UNSURPASSED FURY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25674, 24 October 1944, Page 5

UNSURPASSED FURY

EAST PRUSSIAN BATTLES MOSCOW STILL SILENT RUSSIAN SUCCESS IN NORTH RUGBY, Oct. 22. There is still no official news from Moscow about the fighting in East Prussia, but correspondents in the Soviet capital indicate that the Red Army’s main operations are directed along the highway towards Isterburg and Konigsberg. „ , . ■ It is reported that the Red Army has penetrated German territory to a depth of 16 miles, and fighting proceeds with unsurpassed fury.' If the attack is not held by the Germans there will be a prospect of East Prussia being split into two, yuth considerable German forces trapped in pockets at Konigsberg, Tilsit, and Memel. . The Germans themselves say the Russians have broken through with a great many tank forces between Rominten Forest (a famous hunting estate used by the ex-Kaiser and Goering) and the Eydtkuhnen-Isterburg railway. It is added that the outcome of this battle may decide the fate of the whole of East Prussia. The German News Agency states that the Russians reached Tilsit, and the Germans have withdrawn to .the soutn bank of Memel. Hard fighting with the pursuing enemy developed, especially at Tilsit. The News Agency commentator, Walter Plato, said the Russians in the sixth day of their offensive in East Prussia massed south of Gumbinnen and launched a powerful attack. Berlin radio claims that the Germans halted the Russians at Goldap, 20 miles southeast of Gumbinnen. It adds that the Red Army is using powerful tank and infantry forces, and savage, swaying fighting is progressing. German Home Guard battalions have moved up to support the Wehrmacht, while the Luftwaffe is fiercely battling with Russian planes. Norwegian Frontier Reached A Soviet communique states that the Red Army continued its offensive from the Petsamo area and reached the Finnish-Norwegian frontier from the shore of the Barents Sea to Lake Heusjaervi. They occupied the nickel mines and seven other localities. The Russians yesterday took 1300 Germans prisoner at Kragujevac and captured much booty. They counted over 4000 dead Germans. Reuter’s Agency commenting on the fact that the Russians’ Arctic army has reached the Norwegian border, recalls that German commentators in the past few days have been referring to Red Army operations thereabouts. They mentioned a German retreat that suggested that the port of Kirkenes was threatened, and this indicated that the Russians were then operating in Arctic Norway. The British United Press comment that the Russian advance is likely to cut off the Germans’ retreat from Northern Finland to Norway. In Jugoslavia the Russians captured the large railway junction of Sombor, and also Ridica and other towns. Jugoslavs and Russians in the area of Belgrade crossed the Sava River and cap-

tured Zomun. South-west and south of Belgrade they occupied Obrenovac and Lazarevac. . . The new German offensive against Slovakia from the east and south-east is gaining momentum. That in one sector at least there is an enemy advance of 10 miles, is indicated in tonight’s Czechoslovakian communique, which reads: “Enemy pressure from the east continued. Our troops are engaged in heavy fighting at Talgart, Cervena, Skala, and Tisovec. In the area of Banksa Bystrica the enemy was repelled. There is lively air activity on both sides. Enemy bombers raided Zvqlen, an important railway junction south of Banksa Bystrica. Our air force intervened in the land fighting, particularly in the eastern sector. It appears that the Germans, staggering under Red Army blows north of Debreczen, want to liquidate any danger on their flank to their retreat. They are also out to'regain control of the Slovak railways, which would greatly improve their chance of an orderly retreat from Eastern Czechoslovakia and from north-east Hungary. Success in Hungary An* order of the day from Marshal Stalin addressed to Marshal Malinovsky states: “ Troops of the second Ukrainian front to-day, as the result of an attack carried out by cavalry and tank formations, captured the town of Nyiregyhaza, an important communication junctipn and powerful stronghold of enemy resistance on Hungarian territory.” Nyiregyhaza is about 50 miles north of Debreczen and 125 miles east-north-east of Budapest. Reuter’s military correspondent, commenting on the capture of the railway junction of Nyiregyhaza, states that Malinovsky has virtually strangled a further German retreat from the pocket of Northern Transylvania. Its capture has also narrowed the escape gap between Malinovsky’s and Petrov’s armies to less than 80 Nyiregyhaza is only 20 miles from the Czech border, and is the junction for the two main railways across the Carpathians, from Lwow to Hungary. They link up at Nyiregyhaza with other railways, the most important of which runs westward from Northern Transylvania. Thus the Russians have cut the Germans’ main escape route from Transylvania, limiting the German retreat to secondary lines across Southern Slovakia through the gap. The Red Army, massed around a curve of 170 miles facing the Danube Bend, appears to be embarking on the last days of the battle of the Hungarian Plain, states Reuter's Moscow correspondent. Marshal Malinovsky is now forcing the pace. His left wing has reached the Danube at Baja, and his right wing near the Czech border, thus developing a great sickle-like movement, bringing Budapest under dual threat.

The Russians’ capture of Baja completed their first enveloping movement on the Danube. They are now striking out for others farther north in a series of overlapping- drives.