Germans In Don Basin, Dnieper Line Equally Endangered

Northern Advocate, 22 February 1943, Page 3

Germans In Don Basin, Dnieper Line Equally Endangered

(Received 12 Noon) LONDON, February 21. PANNING OUT OVER A WIDE ARC WEST OF KHARKOV, r THE RED ARMY, IN THE PAST 24 HOURS, HAS RAPIDLY ADVANCED AGAINST THREE MAJOR OBJECTIVES, DNEPROPETROVSK, POLTAVA AND SUMY. These thrusts menace alike the Germans in the Donetz Basin and the German prospect of holding- the line on the Dnieper, the wide basin of which the Russians have already entered from Pavlograd and Krasnograd. Moscow correspondents say that after the occupation of Pavlograd—strategic junction of four railways and several highways—the Russians are pushing on swiftly westwards and south-westwards with a twin thrust, one towards Dnepropetrovsk and the other from Losovaya, along the railway .towards Zaporozhe, from which the Russians are 60 miles distalit. LAST RAILWAY IN JEOPARDY The drive towards Zaporozhe is likely to be more dangerous to the Germans, because it threatens the _ retreat of the two armies. The Germans’ last circuitous railway link from the Don Basin runs to Zaporozhe, which also controls the Germans’ rail communications to the Crimea. Its loss would necessitate the Germans moving by six roads, the difficulties of which would be multiplied in the event of a thaw. The Russians advancing from Pavlograd are now 35 miles from Dnepropetrovsk. The capture of Kegichevka and Nakovchina has cleared a 50-mile stretch of railway between Losovaya and Krasnograd, assisting the drive to Poltava, which is another great rail junction for traffic from the Donetz Basin to Kiev. The Russians are now within 50 miles of Poltava after an advance from Krasnograd.

Fierce Rattle in Donetz

The bitterest battle since Stalingrad is raging- in the Donetz Basin, where the Germans are incessantly making efforts to loosen the Russian grip on the railways in order to save thousands almost encircled.

tava. Oboyan was captured only after a terrific fight, in which the town was encircled and the garrison wiped out to the last man. Fighting in Orel region has increased in intensity in the last 24 hours. The Germans launched several strong counter-attacks, but everywhere were repulsed. Many more towns have been cleared, despite skilful, dogged defence. Signs Of Thaw

The Russians repulsed many heavy tank counter-attacks and also considerably compressed the Germans as General Malinovski's advance reached the Mius River, northwards of Taganrog, in conjunction with General Vatoutin’s drive from Stalingrad. Violent air battles are raging in the Kuban, where the Germans, in trying to protect the evacuation, and. already hampered by the Black Sea Fleet, are pounding the harbours and crossings, and Soviet bombers are hammering at troop concentrations. Prisoners ■ assert that the Luftwaffe has brought another dive-bomber group from Tunis to intervene against the Russians’ ground troops. Further Successes The Soviet night communique, while repeating announcement of the capture of Krasnograd and Pavlograd, adds that on the same front Soviet troops occupied the district centre and railway station of Kegichevka, the district centre and railway station of Sahnuyschna, the district centre and the railway station of Pereschpinv. It adds that in the Kursk area, Soviet troops occupied the railway junction of Gotnya. and the district centre and railway station of Tomarovka, and the ditsrict centres of Borisovka, Ivnya and Krasnaya. In the Rostov area, our troops occupied the district centre of Marjqanskaya and the large localities of Novmyshastovshaya, Ilskaya and Lvovskaya. Freeing New Territory Red Army advances have taken them further (west than they have been since the retreat in 1941. along almost the entire front of 750 miles from Kursk to Krasnodar. The danger of the Germans being pushed westwards from the Donetz Bend has increased considerably. Indeed, the direction and pace of the Soviet offensives seem likely to constitute an early threat to all enemy forces south of Dnepropetrovsk and east of the Dnieper River, Losing Rail Communications With Krasnograd and Pavlograd in Russian hands, the Germans have already lost nearly all the railways north-east of the great Dnieper bend, and it does not seem unlikely that they will soon be deprived of all rail communication to the east and south except, perhaps, the line which rambles south from Gortovka to Zaporozhe.

There are indications of a considerable thaw in many parts of the Russian front, particularly in the Caucasus. If the thaw is continued for many days it is likely to have a considerable effect upon the tempo of operations. It is probable, however, that the weather will again freeze.

Normally the final thaw does not come until much later, but it has been an unusually mild winter in Russia. Tightening the Grip

In addition the Russians advancing from the Kharkov-Byelgorod line reached Krasnatayarmga. 39 miles from Sumy, which, is also a valuable Ukrainian centre, while northward General Golikov is driving from Kursk and Byelgorod. and lightening the grip on the Orel district. Germans, apprehensive of these attacks. counter-attacked-furiously to hold Russian advances westward of Wharkov. They threw in a large number of tanks, but all their assaults failed. The German defences were particularly strong at the approaches to Pavlograd and Krasnograd, which fell after the Russians outflanked them.

The Axis is even more strongly resisting the Red Army offensive against Orel, which is the hinge of their northern and southern armies. Wedges Snipped Off

The fierceness of German resistance has resulted in some centres during the past few days repeatedly changing hands. The Germans managed to drive wedges into the Russian advance, but so far all have been snipped off at the base and wiped out. The Germans protecting the south flank of Orel include crack Jaeger regiments rushed from East Prussia in giant transport planes.

. “Red Star” says .Jaegers hitherto have not appeared in Russia. Hitler saved them up for a crisis.

“They counter-attack desperately, and bite and scratch when taken prisoner.”

Meanwhile, in the south, the remaining Germans are steadily being squeezed out of the Caucasus. Moscow reports that three Russian columns are closing on Orel. A Moscow message states that Soviet guerillas also are especially active in the Ukraine, where, in three days, they wrecked 66 German troop trains, killed 13,500 enemy troops in train attacks and battles, and blew up 244 railway and road bridges. Soviet Grip Tightened

The importance of the Russian achievements in clearing the railway and highway from Kursk to Kharkov is emphasised by military observers. This move tightens the Soviet grip on the entire Kharkov area. and. although some time may elapse before the railway is in full working order again, it will ultimately provide the Red Army with a further good line of lateral communication on that front.

With the capture of Laboutin and Merefa- the threat to Poltava, midway between Kharkov and the Dnieper becomes more apparent, if not immediate, as the Russians still have to cover some 70 miles to reach the town from Kharkov. Further south the Russians appear to have completely outflanked towns by a move which put the Red Army astride the only remaining railwav to the north.

Leningrad Guerillas

The chairman of the Leningrad Communist Party has revealed that guerillas in 1942. in the Leningrad province, killed more than 40.000 Germans, including five generals, blow lip 416 railway bridges and wrecked 310 military trains. Enemy Shortages The Russians, after beating off five counter-attacks, smashed the German defence line beyond Kursk, chasirig the Germans towards the SmolenskKharkov railway. Shortage of German arms and ammunition have been noticed on this and other fronts. Prisoners captured west of Kursk have revealed that some German regiments have only two or three ma-chine-guns owing to abandonment of masses of equipment in a hasty retreat. General Golikov’s troops south of Kursk have reached the River Psiol, tributary of the Dnieper. The capture of Oboyan gives the Red Army control of a key town on the Kharkov-Kursk-Orel highway.

General Golikov’s left wing, which took Lyubotin, is now firmly straddling both railways leading to Pol-