Vatutin Forcing Pace From Berdichev

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 6, 8 January 1944, Page 5

Vatutin Forcing Pace From Berdichev

LONDON, Jan. 6.

The gradual but inexorable loss of ;ommunication3 made the Germans ircnziedly cling to the important rail centre of Berdichev. The enemy, rignt to the moment of the Russians’ final attack, was building fortifications and bringing up reinforcements. It was only after the Red Army iorces had fought from street to street that what was left of the once pros perous farming town was reclaimed.

The Red Army column which took Byelaya Tserkov is pushing out southeastwards iu the direction of Cherkassy. The Germans entrenched along the west bank of the Dnieper in the Cherkassy region represent a menace to General Vatutin’s left flank should be advanced into the Dnieper Bend. Reuter’s correspondent, cabling from Moscow on Thursday, said that General Vatutin is forcing the pace as he drives the fleeing Germans southwest of Berdichev, where the enemy’s losses in killed, wounded and men taken prisoner are unofficially estimated at 12,000. The Germans are apparently concentrating on the deience of Vinnitsa with the object of holding off the Russians from the Odessa railway.

Enemy sources continue to play up the magnitude of the Russian tank attack east of Kirovgrad. One Berlin commentator called it the greatest tank battle of the winter campaign. Berlin, through its overseas service which the German people do not hear, forecast vast new retreats comparable with those of last summer and autumn when the Germans fell hack 350 miles from Kursk.

A military commentator, Vallensleben, said: ‘’Elastic defence is everywhere again the order of the day for the High Command this winter. This probably means that the developments this winter will be similar to those seen during the summer and autumn in Russia. What does it matter if Russian territory is given up in order to preserve our army in view of the task facing the Wehrmacht elsewhere? Thursday night’s Russian communique says: The Red Army, north of Nevel, continued the offensive and captured several inhabited places. Troops of the First Ukrainian Front captured Rokitno, 12 miles west of the old Polish border, and Chudnov, a district centre in the Jitomir region. They also captured a district centre in the Rovno region, besides other inhabited places. The British United Press emphasises that the Russian capture of Rokitno is the first official Russian intimation that General Vatutin’s forces are across the old Polish border. WILL GERMANS LEAVE

DNIEPER BEND"

Now that the Russians have captured Tarashcha, half-v/ay between Eerdichev and Cherkassy, military comnic ntators in London think the Germcns will have to draw back from all positions on the right bank of the Dnieper from Kiev to Cherkassy. Th'-re are no signs yet that the German? intend to leave the Dnieper Bend. They may be staying there for two reasons, (l) Hitler may have told them not to yield an inch of Russian soil. (2) They may fee] in no particular danger because they think the situation will be restored.

It is interesting to note that a German military, spokesman has discussel the advantages of fighting on two fronts. In London the opinion is that this hints at the possible splitting of

the German armies by the Russian thrust towards Rovno and Sarny. It is made clear, however, that it is wrong to think there is any parallel in the present situation to that of Stalingrad. There the German army was surrounded, cut off, and destroyed. If a split occurs each German army will operate independently with its lines of communications to the main bases intact.

Another report states that the Russians are pushing hard on the heels of the retreating Germans who have been flung out of their two main bastions southwest of Kiev and are now facing an increasingly grave situation. A Berlin commentator says that German military circles do not underestimate the difficulties with which they are faced.