FASTER ADVANCE

Grey River Argus, 3 July 1944, Page 5

FASTER ADVANCE

AGAINST MINSK ■

Russians Outflanking the City

(Rec. 6.30) RUGBY, July 1. The Russian advance, in pace which increased on Friday, threatens to outflank Minsk both north and south It does not appear, however, that any determined resistance is at present being made by the Germans. At the same time, it seems that there is an immense German pocket being formed, with its extremity to the west of the River Beresina, between Borisov and ißobruisk, and with its base at Minsk North of Minsk the Russian advance is towards a railway junction, Molodechno, on the Minsk-Vilna line. South of Minsk Russian forces have pushed beyond Slutsk towards even a more vital junction, that of Baranowicze, on the Minsk-Brest-Gitovsk line. A third main Russian spearhead by-passed Polotsk in the south, and advanced in the direction of the Latvian city of Dvinsk. At the northern end of their offensive front Russian forces are advancing along the north side of the Pripet River, of which they already hold the south bank to within 20 miles of Pinsk. . . . T „ A Soviet communique states: _ m the course of the capture of Borisov Russian forces also occupied in this sector alone 50 occupied localities, ■including the towns of Begonny and Pleshcanitsy, district centres of the Minsk area, and ten large industrial localities. In the direction of Polotsk Soviet troops occupied over 100 inhabited localities. West of Mohilev, troops of the Second White Russian Front occupied over 50 inhabited localities and reached a river crossing at Berienaat, and the town of Tonsina. North-west and west of Bobruisk troops of the First White Russian Front occupied the towns ot Popvl, Krasnaya. Sloboda and Krehlv, and took 12,000 prisoners including the commander of the Sixtn Infantrv Division, Lieutenant-General Heiner;" and the commander of the town of Bobruisk, Major-General Hamann. Up to J'une 30 Russian troops of the First White Russian Front took 35,680 prisoners.. Between Lakes Ladoga anc Onega Russian forces continue to push rm--1 nish forces- from -the LeningradMurmansk railway, and are approaching Salmis on the north-west shore of Lake Ladoga. . A Soviet communique states. Dining Saturday Soviet troops between Lakes Ladoga and Onega continued to wage offensive fighting in the course' of which they occupied oyer 30 inhabited localities, including seven large ones. RUSSIANS TAKE BORISOV. (Rec. 630.) LONDON, July 1. M. Stalin, in an order of the day, addressed to General Rokossovsky stated: Troops of the Third White Russian Front forced the Beresina River over a seventy-mile front, ana on Saturday 1 captured Borisov. Moscow saluted the feat with twenty salvoes from 224 guns. A Moscow report stated Russian motor-cycle storm troops, the Req Army’s fastest units, joined in a pursuit of Germans, moving to Minsk. MINSK BATTLE OPENS. (Rec. 12.20.) LONDON, July 2. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent states: A battle to decide the fate or Minsk, Hitler’s last major stronghold in Soviet territory, has been joined on a large scale north-east and north ot the town. General Chernyakovsky’s troops swung across a network of highways controlling north-eastern approaches to Minsk, while General Rokossovsky, in a high speed push beyond Slutsk, is pushing forwara tanks and mobile guns to cut off the Germans from a south-westerly escape route, namely the Minsk-War-saw railway. At least two hundred thousand Germans are staking their fives on the defence of Minsk. A dozen German divisions are reported to oe still fighting strongly in a shrinking triangle. (Rec. 8.50) LONDON, July 2. The German officer, Major-General Hammann, reported captured in Russia, was formerly military commander at Orel, where he was accused of mass murdering innocent 'civilians.

A Russian supplementary communique stales: Soviet planes on Friday night carried out a mass raid on railway junctions at Yaglevichi, Baranovichi,' Luminets, Moldechno, Minsk and Polotsk. They set fire to trains carrying troops and stores. Five companies of Finnish infantry were routed during an action .in which Pryazha was captured. Violent all night street fighting preceded .at capture of /Borisov. Russian tank and infantry units, which bhrst into the town from the north and south, squeezed the German garrison in an iron pincers. The enemy lost over 8000 killed. Eighty German tanks and 100 guns were destroyed in two days’ fighting

A German News Agency commentator, von Olberg, admits that the over-all situation at the front is most tense. The German High Command has taken all precautions to stem this major breach in our lines. GENERAL DIETL KILLED LONDON, June 29. The Berlin correspondent of the Stockholm newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” says that according to an unconfirmed report. General Dietl, German commander in Finland, has been killed in an air crash. lat Er.

The Stockholm “Aftonbladet’s” correspondent, telephoning from Rovaniemi confirmed the death of General Dietl in a plane crash during a tour of inspection. (Rec. 1.10.) LONDON, July 2. Hitler, in an order of the day, broadcast by the Berlin radio, announced the death of General Dietl in a flying accident on June 23. He said: “I lost one of my faithful comrades. General Dietl as a fanatical Nazi, gave his whole being in unchanging faith. I award the liero oi Narvik the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.” The Exchange Telegraph Agency’s Stockholm correspondent says he has learned General Dietl was killed in Austria, when en route to take up a new command.