WITHDRAWALS IN RUSSIA

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXIV, Issue 38, 13 January 1944, Page 5

WITHDRAWALS IN RUSSIA

GLOOMY NAZI BROADCAST

LONDON

Jan. 12

Large-scale German withdrawals on the Eastern Front were foreshadowed by tne Berlin military commentator (General Dietmar) last night in the gloomiest broadcast yet. "The volume of power the Russians are hurling into their attacks is rising steadily," he said. "It drowns the opponent, especially when his numerical strength is markedly inferior. This need not prevent the German defence from proving successful, but grave and most painful decisions have to be taken, wherein geographical considerations are of but secondary importance. Above all the German armies must fight for time because they have to consider the situation on other fronts as well." The accounts of the fighting given bv Berlin spokesmen yesterday are for the first time almost identical with the accounts given by the Russians themselves, says the Daily Mail's Stockholm correspondent, who quotes one Berlin spokesman as. saying that General Vatutin's northern army is plunging deeper into Poland. "We don't know what is going on in some places," said this spokesman. "Our counter-attacks do not apocar to throw much sand in the wheels of the Russian war machine. The German army is in a situation of the utmost danger and our losses have reached a very high figure. The total prisoners taken by either side is much lower than the number killed. The Germans in the southern sector front can expect a withdrawal right hack to the Bug River line." '''ho Moscow radio announced that cineo January 1. General Vatutin's and General Koniev's armies have disposed of more than 60.C00 Germans. and liberated over 1700 populated pi "res. Reporting the- capture of further Spanish prisonors, a Russian supp'omontary communique says: "The prisoners confirmed that the Spanish Legion is still in the front lino, thus refuting a Madrid Government statement that the Legion had been recalled to Spain. All the prisoners declared that they were forced into the legion againstthcirwill.lt has now been proved beyond doubt that Spanish units, however named, continue to fichfc on the German side. The Spanish double-dealers in Madrid are trying to have their cake and eat it under the mask of neulralitv. They arc continuing to servo ITitlcr faithfully."