LIKE A WHIRLWIND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 January 1943, Page 4

LIKE A WHIRLWIND

ADVANCE OF RUSSIAN ARMIES GERMANS ADMIT GROWING INTENSITY. WAYS OF RETREAT BEING CLOSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, January 24. The Red Army’s vast encircling movement is now taking definite shape against Rostov, the Russian victors at Salsk forming the southern arm of the pincers, and columns thrusting down from the Donetz, in the Kamensk region, constituting the northern army. The Berlin radio admits that the Russian attacks are growing in intensity, and says the enemy, at all focal points along the front, is employing vast armies and supplies in an effort to break through. Moscow correspondents describe the pace of the Russian advance on the same front as like a whirlwind. The “Daily Express” military correspondent, Mr Morley Richards, says the capture of Armavir and Salsk may 'compel the Germans to retreat across the Kerch Straits into the German-held Crimean Peninsula. The Germans falling back through the Northern Caucasus towards Rostov may also try to escape across the Kerch Straits, because the Russian drive from Salsk threatens to close their way of retreat. The fall of Salsk gravely diminishes the chance of the retreating Germans reaching Rostov. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent reports that General Golikov’s armies on the Voronezh front, after the capture of Tudenny, are 45 miles from Byelgorod, an important junction on the MoscowCrimea railway, via Kharkov, the cutting of which would isolate the Don Basin coalfields and increase the Germans’ communication difficulties. General Golikov’s columns are also reaching out towards Kursk. > NAZI SUMMER GAINS LARGE PART ALREADY LOST. MUCH MORE VERY WEAKLY HELD. (British Official Wireless.) ■(Received This Day, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, January 24. The Russians in two places 3re now only about 50 miles from the line whence the last German offensive began on the southern half of the front. One of these areas is between Voronezh and Kharkov, where the Russians are about 50 miles from the German starting point, near Bielgorod. The other is the Lower Donetz, near Voroshilograd. Between Voronezh and Rostov the Russians are nowhere more than about 100 miles from the line they he|d last spring. Southward of Rostov, a large area of ■the Germans’ 1942 gains still remains to them in the Kuban district, but it is rapidly shrinking, and their chances of retaining any Caucasian territory at all are slender. SOVIET AIR STRENGTH. Commenting on this, the “Observer” says Mr Stimson’s statement that Russia now has air superiority over the whole front goes a long way to explain the decisive turn of the tide. It is, moreover, one aspect of the Russian victories to which the British and Americans have contributed. Six thousand planes, produced for Russia in British and American factories, and delivered by the valour of British, American and Russian sailors, have contributed as much to this Russian air superiority as the destruction wrought on the Luftwaffe in Tunis, Libya and elsewhere. SLAUGHTER OF SATELLITES. Nearly all the Germans’ satellite ■divisions fighting in Russia have now been accounted for, it was stated in London today. All the Italian and Hungarian troops have been so heavily defeated in recent weeks that their effective fighting strength must have become negligible, while of the original twenty Rumanian divisions, all but four are known to have been badly mauled. Capitulations en masse by Italian, Rumanian and Hungarian troops have been a frequent occurrence, sometimes with generals and staffs. . An Agency correspondent says that during a recent visit to the Stalingrad front, he learned that on the previous day the commander of a Rumanian unit crossed the front line in a car to surrender. The Russians, however, turned the commander back with a request to bring his men and equipment, which he did. The Russians seem to be avoiding an advance via the Don basin, which is full of towns and villages, many with easily-defended stone houses. They are working round to the north-westwards, possibly aiming at throwing the Germans back to the Dneiper. Simultaneously, the southernmost Russians are pressing on rapidly to Tikhoretsk, which is an important junction controlling rail communications from Kuban and Salsk. General Yeremenkos hard-fighting columns moving down from the Salsk-Rostov railway, have reached Tselina within 90 miles of Rostov. DRIVES ON ROSTOV. The main Caucasian forces, after the capture of Armavir, are speeding on, with a view to menacing the Krasno-dar-Tikhoretsk railway. Other Soviet columns are thrusting across the foothills to Maikop. These advances generally very gravely endanger, all the German communications to Rostov. Guerillas are incessantly harassing the enemy’s rear. The increasing severity of the winter is affecting the character of the fighting, which is practically concentrated on road and railway junctions. Russian heavy artillery and infantry, despite deep snow, are manoeuvring with considerable flexibility, and mobile units are closely pursuing the enemy. The Germans constantly and obstinately resist but the continual threat' of encirclement enforces retreat. COSSACK EXPLOIT. RLed Army tanks and Cossacks are performing remarkable exploits, notably in the capture of Armavir, where the Germans blew up the ice covering the Kuban River, hoping that the stream would halt the Russians. The tough Kuban Cossacks swam the icy waters under heavy fire and then engaged the enemy, enabling sappers to build pontoon bridges. A few hours after the capture of the city, columns of German prisoners, in ersatz boots and clothing, were wearily marched eastward in the sub-zero temperature. Front-line correspondents report that a sense of doom is spreading among

the Axis forces, especially Italian, Hungarian and Rumanian units, which increasinly surrender en bloc. When surrender is refused destruction goes on pitilessly. IMPORTANT CAPTURE IN THE DONETZ BASIN. „ LONDON, January 24. The Russians on the Donetz front have captured a number of important positions, including the town and railway station of Starolzelsk, midway on the branch line between Voronezh and Voroshilovgrad, 130 miles south-east of Kharkov. Its capture put the Germans in an even worse position in the area north-west of the Donetz.