GRIM BATTLE

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1944, Page 5

GRIM BATTLE

RIGA TO WARSAW Swelling to Climax [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.) LONDON, Aug. 11 Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow says: This is a grim bloody battle along a straggling indented German line from Riga to Warsaw. It is now swelling to its climax, which will be a decisive Army break through on approaches to the Reich. It is a a fight in which the Germans cannot afford to lose more ground. But there are increasing signs that what may prove a kev battle in the late summer campaign is going badly for the enemy. Hitler’s tanks and planes are now going into action on a scale equalling some of the fiercest battles this year. They are being pushed back. The Soviet war machine is steadily grinding down to action in key secors on a four hundred miles front. It is smashing German coun-ter-attacks. It is also extending earlier Russian gains. All the time it is piling up more material in front area's to support its next surge, westwards. A new German line is being gnawed and bitten into continuously. Riga, Tilsit, Liepaja and Warsaw are all threatened. Loss of these places will open roads for destruction of more German divisions on a mass scale.

Fierce fighting is still in progress inside Warsaw, where patriots, were forced to yield the theatre in the centre of the city and withdraw to a western suburb German planes dropped leaflets containing an ultimatum calling on the inhabitants to leave Warsaw.

Kwapinski, Polish Deputy-Prime Minister, stated that help was being sent to the Warsaw underground army. Hitler is throwing in strateigc reserves in continued counter-attacks along the Vistula. On all three vital fronts— Baltic “sack,” East Prussia border, and Central Vistula— the Germans are showing no signs of slackening resistance. They are counter-attacking with all the available strength, but are steadily falling back before the inexorable pressure.

The Berlin radio to-day, placed Russian troops across the Vistula as tweny-five miles south-east of Warsaw.

A Soviet communique stated: Russians west of Sandomierz repelled tank and infantry counter-attacks and extended the bridge-head on the left bank of the Vitsula and occupied sixty places. South-west of Drohibycz, they overcame fortifications in the Carpathian foothills and captured fortv places. Russians captured Jakobpils, fifty miles north-west of Dvinsk and sixty other places, and northwest and west of Kaunas, they captured Kousueni, and forty inhabited places. Russians north-west of Majijampilis, repelled strong enemy tank and infantry attacks. Southwest of Bialystok Russians forced the Nurew River and captured fifty places. Russians north-west of SiedIce occupied thirty places. The Russians are clinging to the East Prussian “horizon” unshaken by the fury of the German attacks. Germans are combing the Carpathians to supply reinforcements. Moscow radio stated: The Red Army is driving full tilt into a huge cauldron containing the German Northern Army. Russian columns from the south-west, south and south-east steadily presses Germans back northwards. A wedge separating this army group from East Prussia is now consolidated and broadened out to 12 miles at some points. An encircled German group already being whittled down. A new German commander cont’nues to give battles callously, allowing men to die in the futile struggle, but an increasing number of officers and men are laying down their arms.