Many Killed, Prisonered As Trap Closes On Nazi Divisions

Northern Advocate, 15 March 1944, Page 3

Many Killed, Prisonered As Trap Closes On Nazi Divisions

(Received 1 p.m.)

LONDON, March 14

ANOTHER RESOUNDING VICTORY HAS BEEN SCORED BY A THE RUSSIANS IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN UKRAINE, WHERE SEVERAL GERMAN DIVISIONS HAVE BEEN ENCIRCLED AND ABOUT 10,000 KILLED AND 4000 TAKEN PRISONER.

The area in which the Red Army trapped the German divisions lies about 85 miles north-east of Nikolayev. The two ends of the trap were 20 miles apart. They were Bereznegovati, 40 miles north-east of Nikolayev, and Snegirovka, 80 miles due east. The Russians have crossed the River Bug south-west of Uman and formed several bridgeheads, said Berlin radio tonight, and, added that the Russians crossed in an area where their break-through had reached a minimum depth. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent states that crack German divisions lost their entire equipment and suffered staggering casualties in a swift Russian thrust across the Dnieper which is continuing towards Nikolayev today after the capture of Kherson yesterday. The Germans lost over 50,000 killed and wounded in this thrust in which Kherson itself was captured in a few hours. The Russians, in a little over 72 hours, forced a mile-wide break across the Dnieper, beat back German counter-attacks and drove on 40 miles to Kherson, creating a condition similar to a total rout of Germans as at and below Uman. The whole bank of the Dnieper from Berislavl to Kherson is littered with German dead, lorries, tanks and guns. There are similar scenes in the streets of Kherson, where thousands, of German bodies are being collected for burial. Von Manstein’s position has grown worse in the past 24 hours as. the Russians throw more divisions into the offensive. Odessa is threatened, Nikolayev is as good as lost, and at least four other big centres of German resistance are in danger.

Little Hope of Recovery Blows at both ends and the centre of the German Ukraine line have practically killed any hopes that Manstein may have entertained of rallying his defeated forces. Latest reports from the main battle fronts indicate that Soviet tank fists are less than 20 miles from the outskirts of Nikolayev. Two Russian forces are only 10 miles from Vinnitsa. Tarnopol now is threatened by a semicircle of steel fire and the Russians, on three sides of Proskurov, are fighting German counter-attacks to a standstill. The Red Air Force, despite low cloud and frequent rainstorms, has driven the Germans from their forward airfields along the whole Dnieper front, and Russian bombers are smashing troop movements west of Odessa. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says that as the Russians steadily regain conti'ol of the whole north coast of the Black Sea. blockade of Odessa by Russian bombers will soon prevent the Germans from using the port. The first result of the capture of Kherson will be a great increase in Russian aerial and naval control of the Black Sea. Today’s German communique states that a bitter struggle continues in the southern sector of the Russian front where roads are a quagmire and the country a sea of mud on both sides. Throwing in fresh formations, the communique claims, the Germans have evacuated Kherson after destroying all important military installations. Whole River Cleared With the recapture of the great Ukrainian grain port of Kherson, the Soviet army has regained the whole course of the Dnieper from White Russia to the Black Sea and the Germans, blocked in the Crimea, are further than ever from hope of relief. The retreating Germans between the lower Dnieper and Nikolayev will be hard put to it to escape the pincers which threaten to close round them. Kherson was evidently taken by General Malinovsky’s troops coming quickly down the right bank from Berislav, since the Russians, who were on the left bank opposite Kherson, were commanded by General Len Tolbukhin, who is not mentioned. In the central sector of the offensive the Russians are within a dozen miles of the railway junction of Novo, Ukrainia.

Further west they have regained much of the ground lost during German coutiter-offensives earlier in the year, including Ailyntsi and Lipovots, and are some 15 miies east of Vinnitsa.

On the extreme right, although the Russians have not yet been able to capture Tarnopol, they have advanced 20 miles south-east of that town to Skalst. They thus have created a solid wedge across the main trunk railway extending about 40 miles east to west and 10 miles beyond the line itself.

Barge Force Encircled

Encirclement of a large German force and a continued advance on all southern sectors are recorded in tonight’s Soviet communique. ' It says troops in the Proskurov direction, overcoming the enemy's resistance and infantry and tank counterattacks, continued offensive operations, occupied several inhabited localities ancl inflicted heavy losses in men and material. Troops in the Vinnitsa direction fought their way into over 20 inhabited localities and occupied the rail station of Gumennaya, 10 miles from Vinnitsa. Troops west and south of Uman occupied the town of Gaisin and over 60 other localities. West of Kirovgrad troops captured three district centres and over 70 other localities. Troops in the Nikolayev direction occupied the town of Shirokayabalks, on the northern bank at the Dnieper’s mouth, two district centres and over 60 localities. Troops of the Third Ukrainian front encircled a large force, consisting of several divisions. The Germans repeatedly attacked with a view to breaking out but were repelled. About 10,000 Germans were killed and 4000 taken prisoner'. Over 300 guns were captured. No Firm Stand Yet There -is still no sign of the Germans making a determined stand at any point in the' Ukraine, says the Moscow correspondent of the Associated Press. Any resistance that is offering appears to be only to allow the evacuation of as much material as possible. Well-informed circles in Moscow believe von Manstein will make a final stand on the Dniester, marking the old Rumanian border, where strong fortifications are reported to have been erected. Seven major Russian attacks in the Ukraine are driving the Germans nearer the Rumanian border. Two Red armies are now converging against the important Black Sea port of Nikolayev—one from Kherson and the other from Poltavka, while further north, in the Gaivoron area, the Russians are engaged in a fierce struggle to establish their first bridgehead on the west bank of the Bug River. Capture of Kherson would be a severe blow for von Manstein, whose forces are fleeing before the Russian onslaught. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports that Soviet reinforcements have now crossed the Dnieper estuary to join in the battle beyond Kherson. Collapse of the remaining German positions east of Nikolayev is imminent. The Germans are throwing out shields of suicide troops in an attempt to protect their disengaging movement in the Dnieper Bend towards Nikolayev. . Paris radio says a new Russian offensive has begun south of Dubno, beyond the pre-war Polish frontier. Brushing It Off "Once more the Russians have occupied a few thousand square miles of the

southern part of the eastern front but they have had to pay for them very dearly indeed,” said a German radio commentator. "Once more Russian mass attacks have required from us a very elastic defence, the sort of elastic defence which has been so much laughed at by British and American propagandists but this is the only possible tactic which war in the east has taught us —that there is no cure against sudden shifting of the main weight of attack. The Russians are able to drive wedges into the German lines which look at first sight rather important and dangerous hence the need for elasticity.” Estonian Capital Bombed Russian planes, five of -which have not returned, a few days ago heavily bombed concentrations of German military trains at the railway junction at Tallinn, also enemy ships in the harbour, says Moscow radio,