RAILWAY EXITS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25304, 14 August 1943, Page 5

RAILWAY EXITS

ONLY ONE ROUTE LEFT ESCAPE GAP' NARROWED LONDON, Aug. 12. By cutting the railway from Kharkov to Poltava at three points yesterday and making further gains to-day, the -Russians have narrowed the last gap, through which the Germans can escape from Kharkov to 30 miles.

The British United Press Moscow correspondent ysays that the prospect of a new “ Stalingrad” at* Kharkov is becoming more probable as the Germans’ railway exits from the city are cut off. The only rail route left for their retreat is that to Dnepropetrovsk, which the Red Air Force is now incessantly bombing. There is no indication yet, adds the' correspondent, that the Germans intend to abandon Kharkov, although their chances of being able to do so lessen every hour. The Germans aTe actually throwing in fresh reserves in order to stem the Russians. The Germans yesterday, in

one sector alone, counter-attacked 15 times before they were forced to retreat.

To-night’s Soviet communique states that the Russians on the Bryansk front advanced between six and seven miles and captured over 100 inhabited localities, including Dmitrovsk, 60 miles south-east of Bryansk. The Russians on the Kharkov front occupied 20 inhabited places, including Chuguyev, an important town 25 miles south-west ot Kharkov. The Russians also occupied a place five miles north-east of Kharkov, and on the . Bryansk front reached a point 12 miles east of Kharkov.

For the sixth day the main German news sources have been reiterating that the Russians are now exerting pressure over 300 miles of Russian front from the Vyazma area to Kharkov. Enemy sources also re-emphasise that the strongest Red Army attacks are being made south and south-west of Vyazma. The British United Press Moscow correspondent, however, declares that the main weight of the Russian attacks is still north and north-west of Kharkov, from where one Russian force is driving direct for Kharkov and another further to the west deeper into the Ukraine towards the vital PoltavaKiev railway. The correspondent adds that the Russians are winning battles around Kharkov with tank and gun tactics. The Russian heavy artillery keeps the Germans tied down, while tanks sweep around and cut off the enemy from his rear lines. The rest is then left to the infantry. Izvestia’s war correspondent writes: “As columns of Russian tanks and infantry stream towards Kha: kov columns of prisoners stream in the reverse direction. One party of 27 I met was all that remained cf a Jpll company.” The Russians are unable to sweep along at a comparable speed in the other main offensive from Orel to Bryansk. The Germans are fighting desperately to check the Russian progress. German armoured trains are driving up and down the Orel-Bryansk railway, firing against Russian positions on either side of, the line. The Russians are now meeting the outer belt of defences which the Germans built around Bryansk. Dense, trackless forests and big swamps make the advance more difficult. A war correspondent, describing the capture of Khotynets, said the German defence included two armoured trains and large forces of tanks and infantry. Russian shellfire put out of action the railwav defenders. The tanks made a frontal attack while the infantry outflanked the Germans, first from the north and then from the south. Khotynets was cleared of the enemy after several hours of street fighting. The Berlin radio commentator, Captain Sertorius,. declared: “The Russians’ pressure in the past 24 hours has noticeably increased. There is no doubt the Russian , Command is still aiming with all its might at a breakthrough, but has not yet attained it