EAST PRUSSIA

Grey River Argus, 11 August 1944, Page 5

EAST PRUSSIA

A BIG STRUGGLE DEVELOPING AT FRONTIER Enemy Heavily Reinforces I Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec. 10.40.) LONDON. August 10. The Germans are rushing up great masses of men and tanks and ’planes for a great battle for East Prussia, says a Moscow correspondent of t’.ie British United Press. Battlefront reports state that huge reinforcements of men and equipment are pouring into the province. Russian reconnaissance pilots report that the Luftwaffe is massing to be ready for a big attack. New squadrons of bombers and fighters occupy airfields throughout the province. Russian pilots all day long have been.racing up and down roads and railways, checking German movements and watching for signs of enemy concentrations at strategic points. All evidence indicates Hitler ordered tne Germans to hang on to East Prussia at all costs.

Berlin radio announced that during the last ten days more than eighteen hundred miles of trenches had been dug and thousands of pill-boxes constructed in East Prussia. Tens of thousands of men from all occupations and from all walks of life volunteered for the construction of the fortifications. > .

The German News Agency stated: “In addition to East Prussia, whicn is already mobilised, all persons aged 15 to 63 living in the Poznan-War-t'.'iegau area adjoining Poznan, and also in West Prussia and Danzig, have been called up under an order from the Reich Commissar for Defence, Gauleiter Greisser, to bund fortifications against the Russian armies. The first batch was called up at Poznan, West Prussia, last Sunday and the second batch yesterday. The call-up is based on trade categories and the percentage of persons mobilised depends on the importance of the work. Expectant mothers are among the few who are exempt. Those called up must bring spade, Shovel or pick, blanket, bowl, knife, fork, spoon and food for three days. The decree compels the Polish part of the population, to do labour service.” The Berlin radio stated that ten thousand men from all sections of Koenigsberg’s population had volunteered to build the East Prussian wall. Three hundred thousand trenchlines are already built. The German News Agency says: In dazzling sunshine and opressive heat, the Russians for days now have been incessantly attacking the East Prussian border. Young troops newly brought up from German garrisons are manning our border positions. Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow says: Nothing is being left to chance regarding the Russians’ invasion of East Prussia. The Red Army commanders of the tank units are being given five or sik different plans of attack,, and the Russian High Command’s general preparations for the assault against East Prussia are believed to be almost complete. Tne Russian Army commanders are studying in detail the areas of East Prussia which are expected to become decisive battlegrounds. Chernyakhov has apparently completed the mopping up operations around Kaunas and is redisposing his main forces a few miles from the German border. Red Air Force scout ’planes are daily sweeping over tne frontier area, sighting enemy troop concentrations and fuel dumps. The Moscow radio says: Russian forces have broken into the German defence system on the East Prussian border, where fierce fighting is occurring. The Russians are stated to be overcoming the lines of trenches, concrete gun emplacements, and pillboxes covering the frontier, but so tar Moscow has not claimed to have crossed into East Prussia at any point. 'The Red Air Force continues to pound objectives across the border, where hundreds of huge fires are raging. The British United Press Moscow correspondent says: East Prussia is being gripped by a mighty pair of pincers, now that Zakharov’s force below Augustow has joined Bagramyan’s men, who started their movement above the Niemen River. Chernyakhov in the centre is holding down tne bulk of the German defenders, who rushed to the Suwalki area when tne danger of the Russian penetration into East Prussia along the main railway to Koenigsberg, seemed imminent. The threat in the centre depleted the German forces in the north and south, enabling Zakharov to join up with Bagramyan. Field Marshal Model, German Com-mander-in-Chief of the central front speaking on the Berlin radio declared: “After weeks of withdrawals, the time to stand has come, relying on total mobilisation to make our bulwark against the Russians impenetrable.”

