NEW DRIVE INTO POLAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 10 January 1944, Page 2

NEW DRIVE INTO POLAND

SIX MILES OVER FRONTIER (Rec. 12.15 p.m.) London, Jan. 9. The Red Army has forced another break-through across the old Polish border. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says General Vatoutin’s troops, striking 45 miles north-west of Novograd Volynsk in the past 24 hours have surged six miles over the frontier and are now thrusting across the marshes on the left flank of the main drive towards Sarny. The British United Press points out that a year ago the Red Army was fighting its main battle at Stalingrad, 1000 miles from the borders of East Prussia, which was the nearest German territory. To-day the Russians stand before Rovno. only 250 miles from East Prussia. A second Polish division, including a women’s battalion, shouting “On to Warsaw!” has gone to the front for the offensive in Poland. Moscow radio says Hitler sent fresh divisions to the first Ukrainian front and added: “These reserves will fare no better. They will be splintered and then wiped out.” The German news agency’s commentator, von Hammer, admitted the evacuation of Kirovograd and that the Red Army’s thrust back south-east from Byelayatserkov against the sole remaining German bridgehead on the west bank of the Dnieper south of Cherkasy was making progress. “Germans disengaged from Kirovograd after heavy, bitter street fighting. The Russians south of Cherkasy shelled the German positions for hours with a drumfire barrage from massed artillery The Germans, however, had already evacuated the positions ,thus the Russians’ efforts were foiled. The enemy’s thrusts west of Ryechitsa were beaten off and a few penetrations sealed off.”