TRAP BEING CLOSED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1944, Page 3

TRAP BEING CLOSED

[BUT NOT YET SPRUNG ON GERMANS IN UKRAINE. SOVIET PROGRESS IN WHITE RUSSIA. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.10 a.m.) .RUGBY, January 7. East of Belaya Tserkov, where thcRed. Army has forced the Germans back towards the Dnieper, states ~ a Moscow message, the trap is being closed, but the enemy is not surrendering a single point without a fight and has launched bitter counter-attacks, with strong forces of tanks and caterpillars. The Germans seem to be willing to sacrifice troops in this v/ay,. possibly with the hope of gaining time for operations at Nevel. Nevel becomes an important base for a general offensive into the Baltic regions. A few days ago Nevel was still under the fire of German artillery, which interfered with military traffic across the bridge in the northern suburbs, but Nevel is now well outside the range of enemy guns. While the Soviet fortress of Nevel grows stronger, the German rival fortress of Novshepgeso Sokolniki has become weaker. Besides advancing against Sokolniki from the south, the Russians are also moving forward on a wide front towards the railway between that town and Pustoshka. An announcement today says the Ukraine is once more producing oil for the Red Army and that the first four wells have been restored at Romny, m the province of Sumy.