Threaten 750,000 On East Front

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1943, Page 3

Threaten 750,000 On East Front

(Rec. 11.45 a.m.) LONDON. August 24. Russian advances on a 250-mile front, between Kharkov and the Donetz Basin, are now seriously threatening 750,000 German troops, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. The Russians are pouring through several gaps in the German line as the summer offensive reaches a new peak of strength. Latest reports show that large Russian forces in the Donetz are spreading out along the Taganrog-Stalino railway. The vanguards have deeply penetrated the German lines. The Russian attack south of Isyum is developing into a. wide pincer movement threatening Stalino. which is the main German base in the Donetz. The Russian break-through at Ambrozevka. 31 miles south-east of Stalino, has cut off all German troops in the Taganrog area. The Germans are deprived of the only railway from Taganrog, and retreat across swampy country laced by rivers is almost impossible. German Hopes Frustrated

German hopes of profitably shortening the eastern front have been frustrated, firstly by the defeat of their offensive against the Kursk salient, and secondly by the Russian drive westward between Kharkov and Sumy. The latter offensive has not merely placed Kharkov itself in an untenable salient, but lias endangered the whole German position between the Donetz and the Dnieper. A further threat is formed by the' bridgehead south of Izyum, which the Russians have been gradually extending over many weeks. Whether or not the Germans have decided to abandon the Donetz industries, it seems certain they would do anything to avoid leaving their garrisons there to be surrounded. If the enemy should be forced to evacuate, the Russians would do their utmost to prevent the garrisons getting away, hence the Soviet plan seems to be a double enveloping movement, combined with direct pressure from the head of the salient on the Mius River. Advances Continue Tonight's Soviet communique states: ‘Today Soviet troops, advancing northtwest and south of Kharkov, advanced and improved their positions. In the Donetz Basin areas, south of Izyum and south-west of Voroshilovgrad, our troops continued to wage successful fighting and occupied several inhabited localities. “On other sectors of the front, our troops conducted reconnaissance activities and artillery and mortar exchanges took place. “Yesterday, on all fronts, Soviet troops destroyed or damaged 77 German tanks. In aerial engagements and by anti-aircraft fire. 106 German planes were shot down. Left Kharkov Far Behind Today's Moscow messages report that while the ruins of Kharkov are still smouldering, and mined buildings continue to explode, the Russians, advancing north and south, have left the city far behind. The retreating Germans kept shelling Kharkov for a time, but their guns are now too faraway and many have been abandoned. The main Soviet forces, tanks and infantry in the eastern Donetz Basin are advancing along the railway, while scouts, sappers, and storm troops widen the breach, infiltrating into enemy defences and cutting the ways of retreat. The German resistance is bitter everywhere. counter-attack following coun-ter-attack. Railway lines are changinghands time and again, but the Russians continue to advance. Small Storm Groups

The Germans had prepared Kharkov j for a long, stubborn defence. Street by street, it had been fortified. All stone houses had been fitted with emplacements for artillery and machine-guns. Every street had been mined and all large buildings surrounded with minefields. The Russians applied the tactics of small storm troop groups, which originated at Stalingrad. They infiltrated in depth into the city, rendering the most formidable strongpoints untenable. To the last the Germans seemed confident that they could hold Kharkov and expended men and material in costly counter-attacks round the city. The decisive German reverse was failure to regain control of the KharkovPoltava railway, in which area several German divisions perished vainly. Thousands of young inhabitants of Kharkov came into the streets to greet the Liberators after many months of hiding in cellars and attics to escape forced labour drafts. Attacks Elsewhere Paris radio reports that the Russians launched new attacks in the area of Staraya-Russa, with huge tank forces. They broke through the German lines at two joints, but were driven back in counter-attacks. The Russians are continuing violent attacks in the Izyum area, where they are deploying large tank forces and considerable air support, and, despite German counter-attacks, continue to make some advance. Fierce fighting is also going on south-west of Voroshilovgrad. The radio adds that fresh Russian concentrations have been obin the area of Bryansk, where a flare-up in the battle is to be expected soon. Flaming Ruin The Russians found Kharkov a flaming ruin, says the British United Press correspondent at Moscow'. German demolition squads systematically dynamited streets and buildings. Incendiaries were used to set fire to houses, and the ruins of devastated buildings lay across the roads, which were pitted with craters. Kharkov is a ruined city, but. in Russian hands, aids the drive against the German Dnieper line. Gaily-coloured flares, balls of fire, signal rockets and Verey lights blazed in the skv over. Moscow tonight in celebration of the recapture of Kharkov, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. The lights formed vast arches over the Kremlin, Red Square and other city centres. Booming salvoes from the garrison's heavy guns provided an impressive background to the city’s celebration. Cheering Muscovites crowded the streets. London listeners heard a broadcast of Moscow's 224-gun salute. The Red Army Choir sang victory songs, and there was a special concert of Ukrainian music. Moscow radio repeated Stalin’s Order of the Day four times. Poltava Next Objective West of Kharkov, the Russians are pushing on towards two battle-fronts, north-west and south-west of Kharkov. Reuter continues that Poltava is the next German stronghold which the break-through threatens. The Germans, who have been fighting grimly in the last 12 days to dislodge the Red Army's grip on the Kharkov-Pcltava railway, are now in a desperate position. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press states that a great German retreat is still going on southwest and south of the city. The last German detachments escaped south-