NOT HALTED YET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 March 1943, Page 4

NOT HALTED YET

RUSSIANS ON CENTRAL FRONT SOME PROGRESS IN SPITE OF THAW. AND INCREASING ENEMY RESISTANCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, March 28. The Russians on the central front have broken through intermediate fortifications and reached their line of September, 1941, which the Germans since had strengthened. The present slackening of the fighting is due to the necessity for reconnoitring the line, where the slightest prod provokes a furious enemy counterattack. The Russians at one point are threatening the enemy’s • main line communications and both sides are massing big forces. The Russians are quickly restoring the railway line from Moscow, from which place already there is regular traffic with Rzhev and Velikiye Luki. The Red Army in the Smolensk province has now encountered the main German defences, strung out 40 miles around the city. The Russian line runs roughly in an arc, from a point 40 miles north-eastwards of Smolensk, across the Viazma-Smolensk railway and eastward from Dorogobuj to somewhere half-way along the SukhinichiSmolensk railway. The Russians have forced the upper reaches of the Dnieper River at many points and are now fighting on the western bank near the railway station of Dorogobuj. They also have approached within 15 miles of Dukhovschchino. Moscow correspondents suggest that the spring thaw may be a dominating factor on this front. For some weeks the terrain has not been easy for movement in good weather, but heavy equipment, tanks, guns and large lorries probably will be additionally slowed up by mud and flooded rivers. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that although the Russian offensive at the moment does not maintain its earlier scale, General Koniev is still advancing in some sectors, where he is attempting to effect a junction between troops from Byeloi and those from the Upper Dnieper, operating from the region of Kholmzhirkovsky. Russian scouts are probing the heavily fortified line defending the Yartsevo-Smolensk sector. The Russians, as a precaution, are entrenching in the conquered positions. NAZI MAIN DEFENCES REACHED IN SOME AREAS. SURVEY OF BATTLEFRONTS. (Received This Day, 1.20 p.m.) LONDON, March 28. The Germans in many 'sectors have been forced back to their main line of defence, but they are still clinging to strong support points commanding the approaches to other sectors. They continue vigorously counter-attacking in order to keep the Russians from these strong points, which however are often successfully eliminated by the threat of encirclement, due to Russian infiltrations. The Russians are very busy behind the front, restoring communications which the Germans, during their retreat, damaged to the utmost, blowing up a majority of the railway bridges, of which there are many for example, between two stations westward of Rzhev. The Russians have rebuilt 37 bridges. The Germans cut down forests along the railways for a hundred miles in order to reduce the danger from guerillas. The Russians generally are exerting pressure on the 500-mile line from Staraya Russa to Kursk and Orel, but southward of Orel the Germahs are making an effort to loosen the Russian hold on reoccupied territory. They claim a successful drive against Syevsk. A lull prevails for the moment on the ground in the Upper Donetz area, but the Luftwaffe is active against the Russian rear. The Luftwaffe tried mass formation attacks, but its losses were too heavy and high altitude bombing was found ineffective. The Germans are now sending over bombers in groups of four to six, strongly escorted by fighters. Russian fighters are vigorously opposing them. The Stormoviks attack the Germans by day and night, especially paying attention to tanks, of which 22 were knocked out in one day. The German bridgehead in the Kuban country, where Hitler is attempting to retain a toehold on the mainland, apparently has been considerably reduced by recent fighting, despite the great difficulty of movement in the Taman swamps. The Russians are pressing down the only main railway line in the district. Battles are reported near Krymskaya, threatening Novorossisk. The Moscow radio says a Russian offensive forced a passage of the Protoka, which is an arm of the Kuban Delta, and captured twenty populated places on its western bank.