FURTHER ADVANCES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 86, Issue 67, 20 March 1942, Page 5

FURTHER ADVANCES

MORE NAZIS ENCIRCLED RUSSIANS’ THOROUGH JOB (Ey Telegraph—Prest Aseueiation—Copyright.) London, March 18. The latest news from Russia is of fresh advances by our Allies and the infliction of heavy losses on the enemy. Soviet troops are stated to have smashed through the German defences in one sector and captured five populated places. These had been a particularly troublesome centre of enemy resistance covering the approaches to an area of great strategical importance.

Tile Soviet troops are stated to be continuing their advance. A supplement to the communique states that more than 2500 tinmans were wiped out in two days j operations on the Leningrad front. Several hundred more of the enemy were accounted tor wnen Russian troops recaptured a locality in me Smolensk region. Two Russian divisions, the 7th and 26th, wnicn, according to Dr. Goeooels reports nave oeu.i aiininnai.'.., ate still busy with the Germans around Staraya Russa, and they are said to be doing their job very thorougniy. Pravaa quotes interviews witn German prisoners, many of whom were reserves of the higner age groups who only a few weeks ago were working ■ in German arms factories. A Berlin battalion intended lor Hitler's spring offensive was packed off to the iroiu 20 days after being called up. Leningrad radio announces that Soviet troops have occupied a populated place on the Leningrad trout. 'Over 600 Germans were killed in the approaches to the town. ENCIRCLED GERMANS TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND IN VIAZMA-RJEV London, March 18. Two hundred thousand Germans are encircled in the Viazma-Rjev pocket, says a Moscow message. The Russians in the Orel-Kursk sector have retaken lurther populated points, and killed 1000 Germans. The German garrison at Gzhatsk, 30 miles north-east of Viazma, is encircled and short of provisions. The Russians are harassing German transport and planes which are attempting to drop supplies. The Russian cruiser Krasni Kavkaz again shelled German positions in the Crimea. Berlin radio reports that large con- . centrations of Russian troops and 1 equipment are moving toward tne front. Violent fighting is going on east of . Kharkov. A mesage sent to Zurich from , Berlin says that so severe is the cold . on the Russian front that vehicles be- ' come frozen in the mud. Special units are sent to help in their removal. Russian warships in the Barent Sea sank two transports, a minesweeper, and a patrol ship of a total of 16,000 ‘ tons.