SWIFT FALL OF MINSK

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 238, 5 July 1944, Page 5

SWIFT FALL OF MINSK

Russians Sweep Onward WIDE NAZI ROUT Other Junctions Entered

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received July 4,11.50 p.m.) LONDON, July 4. An order of the day issued yesterday afternoon by Marshal Stalin, addressed to Marshals Chemyakhov and Rokossovsky state: “Forces of the Third White Russia Front, in co-operation with forces of the First White Russia Front, as the result of a deep outflanking movement today earned by assault Minsk, capital of the Soviet Republic of White Russia and an important enemy stronghold in the western direction.” Moscow saluted the victory with 24 salvoes from guns, while 9000 starshells accompanied the public’s celebration. The Russians are continuing the drive without any let-up. . tar to the north-west one army is now within 40 miles of Dvinsk- junction, in Latvia, while forces 50 miles to the rear have entered the other big junction of Polotsk. Forces of another army are battling in the streets of Morodechna, the junction between Minsk and Vilna. South-west of Minsk the Russians are approaching yet another great junction, Baranowicze, on the route to Warsaw. The Moscow “Red Star” says the wide offensive is now going faster than ever. Dozens of German divisions have lost their leaders and abandoned their equipment and are being caught in a series of Soviet encircling movements.

The fall of Minsk has come with unexpected swiftness, only 10 days after the start of the Russian offensive and 72 hours after the fall of Bobruisk threatened to outflank Minsk on the south.

Minsk, which in 1931 had a population of 137.000, is on the main highway and railway linking Warsaw, Smolensk and Moscow. About 15 miles from the frontier of 1939, Minsk was the first important Russian city to fall into German hands in the summer of 1941. It is a communications centre of vital importance controlling first-class strategic routes into the Baltic States and into central Poland and south Poland. By the middle of yesterday afternoon the forward units of the twin Russian forces which have bypassed Minsk were each reported to be within 140 miles of East Prussia. The two Russian armies north and south of Minsk expected l to swing together in order to cut off airy Germans who managed to escape from the citv. The Germans now hurrying trom Minsk have only secondary roads and cart tracks, on which they. must try to cross the featureless swamps and thick forests between them and their homeland.

Germans Demoralized.

Describing the capture of Minsk, iw “Red Star” correspondent says: our tank forces crossed the Beresina, deeply outflanked the defences, and overcame all attempts to hold the approaches to ihe city. The Germans had already been mangled and demoralized in previous engagements and were unable to organize defences along the Minsk highway, or in any other direction. Disjointed German groups could not stand our tank assault and they' were either captured or slain in the woods. . -W e in the meantime continued a deep outflanking movement and surprised the Germans by appearing in the north ot the city at 2 a.m., when our tanks broke into the city’s outskirts, and then other units penetrated the city from the east and sout-east and the centre of Minsk was soon reached. - "Street fighting started and the Germans were split up and destroyed piecemeal. The enemy put up a last show of resistance on the 'bank of the Svisloch, but we crossed an undamaged bridge, outflanked him, and wiped him out. All was over by noon. We did not stop, but rushed on, hotly pursuing the Germans while the street fighting was still going on.” GENERALS CAPTURED (Received July 4, 7 p.m.) LONDON, July 3. Tonight’s Soviet communique says: “Troops of the Eirst Baltic Front captured the district of Cekre Clubokoye (50 miles north-west of Polotsk), and over 400 other localities. The Russians reached the outskirts of Polotsk and engaged the Germans in street fighting.” The communique repeals the order <4 the day on Minsk aud adds that the_Russians thereabouts occupied over 450 inhabited localities. "The Re'd Army is ‘■losing in against the town and railway junction of Molodechno, where street fighting is raging in the suburbs,” it continues.

"Troops of the Third White Russian Front between June 28 and July 1 captured 13,256 Germans, including Gciftral Michaelis, commander of the 95th Infantry Division. The Russians of the Third White Russian Front continued to wage offensive battles in the direction of Baranowicze and occupied 250 places. “According to incomplete data, troops of the First White Russian Front on July 1 and 2 captured 3658 Germans, including Major-General Konrad, commander of the 36th Infantry Division. The total number of Germaifs captured on the First White Russian Front to Hie end of July 2 was 39,338, and on the Third White Russian Front to the end of July 1 was 33.256. "Troops' on the Karelian front today fought their way forward north and north-west of Petrozavodsk and captured over 50 inhabited places.”

GERMAN COMMANDER

TO BE TRIED (Received July 4, 8.40 pan.) LONDON. July 4.

'l’bc German .Major-General Ilauimann, commandant of Bobruisk, who was captured when that city fell to the Russians last week, will bo tried as a war criminal for (lie mass murder of Russian civilians and prisoners of war at. Orel last year. Hnmmann was formerly the commander at Orel, where during the 22 months of German occupation 30,000 Russian civilians ami many Red Army prisoners of war were brutally killed and buried in mass graves. British ami American correspondents who visited Orel after its liberation in August, 1043, vouched for the truth of the atrocities flic Germans had committed. They saw the Soviet Atrocity Commission dig up several thousand corpses from trenches under the city prison.