forces attacked on a narrow sector. They apparently were aiming to overwhelm our defences by a single blow. Our troops met the enemy ’with artiljery .and '.mortar fire and there was stubborn fighting, in which the enemy suffered heavv losses. The fighting has lasted throughout the day. The communique continues: In the Korosten area, the enemy, having brought up reinforcements, repeatedly attempted to break through. Fierce battles ensued. In these some villages changed hands several times. By the evening our troops had pressed back the enemy forces and had restored the situation. German Effort TO REGAIN DNIEPER LINE. (Rec. 12.50.) LONDON, Dec. 22. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent savs: The Germans at the southern end of White Russia are increasing their operations launching a new thrust south-west of Jlobin. Judging bv areas which the German Command have chosen, further south-

. / wards, to launch attacks, their plan seems to be based on the ho’e of forcing the Russians back P . Dnieper over a wide front This hope seems not to have muc] chance of success. The German t/rust at 'Korosten is onlv forty-eigh hours nld. ' It has alreadv run ur against a Russian brick wall. /