SMOLENSK DRIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24534, 17 March 1943, Page 3

SMOLENSK DRIVE

RED ARMY PROGRESS first line shelled ADVANCING FROM VIAZMA LONDON, March .16 Further advances by the Soviet armies in the direction of the main enemy base of Smolensk are reported from tho central front. Renter's special correspondent says that Smolensk is now being approached from four directions. Some reports say Soviet troops are now less than GO miles from Smolensk. Tlio Stockholm correspondent of tho Daily Express says that Russian siege guns havo opened a heavy bombardment of tho Germans' first defence line before Smolensk. The defence line runs 50 miles east from Smolensk, with Durovo—General Koneik's immediate objective—as its northern bastion and Yelnia as its southern strong point. The Russian thrust has reached to within 15 miles of the important railway junction of Durovo. North-west of Viazma the Germans have been thrown out of carefully-pre-pared positions. West and south-west of Viazma more towns have been taken. In the Bieloi area tho Russians have reoccupiod 40 more towns and villages. Tho Russian offensive is being gradually hampered by tho thaw. The Russians, however, have crossed the Upper Dnieper near Zhirkovsk, 35 miles north-west of Viazma, which is a considerable achievement, because tho right bank is dominated by stronglyfortified heights. Flat snow-covered 1 fields are facilitating the encirclement of German strong points at the approaches to Nikitinka. Other Russian thrusts directed against Dorog, Obig and Yelnia are apparently still unstemmed, although fresh German armour and motorised infantry are being pushed into battle. Tho Russians seem confident that the advance will continue. In the Lake Ilmen sector of the northern front, further Russian penetration of the Gorman defences south of the Jake are reported. SOLID ACHIEVEMENT ADVANTAGES TO RUSSIANS MORE LOSSES POSSIBLE LONDON, .March Hi Referring to the loss of Kharkov by tho Russians tho Times says that with the enemy pressing strongly in front of Kursk there may be further losses in territory recently reconquered. Whatever happens, says the paper, the Russian strategy of audacity has a large balance of solid achievement to its credit which is quite unlikely to be reversed. Perhaps the most 'urgent lesson to be learned is that the Red Army still faces a fighting machine of prodigious power which will go on hitting back in Eastern Europe until it is finally crippled by blows struck elsewhere. The Germans are losing heavily in the Donetz push, according to Moscow messages. They are simultaneously being forced out of their defensive system west of Moscow and south of Leningrad, which they fortified for IS months. If the Red Army clears out the Germans to behind the line from Veliki Luki to Orel—even if it does not. capture Smolensk —it will have achieved what was seemingly impossible last year. The Berlin radio claims that the German success in the south is influencing events on the central and northern fronts, where, it says, the Germans are more and more taking the initiative after the transfer of Russian troops to tho south The Germans west of Kursk, the radio adds, are carrying out extensive movements to the east. Tho Soviet newspaper Red Star says that since the outbreak of war 850,000 Italians have been killed or captured on all Russian fronts and about 300.000 wounded. The Moscow representative of the Columbia Broadcasting System reports that the Germans in the past two weeks lost 60,000 killed in the fighting in the Kharkov and Donetz Basin areas. He says that 2700 tanks have been destroyed or disabled, affd 455 German planes shot down over the whole front during the same period. FIRST OBJECTIVE FAILURE OF GERMANS (Recti. 12.25 a.m.) LONDON. March 10 So far the Germans have not achieved what was probably their first objective —a vast encirclement of the Russians through Isyum, GO miles south, and Bielgorod, 45 miles north, of Kharkov, in order to sweep up behind the city, says the Times correspondent in Moscow. The stubbornness of the Russian rearguard action forced the Germans to concentrate on their secondary objective and divert their main forces against Kharkov. Tho Germans may aim to use up tho Russian reserves, thus robbing them of a creative pausie. The Wehrmacht's determined defence of Orel is intended to prevent the release of the armies on the Upper 'Don for an attack against the Germans in the Donetz salient. Similarly. the German stubbornness west of Rostov and in the Kuban is intended to tie up the Russians .and draw their sting in tho south. RAIDS ON CONTINENT DAMAGE IN GERMANY LONDON, March HI Royal Air Force Venturas, escorted by Spitfires, attacked an airfield in Brittany yesterday. One Ventura is missing. Typhoons attacked enemy shipping off the Dutch coast without loss to themselves. They set an armed trawler on fire. The Vichv radio •stated that 262 victims wore extricated from the wreckage in a large town which the Americans bombed a few days ago. Others are still buried. This probably refers to Rouen, which was raided on I 1 riday, Both the M.A.N. Diesel engine and the Siemens electrical works were hit during the big raid on Nuremberg on Monday niglit of last week, states the Air Ministry news service. These lactones are in tho southern districts of the city and the bombing was concentrated on this important area, l< ires here and in the railway yards were still burning when photographs were taken two days later SHACKLED PRISONERS POSITION OF CANADIANS (Rccd. 11.40 .p.m.) OTTAWA, March 15 A reply tabled in the House of Commons indicated that some Canadian prisoners of war hold in Germany aro still being shackled, but exact figures aro not available. Tho Government said it would not be.in tho interests of the prisoners to indicate tho status ot tho negotiations at present. INDIA'S ARMED STRENGTH LONDON. March 10 Tho total strength of India's armed forces is now noaring 2,000,000, according to a military spokesman in Now Delhi, who added that the Indian Air Force in particular was making rapid strides. During this period of expansion exhibitions were being organised throughout India to stimulate recruitin"' Field-Marshal Sir Archibald Waved was to speak at one of them I to-day.