MOVING TOWARD BELGRADE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23013, 3 October 1944, Page 5

MOVING TOWARD BELGRADE

STEADY RUSSIAN PROGRESS Help Of Yugoslavs By Telegraph—N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright LONDON, October 1. Russian spearheads are steadily progressing toward Belgrade, state correspondents in Moscow. The Associated Press says that the Red Army is less than 80 miles from the city. The British United Press reports that the Russians are across the Danube in great force, masses of infantry, heavy artillery and armour following shock troops. The Yugoslavs are welcoming the Russians, and are volunteering to repair the roads and bridges and to clear minefields. The Russians and Yugoslavs have increased the threat to the southern flank of Hungary. The Russians in South Poland have deepened their penetrations into the Carpathian passes. The enemy’s position in Northern Transylvania has deteriorated as a result of the Russian sweep across the Hungarian plains west of Timisoara, where no natural barriers hinder the advance. After crossing the Danube from Rumania into the north-eastern corner of Yugoslavia, not far from Bulgaria, the Red Army is battering its way through German strongpoints, says a message from Moscow. Marshal BrozTito’s partisans and the '"ugoslav population are energetically helping to repair the bridges and roads mined by the Germans or by themselves, and with guerrilla activity.’ The Russians are moving west up the road on the southern bank of the broad winding Danube to add weight to the drive toward Belgrade, Budapest. Bratislava and Vienna. Battle of Attrition To-night’s Soviet communique states: “Thj Russians advanced on Yugoslavian territory south of Turnu Severin, and fought their way into a number of inhabited localities, including Kupuziste, 15 miles south-west of Turnu Severin, also Mijailovac, seven miles south of Brzapalanka, which was captured yesterday, and Prahova, five miles north-west of Negotin. There was local fighting on other sectors. The battle for Warsaw has become one of attrition, both sides throwing in more and more forces. The Germans in Riga, who are besieged from three sides, continue fierce resistance, but the Russians are closing in their arc around the city. The German News Agency reports a new strong Russian attack against the northern passes in the Carpathians, where fierce fighting is raging. The Hungarian High Command admits Russian advances in the Szeged sector.

A Moscow message says the Germans evacuated from Finland are making a desperate last stand with the remnants of their Baltic army on the Estonian Islands of Hiuma and Sarema above the Gulf of Riga. German units were r ,iong prisoners on the smaller island of Mahu, which was yesterday liberated by a Soviet-Estonian corps operating on General Govorov’s front. The Germans were surprised at the speed of Estonian cutters, which crossed the flve-mile strait and at the storming of the steep sloping coast. The Germans were either wiped out or surrendered.

General Malinovsky's troops have thrust another 20 miles into Northeastern Yugoslavia in the last 24 hours, reports the Moscow correspondent of the British United Press. They have crossed the Tidok River, a tributary of the Danube, and have taken a number of places in Timok Valley on the way south, toward Nis and west toward Belgrade. Their swift advance has so upset the enemy’s calculations that his motorised infantry and tanks were caught and routed on the way to the front. Mopping-up is going on along the Danube behind the Russian spearhead.

Marshal Koniev’s drive into the Carpathian passes on the Czechoslovak frontier, where the Germans report violent fighting, is continuing on a broad front. The Russians in Translyvania are keeping up attacks to widen their bridgehead over the Mures River.

Marshal Broz-Tito’s communique on Sunday night stated that Yugoslav forces captured the important German strongpoint of Sopot, 121 miles south of Belgrade. It added that Yugoslavs further south in the Rasina River sector routed forces of 6000 German and Quisling troops. Enemy casualties were 2500 in this battle. The enemy is being pursued to the Morava River. The Moscow supplementary communique says: “Red Air Force Stormoviks bombed German tank assembly works at Mlawa in North Poland, three miles from the East Prussian border. The central part of the works was enveloped in flames.”