Latvian Fighting

BECOMES HOTTER. 8.0.W. RUGBY, August 9. Latest Moscow reports state that as a result of heavy fighting in Latvia, Russians, beat off a German attempt to sever the wedge which the Russians drove to Turkum. west of Riga. A German counter-attack is stated to have been made with six F Divisions, including tanks. A deep German pocket north-west of Dvinsk is. being cleared. The line appears to run north of the Lithuanian-Latvian border from a point south of Krustpils to south of Riga. The clearing of tne Carpathian foothills and the building up of the Vistula bridgehead were also continued yesterday. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: The Russians are throwing more forces into the Latvian battlefields to deal with the mangled but still formidable left wing of the German! Army cut off in the Baltic States. German veterans among tne first to invade Russia in 1941 are now fighting the last battle in a desperate attempt to break through the Russian ring and force a way back to East Prussia. This struggle may last tor weeks, but no forecasts are matie here. Moscow radio says: It is officially announced that the Russians between August 1 and 7 destroyed or disabled on all fronts a total of 740 German tanks, while 643 German ’planes were shot down in air combat or destroyed oni the ground. SOVIET REPORT. LONDON, August 9. A Soviet communique stated: Russians west of Rekezne captured thirty places, and north-west of Dvinsk captured 200 places, and south-west and west of Jelgava occupied over 200 inhabited localities. North-west of Marijampilis, Russians are engaged in repelling major infantry and tank coun-ter-attacks and inflicted heavy losses of manpower and equipment. ”e resumed the offensive north-west and I north of Siedlce and occupied ,Sokoinw and Wegrow and 150 otner places. ! Russians weft of Sandomierz continued to fight for extension of the bridgehead on the west bank of the Vistula

and occupied several places. West and south of Drohobycz we occupied Skole, the nearest point so far to tne Czechoslovak frontier. (Rec. 6.30) WASHINGTON, Aug. 9. Major-General Deane, Chief of the United States Military Mission to Moscow, told a press conference that twenty German prisoners of war, two of whom were generals, believed Germany had lost the war. He interviewed prisoners just prior to his departure from Moscow. All said they had had letters from home describing terrific damage done by Allied bombings. General Deane said he does not anticipate widespread vengeance in Germany by invading Soviet forces. He added that shuttle bombing from Russia - was pay(ing good dividends with Russian and American soldiers working closely and satisfactorily.

Appeal from Warsaw POLISH ARMY LACKS ARMS. P.A. WELLINGTON, August 10The Polish Consulate-General at Wellington has received the following cable from the Polish Agency Telegraph, London, dated Tuesday last: “Messages containing urgent, dramatic appeals to bring about immediate supplies of arms and ammunition for the Polish Home Army, which is fighting in Warsaw, have been received by the Polish Government at London, from General Bors and leaders of Uhe Polish Underground Army: “We request immediate assistance in ammunition and anti-tank weapons. We are faced with fighting for at least several more days, during which time we must be supplied. We are doing our utmost to hold our capital. You must show your effort. Shortage of ammunition has put us in a difficult situation. The battle for Warsaw is in its sixth day. The Germans are using technical means which we do not possess: tanks, air force, artillery and flame-throwers. We have been fighting this battle for six days without artillery, or tanks, or aircraft,— due only to the unparalleled determination of the soldiers of the Home Army and the immense self-sacrifice of the whole population of Warsaw. The enemy is bombing our city for tne third day in succession, and is using flame-throwers in whole districts.” The leaders of the Underground Movement stress, in their despatches, that tinere is a fighting spirit amongst the population of Warsaw, but, at tne same time, a strong feeling of disappointment is spreading,—the feeling of being alone in a decisive battle. The messages add: “The Germans have made some progress in fighting for the thoroughfare leading to Kierbiedz Bridge, and they occupy several streets in the former Ghetto. The thoroughfare leading to the second bridge, Poniatowski, is still in the hands of the enemy. Fighting continues with undiminished violence on all sectors. We feel that no relief is coming from outside.:” LONDON, August 9. A Polish underground communique from within Warsaw states that German artillery in the Praga suburb is heavily shelling the opposite bank of the Vistula. The enemy is making a strong effort to capture an important railway station. The underground army’s morale is still high.