NEW OFFENSIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24758, 4 December 1943, Page 7

NEW OFFENSIVE

WHITE RUSSIA SOVIET ADVANCE WEST OF SMOLENSK THRUST FROM GOMEL (Kccd. 12.5 a.in.) LONDON, Dec. 3 A new Russian offensive has been started in White Russia, in the direction 6f Orsha, sduth of Vitebsk. The Red Army is attacking with a heavy concentration of artillery, tanks and infantry. The attacking forces broke through the first German defence line at two points but, after meeting the second line of defences, were forced to yield some ground. The Russians have large reserves in this sector. Later reports from enemy sources say that croat battles are raging on both sides of the Smolensk-Orsha highway, in the direction of Orsha. Mounting Intensity The Paris radio says fighting is mounting in intensity west of Smolensk, where 250,000 Russian troops are launching massive attacks against the German positions east of Orsha. The Germans between the Pripet and Heresina Rivers are engaging in heavy defensive fighting and have already eliminated several wedges which the Russians had driven into their lines. Renter's Moscow correspondent says the Germans are likely to lose the Dovsk road, pivot of their White Russian front. The Red Army has reached Ktarydovsk, three miles north ofJDovsk, from which roads radiate to Mogilev, Propoisk and Rogachev.

The correspondent adds that the Russian offensive on the entire White Russian front has gained momentum in the past 24 hours. The Red Army clearly means business in this outflanking movement against the White .Russian line, as the German news agency commentator, von Hammer, indicates. He says: "West from Smolensk to Orsha the Russians carried out a super offensive with 27 infantry divisions and five tank brigades. We sealed off local penetrations. The fighting is really at its heaviest in this sector." Double Threat Apparent The Red Army is threatening to turn the German line in White Russia from the north and the south, state despatches from Moscow. While the troops of von Kluge, the German commander on the White Russian front, are battling grimly to prevent General Rokossovsky's forces from taking Jloblin and Bobruisk, north-west of Gomel, thereby turning the German southern defences, the Russians have launched attacks against Mogilev, Orsha and Vitebsk, the success of which would turn the German line from the north. Correspondents in Moscow say the Red Army's path to Jlobin has been opened up by the capture of one of three key positions barring the corridor between the Dnieper and the Soj. General Rokossovsky himself said to the Red Star war correspondent: "We have captured an impregnable fortress." A Soviet communique states: "The Red Army between the Soj and the Dnieper, north-west of Gomel, continued its advance and occupied more than 80 inhabited places. In the Pripet River area it occupied nine places." The Vichy radio says the Russians have gained more ground in their triple drive against Mogilev, Jlobin and Mozir. ■ PORTUGAL'S COMPLAINT REPLY BY JAPANESE (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LISBON. Dpc. 2 Replying to the recent statement by the Prime Minister of Portugal. Dr. Salnzar, concerning the Japanese occupation of Timor, the Japanese Legation in Lisbon stated: "The natives in an insurrection instigated by the Allies, were responsible For the* murders of Portuguese, "Japanese troops used every means to safeguard the lives and property of the Portuguese who, since then, have enjoyed the greatest freedom and are going about their work, including farming and fishing, and benefiting from the excellent sanitary conditions." Replying to Dr. Salazar's complaint about lack of communications between limor and Portugal, the Japanese stated that Allied bombs destroyed the Timor wireless station. The Japanese offered to transmit cables in clear language, but could not accept code messages for reasons of military sccuritv.

PRISONERS OF JAPAN 32.866 BRITISH SOLDIERS ' (Recti., 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 2 While information of the number of British prisoners of war in Japanese hands in incomplete owing to the continued failure of the -Japanese Government to give this and other essential information, Sir James Grigg Secretary of War, stated in tin-House of Commons that 592 officers and 82,271 other ranks of the British Army are recorded as prisoners oft the basis of partly official notifications of capture and partly unofficial notification (including postcards received by next-of-kin). The only other information of British prisoners received from the Japanese Government concerns the death of 910 in captivity.

WRITER'S EXPERIENCES (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) NEW YORK' Dec. 2 The well-known American journalists i'oyal Arch Gunnison and his wife, who were interned at Manila and Shanghai, said the worst features of their internment were lack of nutritious food and medicine, and general filtli and the brutal Japanese attitude. Mr. Gunnison described the conditions in Shanghai as much better than in Manila, but said that' those at Hongkong ware the worst.