NEW TARGETS AVAILABLE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 11 January 1944, Page 5

NEW TARGETS AVAILABLE

HEAVY BOMBERS OPERATED FROM ITALY (Rec. 11.5 a.m.) London, Jan. 10. Reuter’s aviation correspondent says the announcement that Allied heavy bombers are now operating from bases on the Italian mainland means that Fortresses and Liberators are now able, from the Mediterranean theatre, to bomb Hitler’s Balkan centres, in addition to southern Germany.

The range of these bombers makes possible a round trip of about 1000 mile* bringing the following targets in their reach: the whole of Greece (including Athens), Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest, the whole of Yugoslavia, where they will be able to support General Tito’s ground forces, Vienna, southern Germany (including Stuttgart and Nuremberg), also the south of France as far as Marseilles. SPEARHEADS IN UKRAINE (Rec. 11.35 a m ) London, Jan. 10. Russian spearheads striking southwards through the Ukraine are now, according to Reuter’s Moscow correspondent, eadily approaching the Odessa-Warsaw railway, the lifeline o fGeneral von Mannstein’s southern f ’ont. The who have recovered from last week’ confusion, are strongly resisting and carrying ou- powerful counter-attacks. Germans in the Smyela “funnel” who are midway between Marshal Vatoutin’s and General Koniev’s tw n drive are facing thi threat f being rapped. The direction of the Russian drive in the Vinnitsa region suggests that the Russians intend to by-pass Vinnitsa and cut off the Odessa-Sarny railway south of Vinnitsa. Russian tank and guns are now south west of Vinnitsa. All the roads from the north-east and southeast of Vinnitsa ha e been severed. The Russians also menace the German railway link through Tsvietkovo and Smyela. The Russians are within 10 miles of this rai. xy at a point north of Uman. Germans along the Dnieper a', the apex of the funnel are clinging to the ground with great difficulty.

II Marshal Vatoutin keeps up the present rate of advance the Germans must attempt a fighting withdrawal. Their only alternative is encirclement.

Heavy fighting is at present going on at the approaches to Shepetovka. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press reports that Germans between Smyela and Vinnitsa are falling back harried by Russian cavalry patrols armed with tommyguns. These “Red Devils ” as they are called, pave the way for tanks and motorised units.