POWERFUL DEFENCES OVERCOME

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 19, 18 October 1943, Page 5

POWERFUL DEFENCES OVERCOME

Struggle For Zaporozhe

(British Official Wireless.) (Received October 17, 7.25 p.m.) • RUGBY, October 16.

A supplementary Russian communique says that during the occupation of Zaporozhe, regional centre of the Ukraine, the remnants of the German troops were pushed toward the Dnieper. They tried to cross the river, but the greater part were annihilated or captured. _ Fifteen hundred were drowned in the Dnieper. The “Red Star” says, that the Germans erected exceptionally powerful defence positions on the Zaporozhe-Melitopol front and concentrated large forces there. They even brought up reinforcements from the Crimea. In spite of this, the Russians fighting their way southward from Zaporozhe have captured about onethird of the railway between Zaporozhe and ’Melitopol. The war correspondent of the Izvestia” says that the Russians mercilessly killed all who refused to surrender when Zaporozhe was entered. Moscow radio, giving details of the fortifications the Russians overcame before they actually stormed the town, says: “There were two main lines of defences. The outer ring consisted of a deep, wide anti-tank ditch in an arc round the town, the approaches to which were lined with mines. Behind the mines were trenches, and then the second main defence line, nitted with pill-boxes and dug-outs. The German artillery covered the whole area. The night sky glowed crimson over the battle scene as the Germans flung m al. their resources in determined counter-at-tacks. sometimes with 100 tanks, but the German positions finally crumbled before a simultaneous assault from north, east, and south.” Two Armies Tn Danger.

The fate of two German armies in the Crimea and southern Ukraine is in the balance. The fall of Zaporozhe is likely to be their death-knell, said the British United Press Moscow correspondent yesterday. The way is now open for . the Red Army to-turn the Germans’ Melitopol line and sweep into the steppes westward. thereby cutting off the Crimea.from the north. The Russians south of Zaporozhe have already twice cut the railway from Sebastopol. . . This mean® that the sole remaining route left to the Germans for. evacuating their troops from the Crimea is the hast-ily-constructed railway from Jankoi to Kherson. The capture of 1 Zaporozhe makes possible a new Rod Army drive down the west bank of the Dnieper to Kherson. Another great implication of the capture of Zaporozhe is an added .menage to the Germans in the great Dnieper loop because other Russian forces from Kremenchug are thrusting south-west-ward and threatening to lop off 12,000 square miles of the Dnieper bend. With the likelihood of the Crimea, being out off growing hourly, the. Russians are not neglecting the possibility of an attempted German Dunkirk, says the British United Press. The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is again being used at Novorossisk, will pounce on any attempt to move troops by sea. Crossing of Dnieper. .

The “Red Star” says that the Russians’ quick advance at Zaporozhe surprised the Germans who failed to destroy a rail* way bridge across the Dnieper. The Russians, after capturing Zaporozhe, have crossed the Dnieper, said “Pravda” yesterday. Reuter’s military writer says that the full magnitude of the Russian victory at Zaporozhe may not become apparent for a day or two. It may even be much greater than Stalingrad. Berlin radio says that the Germans evacuated Zaporozhe after several Russian attacks had been beaten off in bloody fighting. “The German command during the afternoon of October 14,” it said, “withdrew its heavy weapons, all vehicles, and great quantities of"other war material to the western bank. German sappers simultaneously prepared to blow up all the bridges. The bulk of the troops covered the rearguards and took up positions on the western bank by nightfall. Then the great dam was blown up. The last German forces withdrew during the night to the new German front line.”