NAZIS ABANDON TAGANROG

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 205, 31 August 1943, Page 5

NAZIS ABANDON TAGANROG

VICTORIOUS RUSSIAN ADVANCE GERMAN RESISTANCE WEAKENS Telegraph—Pre® Association—Copyright) Recd. 11 p.m. London, Aug. 30. The Germans have abandoned Taganrog, important port on the Sea of Azov, after holding it for nearly two years. Chi the Briansk front Russian troops which took the important town of Sievsk, south of Briansk, are also reported to be going well and in yesterday's fighting they advanced from four to nine miles, repulsing several German counter-attacks. In the Donbas the threat to the German communication centre of Stalino has increased. Soviet troops overcame German resistance at several points and gained more ground in this area. The Red Army has beaten off German counter-attacks and is advancing on all fronts. The Germans in the Ukraine and the Dojietz Basin appear to have given up any idea except a last-ditch defence.

Reuter’s Moscow correspondent, detailing the latest position on the three main fronts, says: 4 ’The Germans west of Kharkov are still fighting desperately but their resistance is beginning to weaken in a number of places. The Germans are in retreat beyond Lebedf, 100 miles west of Kharkov, abandoning stores and munitions in their flight. The Red Army in this sector is pressing on remorselessly as the main forces reach the advanced battle-lines along the upper Psiol River.” Regarding the Donetz Basin Reuter’s correspondent says the Germans are apparently giving up hope of recapturing their positions east of Stalino and are now desperately making an effort to establish new lines. Giving the latest reports from the Briansk front, the correspondent says tne revived Russian offensive there has become increasingly threatening for the German position at Briansk. which so far has been protected by the huge forest land cast and north of the town. The correspondent emphasised that the Russians in the pa’st 48 hours have not only over-run the important town of Sevsk, where street fighting lasted 24 hours, but the Red Army also inflicted a heavy defeat against German reinforcements which arrived too late to save Sevsk and were | badly cut up several miles outside the 1 town. The localities captured by the Russians in the Kharkov front advance include the town and railway junction of Lyubotin. South of Briansk the Russians have occupied over 40 inhabited localities, while in the Donbas, south-west of Voroshilovgrad, the Russians continued their successful advance. The British United Press Moscow correspondent repo r ts that the Russians. driving to cut the main lateral railway from Briansk to Konotop and Kiev, are now within 15 miles of the railway west of Kharkov. The Russians are also within 25 miles of the Poltava-Kiev railway. Berlin radio stated that the Russians north of the Yartsevo-Moscow road. 45 miles northeast of Smolensk. Slave gone over to the offensive. "In heavy fighting with changing fortunes the Russians, backed up by powerful artillery and bomber support, repeatedly penetrated the German lines. The German holding divisions were finally able to maintain themselves against the mass onslaught.” The radio also admitted that the Russians breached the German lines south-west of Sevsk and south-west of Viazma. Describing how the Russians took Sevsk. Reuter’s correspondent says: "The town subdued partly by a ruse which caught the Germans on the wrong foot. The Russians, instead of starting their barrage at dawn on Friday, which they always so far have done, waited until well past 8 a.m., by which time the enemy thought the remainder of the day would be quiet. The Russians when they poured into the town found it practically deserted, with only a few hundred able-bodied inhabitants left. The remainder of the population had been deported last winter to Germany.” Reuter’s correspondent adds that the advancing Russians are encountering terrible devastation. For instance. along the main road from Orel to Briansk there used to exist a long chain of villages. All that now remains of those sites are placards giving the name of the village and the date on which it was destroyed by the Germans.