FORGING WESTWARD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 22, 28 January 1943, Page 5

FORGING WESTWARD

RUSSIANS DRIVE ON ALONG THE ENTIRE VORONEJ FRONT GROUPS OF GERMANS THREATENED WITH ENCIRCLEMENT (By Telegraph-Press Association—Copyright) (Recd. 6.5 p.m.) London, Jan. 26. Along almost every sector of the wide-flung front from Voronej southward the Germans appear unable to stop the Russian advance. Threats to Hitler’s main bases at Kharkov, Kursk and Rostov have grown more acute as the Red Army advances, mopping, up isolated groups of the enemy and continually loosening the German defences. A Moscow correspondent says the Red Armies, profiting by the clearance of the Voronej area, are forging westward along the railway to Kursk and are approaching the junction town of Kastobnoie, where the Germans are believed to be threatened with encirclement by the Russians driving up from the south-east. Soviet reinforcements, moving up through the smoke-filled streets of burning Voronej, are passing long files of German prisoners.

The Russians have reached a point 65 miles eastward of Khar kov, while troops which reconquered the regions of the lower Don and Sei and the Kuban steppes are rapidly closing in on Kropotkin and Tikhoretsk. They are within 35 miles of both places, increasing the peril of encirclement and threatening, the Germans on the Sea of Azov. Red Star, disclosing heavy losses by the Rumanians and Hungarians, says that out of 13 divisions the Hungarians lost nine, representing half the Hungarian army. The Rumanians in the last two months have lost 18 out of 22 divisions, leaving only five or six inside Rumania. The Russian General Denisov, drawing attention to the Luftwaffe's troubles, says it is suffering from a shortage of men trained for winter fighting. The German planes were not built to withstand the Russian winter. Many, unable to take off, are captured by the Russians. The numerically superior Red Air Force is continually attacking the fleeing German troops and hammering the retreating transport.

(Recd. 6.30 p.m.) Rugby, Jan. 26. A special Soviet communiquesays: "Our troops on the Don front, continuing their advance against the German forces surrounded in the Stalingrad area, having overcome powerful defences, have practically accomplished the liquidation of the encircled enemy. Between January 10 and 26, 40,000 of the enemy were killed and 28,000 taken prisoner. Two encircled small enemy groups totalling about 12,000 men have yet to be liquidated. One group is north of Stalingrad and the other is nearer the centre of the city. Both are doomed to destruction in two or three days.”

Moscow reeports say that the Red Army continues its drive in the Voronej area, capturing more territory and not permitting the enemy forces to break away, 'rhe advance is apparently westwards towards Kastornoye and Kursk, and south-westwards towards Byelgorod and Kharkov. The fall of Byelayaglina, the capture of which was announced last night, represents a Russian advance of 50 miles from Salysk. A Russian communique records the sinking of an enemy destroyer in the Barents Sea. M. Stalin, as supreme commander of the Red Army, has issued an order of the day conveying congratulations to the troops on tne soutn-western and southern Don, the north Caucasus and the Voronej, Kalinin, Volkhov and Leningrad fronts.

"After two months of offensive operations the Red Army has broken through the German defences on a wide front and routed 102 enemy divisions, taken prisoner more than 200,000 ot the enemy, advanced 250 miles and captured 13,000 guns and much other war material. Our troops achieved an important victory and the offensive continues.

“I congratulate the men, commanders and political instructors on all fronts on the victory over the German Fascist invaders and their Hungarian, Rumanian and Italian allies oefore Stalingrad, on the Don, in the north Caucasus, before Voronej, in the area of Velikipe Luki and south of Lake Ladoga. I thank the commanders and the gallant troops who routed the Hitlerite armies at the approaches to Stalingrad, raised the siege of Leningrad, liberated from the invaders the towns of Kantemirovka, Belovodsk, Morozovsky, Millerovo, Starobyelski, Kotelnikoovo, Simovniki, Elista, Salsk, Mozdok, Nalchik Mineralnyi Vodi, Pyatigorsk, Stavropol, Armavir, Valuiki, Rossosh, Ostrogojsk, Velikiye Luki, Schlusselburg, Voronej and many other towns and a 1000 inhabited localities in the forward dash to rout the German invaders and expel them from the motherland.”