IMPORTANT GAINS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 September 1943, Page 3

IMPORTANT GAINS

MADE BV THE RUSSIANS ON SEVERAL FRONTS IN DRIVE TOWARDS DNIEPER. KEY TOWN OF KONOTOP TAKEN. LONDON, September 6. The Russians announce the capture,- in the Northern Ukraine, of the key town of Konotop, half-way along the railway from Kursk to Kiev. Another striking success has been won in the Donetz Basin, where the Red Army has taken a strongly ? fortified town only eight miles east of Stalino. In addition two other important railway towns have been occupied and over 100 towns and inhabited places have been liberated. In the operations in the Northern Ukraine in which Konotop was taken, the Russians advanced up to 12 miles and chased the enemy out of more than 100 places. In the area south of Bryansk, the Red Army also made good progress during the day. Over 100 places were captured and the Russians advanced from nine to 12 miles. The Russians at the same time are keeping up their pressure on Smolensk. The Germans are still losing heavily in an attempt to check the Soviet offensive'.

On all fronts yesterday the Russians knocked out 119 enemy tanks and shot down 92 aircraft.

NAZI DEFENCE LINE SMASHED BETWEEN SMOLENSK & BRYANSK. ENEMY MUCH WEAKENED. LONDON, September 5. Colonel Vorobiev, Chief of Staff 1 of General Koniev’s army, told British and American war correspondents in an interview near the front line west of Kharkov that the German resistance on the 600mile front from east of Smolensk to Taganrog was being overcome step by step. “The German defence line in the Roslavl direction (between Smolensk and Bryansk) has been completely broken,” he said. “Developments on the Kharkov front , and also farther south are -most satisfactory, though reaching the Dnieper is a difficult operation. The Germans will. probably put up stiff resistance at key points, like Zaporozhe and Dnepropetrovsk. “The Germans are no longer able to launch a general offensive. They are no longer able to 1 transfer 30 odd divisions from the west to Kharkov as they did last February.”

SOVIET LANDING BEHIND NAZI LENINGRAD . FRONT. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, September 6. With reference to the reported Russian landing at Tuga Bay, 85 miles behind the German front line on the Leningrad front, Reuter says Russian troops landed there would be within striking distance of' the west-east railway from Tallinn, which is the supply centre for the Germans in the Leningrad area. PRESS OFFICIALS KILLED JEEP STRIKES MINE WEST OF KHARKOV. LONDON, September 5. A British United Press correspondent who was a member of the Press partv which interviewed Colonel Vorobiev west of Kharkov revealed that an anti-tank mine blew up the first ol six jeeps conveying the party. in mine exploded five yards m fron my jeep, killing M. Vasev, the acting Press chief, and M. Kozhemiako, chief <ensor. Their jeep was blown to atoms. The rest of us were un harmed.” ,