Critical Position For Germans in Kuban

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 222, 18 September 1943, Page 5

Critical Position For Germans in Kuban

lsre Important Russian Successes (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, Sept. 16. The fall of Novorossisk, a Black Sea port of outstanding importance to the German Kuban bridgehead and to the Crimea position as a whole, was announced in an Order of the Day by Marshal Stalin. A special Soviet communique announces the capture oi Novograd-Eversky. This town is haltway between Bryansk and Nezhin and SO miles southeast of Gomel, on the Konotop-Gomel railway. It is an important road centre. Marshal Stalin’s Order of the Day announcing the fall of Novorossisk, states: “Troops of the North Caucasus front, in cooperation with ships and units of the Black Sea Fleet, as a result of a courageous operation consisting of a blow struck by land troops and a sea landing, after five days ot fierce fighting, during which the 73rd German infantry division, the 4th ana 101st German alpine rifle divisions, the 4th Rumanian alpine rifle division, and the 4th command of German marines, were smashed, to-day took by storm the important Black Sea port and town ol Novorossisk.

“It was last Saturday that Russian commandos swept in from the Black Sea right into the harbour of Novorossisk and landed under the fire ol German guns. Step by step and reinforced in the days that followed, they fought their way into the town, slowly forcing the Germans back. Other attacks were made from northeast anci southeast on the western side of Novorossisk Eay. Hundreds of landing barges wore used and thousands of men poured ashore during the sequence ol operations. The opinion of some correspondents is that the Germans will almost certainly be forced out of the Kuban Peninsula back into the Crimea, thus retreading the road they took last summer in their advance into the Caucasus. The Red Array, in addition to other vast commitments, apparently has opened a ful-scale offensive on the Smolensk front. Berlin radio says the Russians between the Moscow-Roslavl and Mos-cow-Smolensk highway, started an offensive aimed at breaking through to Smolensk.

The radio admitted that the Russians had pushed the Germans back in a number of places, but claimed that the Russians had gained no operational successes.

The Red Army in the south is pressing on to attain two great objectives —the stronghold of Dnepropetrovsk, on the Dneiper Bend, and the strategic railway junction of Zaporozhe commanding the rail exit from the Crimea. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press reports that the mechanised Cossack vanguard announced the occupation of the town ot Romny and the district centres ol Nosovka, Talalayevka and Glinsk, in the Kiev setor. The Red Army advanced six to nine miles and occupied Losovaya and 100 other places. More than 40 places were captured in the Zaporozhe and Melitopol sectors, where the Russians advanced nine to 11 miles. The Russians west of Kharkov capturea Valki and many other inhabited localities. Nosovka is only 55 miles northeast of Kiev, and Talalayevka 13 miles northwest of Romny. The correspondent says that Losovaya will considerably increase the mobility of the Russian troops on the whole of the south front from the Sea of Azov to Poltava, to which the Ger mans are still stubbornly clinging. The correspondent adds that the Russians are bypassing the rail junction of Pavlograd from the south in order to press cn to the Dnieper Bend. The two main forces from the northeast and southeast are advancing towards Zaporozhe, and two other main forces oi mechanised Cossacks are pressing on the Sea of Azov coast. They are moving fast, crossing small rivers and ravines only a short distance behind the retreating enemy, and not giving him any rest. Describing the assault against Novorossisk, the British United Press correspondent says the Russian commandos in waves of 15 to 30 barges last Saturday swept in from the Black Sea to Novorossisk harbour and landed under the fire of the German guns. The first wave came in darkness, the second wave at dawn, and the third followea later. The Russians forced their way through to the harbour’s strongpoints.