UTTER CONFUSION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25302, 12 August 1943, Page 5

UTTER CONFUSION

RETREATING GERMANS RUSSIANS’ GREAT OFFENSIVE LONDON, Aug. 10. With their last lines of retreat from Kharkov—the railway to Kiev via Poltava and the railway to Crimea — already threatened, the Germans V e beginning to get out of the city. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent say* that the Germans, in order to prevent their forces east of the Dnieper from being over-run and decimated are unable to abandon Kharkov until the last moment. They are therefore falling back in stages, withdrawing in th» morning to trenches hurriedly dug during the night. Reuter’s Stockholm correspondent, in a late message to-night, states that the Russians advancing from the, railway station of Slazino. 12 miles north of Kharkov, are now less than eight miles from the city, and are already battering at the suburbs. An American broadcast from Moscow declared: “ The Russians are by-pass-ing the Germans on all sides. Despatches from the Kharkov sector speak of astounding Nazi confusion. This confusion has resulted from the hard-hitting advance of the Russian tank forces, which are pressing the retreating Germans from all sides." Resembling a Rout The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press state? that the Germans in some areas are fighting bitterly in order to stem the advance, but the Germans in other areas are retreating so fast that they have no time to blow up roads or bridges. The Red Star asserts that the, retreating Germans in, some areas of the Kharkov front are in a state of utter confusion. The Izvestia correspondent goes further, and describes the German retreat as chaotic, resembling the German rout during the winter campaign. Red Star adds: “As the Red Army men advance into the JJkraine they see strewn everywhere enormous quantities of destroyed or abandoned material.”

The Izvestia adds that German prisoners speak of the power of the Russian artillery and Red Air Fprce, and say they have never experienced anything like it.. The Russians' other great offensive from Orel to Bryansk is also progressing well. Reuter’s Moscow corrrespondent says the whole 30 miles stretch of railway between Orel and Khotynets is now solidly in Russian hands.- The Germans south of the railway are counter-attacking fiercely in the area west of Kromy. The Bryansk Area

The British United Press correspondent says German resistance is stiffer in the Bryansk area, There are no signs of a general retreat on this front. The Germans are reported to be digging in along the Desna River and counter-attacking, despite heavy losses. To-night’s Soviet communique announces that the Russians 'on the Bryansk front 41 continued to advance and occupied over 30 inhabited localities, including the district centre and railway station of Khotynets. On the Kharkov front the Russians advanced from five to eight miles and captured over 70 places, including the district centre of Lipsi, 12 miles north-east of Kharkov. Reuter’s military writer asserts that the threat against the whole right flank of the German armies on the South Russian front is much more serious than it was last winter.