EAST PRUSSIA

Grey River Argus, 15 August 1944, Page 5

EAST PRUSSIA

FURTHER MENACED Enemy Eliminated Above Warsaw lAus. & N.Z. Press Assn.l LONDON, Aug. 13 . A Soviet communique on Sunday stated: Russian forces north-west of Bialystok captured 80 places, including Goniadz, 26 miles south-south-west of Augustow, and 17 miles from East Prussia. Russians north-west and north of Siedlce occupied over 100 places, including Mostuvka, 11 miles north-east of Warsaw. It is three miles from the big parade grounds and military barracks, five miles east of Warsaw’s suburb of Praga, on the east bank of the Vistula. Russians west .of Sandomierz repelled tank and infantry counterattacks against their bridgehead on the west bank of the Vistula. Moscow radio stated: Taking immediate advantage of the joining up of Rokossovsky’s and Zakharov's forces, north of Siedlce, Russians northwest of Bialystok, opened a large scale offensive against East Prussia, and striking west and north from Bialystok, pierced German defences on the natural defence line of East Prussia, 17 miles from the border. The Germans were unable to close a breach made in intermediary defence lines.’’

A correspondent at Moscow stated: A wide German bulge _ between East Prussia and Warsaw is being gradually flattened. In time the Russians will be able to threaten to outflank either East Prussia or Warsaw, or both. They are now halfway from Bialystok to Lamza and have all but cleared country south of the Bug between Bialystok and Warsaw. The Moscow correspondent of the United Press says: The Germans have lost the battle of the WarsawRiga line (1) by the loss of Raseiniai, 54 miles east-south-east of Tilsit; (2) because of lack of success m counter-attacks against General Chernyakhov’s centre north-west of Miriampole; (3) because of the Russians’ advance south-west of Bialystok; and (4) because of Marshal Rokossovsky’s ability to resume an offensive north-east and east of Warsaw. The Germans lost 1,000 tanks in seven days in an effort to make General Chernyakhov pull his forces back from East Prussia. Plato, a Berlin radio commentator said: After bringing up ten new rifle divisions the Russians mounted a new grand scale offensive against East Prussia in a westerly direction. They succeeded in making a breach two and a half miles wide and half a mile deep. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says: Russians are regrouping on a terrific scale and bringing up men, artillery. and tanks in numbers that should ensure a further breakthrough. The Germans at the same time are also throwing in their best troops, brand new tanks, and fresh air forces in a final effort to save East Prussia. They are fighting with their backs almost on their own frontier. They include S'.S. and Grenadier divisions, recently from Norway, Italy and Germany, Masses of guns and armour assembled by both sides, comparable with anything accumulated during the war, are grouped for a herculean effort.’’

* PROGRESS IN NORTH LONDON, Aug. 13. A Soviet communique on Sunday stated: Russian forces to-day captured by storm Verro, 50 miles _ west cf Pskov on the Pskov-Valk railway. Other Russians north-west of Rezekne broke enemy resistance ana .occupied the town and rail junction or Madona, 75 miles east of Riga, beside 20 other places. Moscow radio stated: “Troops of the Second Baltic Front from July 10 to August 10 killed .over 60,000 officers and men, destroyed 167 planes, 147 tanks, and over 1,000 nuns. Russians in the same period captured 9,636 officers and men, 79 tanks and 820 guns. Their pressure is being kept up westwards along a line from East'Prussia across western Lithuania and Latvia to the Gulf of Riga. The German northern group of armies are cut off and being hustled down the Dvina Valley towards Riga, and being prized away from their hinge at the southern end of Lake Pskov. Russians have turned the corner of Lakes Pskov and Peipus and are in a position to fan out into Estonia. They, are 35 miles west of Pskov and about 45 miles from Valaga, the focal point of communications for the German northern armies. 1 “The Germans are switching reserves from other sectors in a desperate bid to stem the Russian breakthrough west of Lake Peipus. VISTULA BATTLE LONDON, Aug. 13. Reuter's Moscow correspondent reports a terrific struggle is raging on the Vistula from the south-east of Warsaw. The Red Army artillery and mortars from the high east bank of Vistula are pounding the German positions on the lower west bank to such an extent that many are becoming untenable. Another report said:—Russians on the Vistula are extending their bridgehead towards Kielce. When the Russians overran Jaroslav and Frzemysl they found 1,000 German school children who had been evacuated from Berlin and Cologne. The Swiss Red Cross has made an offer to the German authorities to repatriate the children to Germany, but no reply has thus far been received.

Fighting Without Help POLES IN WARSAW. FAILING AND BUTCHERED MERCILESSLY. (Rec. 6.45.) LONDON, August 14. The “Daily Mirror” in an editorial article says: “The third battle of Warsaw is being fought by the Poles without any allies, and without even the material aid that might well have been expected. The first battle was the Poles' refusal in 1939. to surrender to the Germans and the city’s heroic fight against what was, then, the world’s greatest militarv power. The second battle was fought early this year. It was in the Ghetto. There Jews fought a battle of extermination street by street, and house by house. The outside world has received the news of this third battle quite placidly. The men, the women and the children of Warsaw, who are facing the most vicious reprisals, are rightly demanding ‘Where are our Allies ? Where are our Friends ?’ Maybe the Poles were ill-advised’ in their rising. But. for five years, they, have felt the savage bitterness of German rule, and they wanted to have their place in a triumphant march of the Allied forces,”.. GERMAN VENGEANCE. UPON WARSAW* FIGHTERS. (Rec. 6.400 LONDON. August 14. .The military correspondent of “The Times” says: The revolt of the Poles within Warsaw is dying out, amid terrible and tragic scen,es. The Germans

are exacting a fearful vengeance for their temporary setback.” "The Times’s” correspondent deals with the question of the responsibility for what he terms the “premature uprising” in Warsaw. He states: Tne Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Home Army, General Bors, was directed by the Polish Government in London, to use his own judgment about the time for an uprising. Before August 1, there were many signs that the Germans- were about to withdraw from the Polish capital; but, on that day, a Russian mobile column advanced to the outskirts of the Warsaw suburb of Praga. Then the Germans immediately began to retreat across the Vistula River, and General Bors decided that his opportunity had come.” CAPTURED GERMAN MARSHAL URGES PEACE. (Rec. 5.40) LONDON, Aug. 14. Moscow radio t°- da Y appeal to German people from Field Marshal Paulus, the s £°™’ mander who was captured at St alm arad The appeal said further con vitinn nf the war was useless bloodshed had lost the war Marshal Paulus urged the Germans to get rid of Hitler, .and form a peace government.