SPEED OF ADVANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25301, 11 August 1943, Page 3

SPEED OF ADVANCE

ELEVEN MILES FROM KHARKOV CONSIDERABLE GAINS LONDON, Aug. 9. The Russians are rapidly closing in on Kharkov, the escape route from which is now only a little over 40 miles wide'. Reuter’s Agency, analysing to-night’s Soviet communique, says the Russians' longest advances in some sectors in the Kharkov area have brought the Red Army troops within 11 miles of Kharkov on its northern approaches. The pace of the Russian advance in the past few days has been accelerated, says the Stockholm correspondent of The Times. • Since the end of July the Russians have advanced 100 miles from the starting point of their offensive', and if the speed of the last week is maintained they will be on the Dnieper within a fortnight. It now appears most doubtful whether the Germans will be able to “save Kharkov.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are developing their advance to the west from Orel, and have practically surrounded the powerfully-fortified German stronghold of Khotynets, 30 miles along the railway to Bryansk.

Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that with the fall of Khotynets apparently imminent a threat is developing to Karachev, which is Bryansk’s last important outpost. The British United Press correspondent, detailing progress on the Orel front, says that General Rokossovsky’s troops have captured the railway station of Bevnota, 18 miles west of Orel.

and are also moving to the south-west in the Kromy area, where they reached a point 45/miles east of the BryanskKharkov railway. General Rokossovsky’s forces, operating north of the Orel-Bryansk railway, were last reSorted to be 37 miles north-east' of ryansk. Russian progress between Orel ana Bryansk continues as steadily as before, with the German rearguards hammered back five to ten miles a day along the railway and the southern flctnki The Russian Air Force is attacking the retreating German armoured units almost at will. Russian air superiority is overwhelming. , _ „ The Russians’ surging movements on the Kharkov front now even more plainly indicate that the mam object is the envelopment of the whole of the Eastern Ukraine communications system. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the Russian thrust which by-passed Kharkov is now well beyond the city and moving in the direction of Poltava, which is a key rail junction eight miles south-west of Kharkov controlling all the main Ukrainian railways east of the Dnieper. A second Russian force is threatening Sumy, bscause the capture of that important base would mean that the Russians are within striking distance of the trunk railway line from Kursk to Kiev. A third Russian force, striking from the Byelgorod direction for Kharkov, is reported to be within 16 miles of the city. The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press says that, simultaneously with the advance against Kharkov itself, a Russian motorised column is rolling across the Ukrainian plains towards the Dnieper at the almost unprecedented pace of 20 miles a day. The Russian armoured spearhead is only 65 miles from Poltava. The position of the, German force at Kharkov grows more perilous as the great weight of the Russian attacks bears round on them from the north. The correspondent points out that of the five mam railway lines running out of Kharkov only two are left available to the Germans—-one running south serving the Crimea and the other running south-west towards Poltava. With the Russians now operating in more open country they are swiftly surrounding isolated German garrisons, wiping them out in slashing dawn attacks.