INVASION NEAR

Waikato Times, Volume 195, Issue 22428, 16 August 1944, Page 4

INVASION NEAR

EAST PRUSSIA MENACED ADVANCE OF RUSSIANS BLASTING WAY CLEAR (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyrig-ht) (Received Aug. 16, 1 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 15 The invasion of East Prussia is near, says Reuter’s Moscow correspondent. Fresh units of General Zakharov’s army, after storming the Biebrza river defences, are pushing forward the last few miles before the German border. The Russians are driving through widely differing types of terrain—through marshes, in which the water is waist-high, and along the single firm highway from Osowiec to Lyck. The correspondent says that the Red Star is optimistic enough to discuss problems that will face the Red Army when it transfers its operations to enemy territory. The paper warns signal units to be especially careful in guarding their communications. The American Press’ Moscow correspondent tonight says that along the wide road from Goniadz to Lyck Red Air Force fighters have blasted the way clear for the invasion, which is expected to start within 72 hours The Times’ Stockholm correspondent states that General Maslennikov’s deep thrust from Pskov into Estonia is causing the Germans anxiety. Revelations by Germans German spokesmen today resumed the hitherto forbidden theme that the Germans are greatly outnumbered in the Pskov sector. They revealed that below Lake Peipus the Red Army is operating with no fewer than 20 infantry divisions and four armoured corps. The Russians west of Pechori captured 80 places, including the rail station of Anne, 14 miles east of Valk, says tonight’s Soviet communique. The Russians in the area of Raseiniai repelled heavy tank and infantry attacks, inflicting heavy losses in manpower and equipment. The Red Army east of the Praga suburb of Warsaw repelled largescale tank and infantry attacks. The Russians north-west of San Domierz fought for an extension of the bridgehead on the west bank of the Vistula, and west of Sanok repelled tank and infantry attacks. FIGHTING IN WARSAW FBOGBESS OF POLISH FOBCES RUSSIAN WARSHIPS MOVED (Official Wireless) (Received Aug. 16, 11.40 a.m.) RUGBY, Aug. 15 A Moscow message says that Russian engineers built a bridge half a kilometre long across the Vistula river, over Which they are rushing supplies into the bridgehead, which is being steadily enlarged. Part of the Black Sea Fleet, including submarines and smaller combat vessels, has been transferred to the Gulf of Finland and Lake Peipus, to help cripple the German water communications. They were sent by the ancient inland waterway, the Marinskaya system founded by Peter the Great. A communique on the fighting in Warsaw issued by the underground commander, General Bors, says: The Germans continue heavily to attack Stare Miasto (the old town) and are sparing no effort to eliminate it from the fighting zone. We have de-. stroyed nine enemy tanks in the old town in the last two days. In the west end we kept up our offensive activity with the objective of cutting the enemy’s lines of communications from east to west, and an enemy counter-attack was repelled. We took prisoners and booty. Enemy artillery is shelling the city without pause. The concentrated German attack on the old town is explained by the fact that as long as the Poles hold this area a vital artery running from the Kierbiedy bridge is threatened.