THE BALTIC BATTLE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 230, 26 September 1944, Page 5

THE BALTIC BATTLE

CUTTING OFF GERMANS RUSSIANS STILL ADVANCING Recd. 11.50 p.m. London, Sept. 25. The Red Army, fighting the battle of the Baltic, which has become an effort aimed at cutting German escape routes, has captured another port and naval base in the Gulf of Finland, Galtiski. south of Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Further to the south, at the northern end of the Gulf of Riga, Parnu is in Russian hands. The capture of Parnu threatens the escape of the Germans further north by land. Germans in Estonia are trying to escape by both land and sea, and the swift advance of the Red Army is steadily reducing their chances of getting away. The German rout in Esthonia has been so complete and rapid that almost the whole country has been cleared in a few days. The Russians gave no opportunity for orderly withdraw to and evacuation by sea from Tallinn and Parnu. An equally critical situation confronts the Germans in the south owing to concentric Russian pressure round Riga, down the Dvina and from the Volga. Both Finland and Bulgaria have now definitely ranged their armies with the Russians against Germany. The Finns report that they are driving north against the Germans in north Finland and the Bulgarian Foreign Minister announced that national forces will henceforth co-operate with

General Tolbukhin’s army in the Balkans and Bulgaria will alter hcr whole foreign policy with her Slav neighbours, Russian and Yugoslavia. The Russians are now across the Carpathians south of Sanok at the eastern end of Slovakia. A Czechoslovak communique does not mention this, but states that at Telgart, in central Slovakia, our attacks are developing successfully. Czech troops occupied Vernar and Dobsina. In the areas of Svaty, Nartis and Handlova, defensive fighting continues. In the upper Vah valley, a German attack was repelled. “Ships of marine units of the Red Fleet captured the port of Baltiski, which is an important naval base in the Baltic,” says a Soviet communique. “The Red Army south of Tallinn has continued its offensive and occupied over 200 localities. The Russians north of Volmar developed their offensive and captured the town of Ruhja, while the Red Army south of Valmar took Smilten and 200 other places. The Russians east of Riga after stiff fighting occupied three railway stations. A Rumanian communique quoted by Bucharest radio says: “Russians and Rumanians last night crossed into Hungary from a base on the Transylvania border/*