KANEV POCKET

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25456, 10 February 1944, Page 5

KANEV POCKET

CORDON DRAWN TIGHSR HEAVY GERMAN LOSSES (Rec. 9 p.m.) •. LONDON, Feb. 9. Fifteen Germans were annihilated at Nikopol bridgehead. This was announced in to-night’s Soviet communique, which' says that the Russians south of Siversky to-day advanced and captured several inhabited localities. North-west and, north of Sokolniki they also carried out an offensive and occupied several inhabited localities. The Russians north of Zvenigorodka and Shpola, tightening their grip on the Germans, captured several localities. The Russians west of Zvenigorodka simultaneously continued to repel counter-attacks made for the purpose of relieving the encircled troops. The communique repeats the order of the day on the capture of the bridgehead, and adds: “The Russians captured the district centre of Zaporozhe the region of Snamenka, south of Nikopol, and Bolshayalepetikha, 40 miles south-west of Nikopol. The Russians as the result of the bridgehead fighting annihilated over 15,000 Germans and took over 2000 prisoners.”-, A supplementary Moscow communique reports that troops on the fourth Ukrainian front, in the course of fighting for the Dnieper, bridgehead, destroyed 53 tanks, 217 guns, 118 mortars, 370 machine guns, 1277 lorries, and 570 laden supply trucks, and captured 24 tanks, 392 guns, 180 mortars, 473 machine guns, over 4000 rifles, 1685 lorries. 86 tractors, 181 motor cycles, 118 laden supply trucks, 20 ammunition, , food, and equipment stores, and 18 radio stations.

The 10 trapped German divisions in the Kanev pocket are now threatened with starvation, having been breadless for days. The divisions are compressed into an area of 100 square miles, which the Russians are continuously shelling. German discomfort has increased as the result of heavy aerial bombardments and the activity of guerrillas.

On the Estonian front the Russians have cleared German snipers from the straggling suburbs of Narva, on the east side of the Narva River. Russian big guns are now trained across the river against the heart of the town. The German Overseas News Agency reports that Soviet forces have resumed the offensive in the Vitebsk area. They made' local breaches, the greater part of which were sealed off, but, despite this, enemy attacks continue.