RUSSIAN BLOWS

Grey River Argus, 14 August 1944, Page 5

RUSSIAN BLOWS

ESTONIA AND VISTULA ENEMY’S BAD PLIGHT Big Retreats Foreseen [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.] (Rec. 9.5.) LONDON, August 13. A Soviet communique stated: Southwest and west of Pskov, Russian forces on Saturday crossed two rivers. They captured sixty places, including a railway station at Le Passaare, thirty-eight miles west of Pskov. Russian forces west of Krustpils, on the Dvina Ri\fpr, captured fifty places, and reached the Krust-pils-Jelgava railway on a broad front. Red Army forces occupied the town and railway station of Auts, thirtythree miles south-west of Jelgava, besides 150 places. West-north-west of Bialystok, Russian forces occupied a hundred places including railway stations at Monke, twehtyfour miles north-west of Bialystok, and twentyfour miles from East Prussia. Soviet forces north-west-north of Siedlce occupied 250 places, including a railway station at Shepetovo, thirty-two miles south-west of Bialystok on the Bialy-stok-Warsaw railway. Our troops have successfully repelled largescale German infantry and tank attacks against our bridgehead on tne west, bank of the Vistula River. Seventy-one tanks and forty-six ’planes were destroyed on all fronts on Friday. A Russian air communique- reports: Soviet aircraft bombed Lyck and Prostken railway stations, setting lire to five military trains and fuel dumps. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: Germans encircled in a Baltic trap are hurriedly switching reserves from other sectors in a desperate bid to stem a Russian break-through west of Lake Uskov, where Red Army forces are advancing into Estonia with a crushing weight of tanks and guns. The Russians are widening a forty miles gap, and advancing along two railways, one leading to Tartu, and the other to Riga. The whole Baltic front is now on the move with the exception of the sector west of Narva, in the north. Savage fighting is going on in the East Prussian border region. There the Germans are throwing in a tank armada against an equally huge Soviet armoured force. Russian forces thrusting against the southern frontier of East Prussia are breaking through a new German defence line west-north of Bialystok, blasting paths through minefields with massed mortars. German forces are falling back to the Biebrza River. Ims is seventeen miles from the German frontier. . The Stockholm “Afton Tidningen says: Latvian partisans seized tne port of Kindau, also, driving the Germans from a number of other Latvian coastal places. Von Olberg, German News Agency commentator, stated: The Red Army launched big new attacks at the great Vistula River bend in Poland. Thrusts are being made over a sixteen miles front between Baronov and Mielec, and German lines already.have witndrawn two miles. The situation is serious. OUTFLANKING OF WARSAW (Rec. 12.45) LONDON, Aug. 13. ■ Reuter’s correspondent at Moscow says: General Rokossovskys forces crossed the Bug River, north of Siedlce, and joined up with the southern .army in General Zakhadov’s advance from Bailystok. The German salient east of Warsaw has been eliminated. These two armies now form a solid one hundred mile front, against southern defences of East Prussia.

Reuter's military correspondent says: The German salient between Warsaw and Bailystok hitherto has prevented the Russians advancing to the Vistula on the north-west of Warsaw. Its elimination makes possible a Russian outflanking movement north of the city, and greatly increases the danger to Warsaw and East Prussia.

Warsaw’s Fight Within LACK OF OUTSIDE HELP SOVIET BLAMES POLES IN.' LONDON. (Rec. 12.35) LONDON, Aug. 13. M'oscow radio broadcast a statement that was issued by the Russian Tass Agency, denying a rumour regarding the revolt in Warsaw. The radio said: “Foreign newspapers have been printing reports emanating from the Polish radio and Polish Press, about the revolt started in Warsaw on August 1, under the order from the Polish emigres in London. The Emigre London Government’s press and radio have said that the people revolting in Warsaw are in contact with the Russian High Command, which is not sending them any help. The statements in the foreign newspapers are either the result of a misunderstanding, or are a libel against the Russian High Command. The London Polish circles have been responsible for the uprising in Warsaw. They did not attempt to co-ordinate the Warsaw revolt with the Russian High Command. Responsibility for the happening in Warsaw, therefore lies entirely with the Polish emigre circles in London.”

EAST PRUSSIA LOST ?

WILL BALKANS FOLLOW ?

(Rec. 11.10.) LONDON, August 13. Captain Cyril Falls, in “The London Illustrated News” says: “I believe that the Germans already have written off . East Prussia as at least temporarily lost, and the same may be true of the Balkans. In Italy, if they are forced out from their line of defence over the Northern Appennines, they will, in all probability, retreat to the Alps. In the Balkans they are now in an. awkward situation. If it had not been for their extreme optimism and under-estimation of the capabilities of their opponents, they would probably have abandoned Ballcan countries some time ago, and drawn back to the Danube, thus setting free forces of considerable strength with which to oppose tne Russians. But now the Danube lias become almost an impossible line.” Captain Falls thinks the Russians are now forcing the Vistula above Warsaw with an intention of wheeling up northward through Warsaw m the direction of Danzig. Simultaneously, He says, they probably will try to force their way, to Memel thus isolating East Prussia. The Russian direct advance from the east on the East Prussian frontier, however, may for the time being not be pressed so hard, but the province will none the less be doomed.”

Captain Falls asks, what will the Germans dQ next if they still intend to continue the fight. He suggests their sole last hope of resistance would then appear to be the line of the Oder and the Carpathian Mountains, which would mean an abandonment of Pomerania as well as East Prussia. He adds: “I need hardly say I do not mean that the Germans would consent to any such sacrifices except under the heaviest pressure. They would fight wherever they could, and perhaps especially on the

lower reach of the Vistula River, always hoping for some accident on the Russian side, or some extra strain, which would render a complete programme unnecessary. The same would apply to a withdrawal to the Alps in Italy.” SOVIET AND VATICAN (Rec. 1.10) LONDON, Aug. 13. Moscow radio has broadcast a Prussian Tass News Agency statemen denying the reports which have appeared in foreign newspapers that the Soviet Union has contacted the Vatican on the matter of co-operat-ing ■in post-war socal and religious problems.