RUSSIAN ADVANCES

Grey River Argus, 12 September 1944, Page 5

RUSSIAN ADVANCES

IN SOUTHERN SECTORS Fighting in Transylvania [Aus. & N.Z. Press Assn.) (Rec. 10.40) LONDON, Sept. 11. Moscow radio says: General Malinovsky has been promoted to be Marshal.

Malinovsky’s army group, taking a mountain road to Budapest and beyond, are approaching Hungarian-oc-cupied Transylvania. T'he Germans and Magyar allies are resisting strongly amid natural rock fortresses along the Red Army’s line of advance. Germans are doing their utmost to check the troops on the Second Ukrainian Front edging further into North Transylvania. Ger-' mans north-west of Sibiu concentrated masses of tanks and the German and Hungarian infantry are launching counter-attacks. Cluj, capital of Transylvania was captured by Russians. Russians in Northeastern Roumania captured the town and railway 1 station of Varna, 54 miles south-west' of Cernauti. The Red Army in Central Roumania, in cooperation with Roumanian troops captured Sfantul Gheorghe and 50 other places, including five railway stations. , „ Von Hammer stated on the Berlin radio: Russians in a drive southward and south-eastward between the Black Sea and Turnomaguerele have already occupied some Balkan passes. The Russians apparently intend to use Bulgaria as a concentration area. $ They have crossed the Eastern Balkans and are rolling on towards the Aegean, coast. The Buigarian Army is not offering any resistance. It seems to be in a' state of complete disintegration. The British United Press Moscow correspondent quotes a front line report saying the Red \ Army penetrated a German prepared defence belt covering approaches to East Prussia. , , , ~ Autumn rains have started on the northern and central fronts, but. are not expected to hold up the Russians progress. German troops are pouring from north Finland into the eastern part of Finmark, Norwayh most northerly province. ' ' GERMAN PRESSURE ON CZECHS ' ‘ LONDON, Sept. 10 A Czech communique stated: "The enemy is increasing pressure along the railway from Kosice to Bohumm (important railway on the Hungary to Carpathian front). The violence of a fluid battle in the area of Zrhniavrutky is growing. Several enemy attacks were repulsed with great losses. Central Slovakia is firmly m our hands. Strong partisan detachments are co-operating closely with our military units. In eastern Slovakia, they control large areas aM enemy traffic is at a standstill. Zihma remains in Czechoslovak hands, and German pressure in the upper Van Valley is being exerted from the east. The 19th German S.S. Division is suffering very heavy casualties in its attempt to regain control of the Bo-humin-Kosice railway. WARSAW’S TRAGEDY LONDON, Sept. 10. Information has reached the British Government of the tragic sufferings and v hardships to which the civilian population of Warsaw has been exnosed in the course of the fighting in the Polish capital. Civilian men, women and children, wounded and infirm, as well as soldiers of the Polish Home Army, have been victims of German barbarity. Defenceless persons have been driven in front of German tanks as protection against the Polish forces. In a declaration on August 30, the British Government warned the Germans against violation of the laws and customs of war in their treatment of members of the Polish Home Army. It feels bound to issue a similar warning in regard to these German crimes against civilians. It will do all in its power to ensure that those responsible, whoever they may be, are mafle to answer for their crimes.