DESNA DEFENCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 September 1943, Page 3

DESNA DEFENCES

SMASHED BY RUSSIANS CHERNIGOV TAKEN AFTER THREE DAYS OF FIERCE FIGHTING. SOVIET DRIVE TOWARDS KIEV & DNEPROPETROVSK. LONDON, September 21. The Russians have stormed and captured the important rail and road centre of Chernigov, on the Lower Desna, after three days’ fierce fighting. Chernigov is 75 miles north-east of Kiev on the railway to Gomel. Marshal Stalin, in an order of the day, says the German defences on the west bank of the Desna have been smashed over the whole length of the river from Bryansk to Chernigov. Russian forces have pushed forward along the Poltava-Kiev railway and taken a station about 70 miles from Kiev. In the Poltava sector they have advanced 16 miles at. some points and over 250 places have been captured, including several railway stations. A Moscow communique reports the capture of an important railway junction 25 miles south-east of Dnepropetrovsk. There has been a general advance 'of six to ten miles in this area today and over 80 towns and villages have been re-occupied. TREMENDOUS BATTLE IN PROGRESS IN SMOLENSK ZONE. NEAR APPROASH TO RAILWAY FROM CRIMEA. LONDON, September 20. The Red Army today captured the important town and stronghold of Velizh, 75 miles northwest of Smolensk. It is estimated that about 250,000 troops are locked in battle in the Smolensk defence zone. One of the spearheads of the Ukraine offensive is now only a few miles from the Kiev-Gomel railway. In the south the Russians advanced to a point 13 miles from Melitopol, which stands on the Germans’ solo escape railway from the Crimea. They have cut the railway linking the two nain centres on the Dnieper elbow. Advances of four to 16 miles wore made on all the offenisve fronts. Tonight's communique announces the occupation of more than 1130 localities, making a total in the past three days of over 3000. including'a great number of towns and railway junctions. RESERVES MOVED FROM RUSSIA TO ITALY. ACCORDING TO BERLIN PAPER LONDON, September 21. A withdrawal of German reserves from the Russian battlefront in order to meet the Allied invasion of Italy is admitted by the Berlin newspaper “Voelkischer Beobachter.” It says: “The Wehrmacht was facing a situation in Russia which was tending toward breaking-point. The Fuehrer, therefore, ordered flexible tactics henceforth to be adopted; the front line had to be straightened. We do not attempt to belittle the surrender of Kharkov. Novorossisk, Stalino and Bryansk. This general retreat in Russia, however, has set free new reserves ■ for us, and it is because of these reserves that the British and American invasion of Italy is not a walk-over.