Four Drives to Finish War In Hungary

Northern Advocate, 4 October 1944, Page 3

Four Drives to Finish War In Hungary

(Rec. 1 p.m.) LONDON, October 3. The Russians have launched four large-scale offensives to' knock Hungary out of the war and to liberate Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. The four drives are: (1) Towards Belgrade by forces which crossed into Yugoslavia from Rumania.

(2) Through Beskid Pass on the border of southern Poland and northeastern Czechoslovakia.

(3) Westwards to Budapest from Northern Transylvania. This force is within 100 miles of Budapest. (4) North-west through Hungary from Sakrad, which is 60 miles southeast of Budapest.

The Russians have advanced 27 miles further into Yugoslavia and are now in the immediate neighbourhood of Zajecar, where fierce fighting is in progress. The line of advance is towards Nish, from where the Russians are now only 40 miles. A number of towns have been captured and Yugoslav troops in Eastern Serbia moving towards the advancing Red Army have captured Aleksandr ovac in Eastern Serbia. The Berlin radio commentator (von Hammer) says that the Russians are throwing in tanks, infantry, artillery and planes on a 13-mile front near Beskid Pass. Converging- on Riga Moscow radio declares that liberation of Riga is not far off. “Our troops are converging on Riga from three directions and already are close to the city. A number of German divisions with masses of heavy equipment have been compressed into a small area a few miles square. Long columns of Russian reinforcements are moving along the roads towards Riga." Capture Island of Dago The German News Agency reported that major Russian forces landed on the north-eastern shore of Dago Island (west of the Gulf of Riga) yesterday and added that the German garrison immediately engaged the Russians while the German navy was interfering with further landing operations. Troops from Leningrad front, as a result of skilful landing operations, captured the Island of Dago in the Baltic, says tonight’s Soviet communique. Troops south of Turku, overcoming enemy resistance and engineering obstacles in the forest-covered mountains, fought their way into a number of localities and captured two rail-stations.

The Russians in Northern Transylvania captured the town and railstation of Reghi and several other localities. The Russians south and south-west of Timisoara crossed the Danube and occupied three large towns in Yugoslav territory, besides 250 other places. South of the Rumanian town of Turnuseverin, the Russians fought their way into several localities on Yugoslav territory.