SWELLING TO CLIMAX

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24970, 12 August 1944, Page 7

SWELLING TO CLIMAX

TREMENDOUS CAMPAIGN RIGA TO WARSAW FRONT (Reed. 11.45 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 11 The grim bloody battle along the Germans' straggling indented line from Riga to Warsaw is now swelling to its climax —a decisive Red Army breakthrough on the last approaches to the Reich, savs Reuter's lloscow correspondent. _ This is a fight, he says, in which the Germans cannot afford to "lose more ground, hut there are increasing signs that what may prove to be the key battle of the late summer campaign is going badly for the enemy. Hitler's tanks and planes are going into action on a scale equalling some of the fiercest battles this year, but are being pushed back. The Soviet war machine, in a steady grinding down action in the key sectors of the 400mile front, is smashing the German counter-attacks, extending earlier Russian gains and all the time piling up more material in the front areas to support the next westward. The new German line is being bitten into continuously, and the loss of Riga, Tilsit Liepaja or Warsaw, all of'which are threatened, will open the roads for the destruction of more German divisions. The correspondent says the; main battle may be divided into three separate contests, in which veteran Soviet tank and infantry units are pitted against re-formed and reinforced German divisions, numbers of which have only recently been brought up from the Reich. These are the battles of the Baltic, East Prussia and Warsaw. Red Army spearheads in the north have stabbed deeper into the Baltio balloon, where the German divisions are blockaded and facing a threat to the deflation of their whole grouping by a decisive Soviet thrust through their extended lines to the sea. On the last approaches to the East Prussian border, a savage struggle north-west of Mariamp.ole seems to be reaching a climax, as a result of which the Germans will be forced to retire behind their home borders and await the inevitable shock of massed Red Army tanks and guns. Above Kaunas, Soviet troops are wheeling on to high ground in readiness for a drive to Tilsit. Warsaw, with one Red Army at its gates, is uuder an increasing threat from fresh Soviet forces moving down from the north. The German overseas news agency, quoting a Berlin military spokesman, says that re-grouping operations behind the Soviet front indicate that after bringing up further reinforcements, the Russian Supreme Command will try to shatter the southern wing of the German central front by a gigantic pincer attack. The present comparative _ lull on the Eastern Front is a further indication that the Soviet staff is preparing something of great importance. EAST PRUSSIA BATTLE DESPERATE GERMAN STAND (Reed. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 11 The Russians, in another clay of fierce battle at the gates of East Prussia, yesterday smashed 100 German tanks and threw the enemy back with heavy losses. Soviet troops have made another advance on the approaches to the north-east corner of East Prussia. The new German commander continues to give battle callously, allowing his men to die in the futile struggle. However, an increasing number of officers and men are laying down their arms. SUPER BOMBER OUTPUT PRECEDENCE IN AMERICA (Reed. 10.45 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Aug. 11 The War Department has ordered a sweeping cut in the production of Liberator bombers, commando transports and Thunderbolt fighters to clear the way for super bombers and to release workers for more essential jobs. Lighter losses than anticipated are responsible for the cut in _ transport construction, while the growing emphasis on the Pacific war was seen behind the shift from Liberators to ; super bombers. j Twenty thousand workers are affected immediately, and 100,000 more wij be dismissed bv the end of the year. However, the Office of War Information lias pointed out that 34.000 other aircraft jobs are now available throughout the country.