SOVIET OFFENSIVE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 November 1943, Page 3

SOVIET OFFENSIVE

tempo) being increased BATTLE FOR KRIVOI ROG. ENEMY SUFFERING ENORMOUS LOSSES. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) LONDON, November 1. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says that the battlefield south-east of the lower reaches of the Dnieper is dotted with farmsteads and German strongpoints, which are butteressed by antitank ditches, pillboxes and minefields, are plentifully sprinkled among the ravines and hills. The Germans, taking advantage of every scrap of cover, are putting up a wall of fire from ' mortars and machine-guns. The fast-moving Soviet mechanized columns are by-passing many of these isolated strongholds and the German ’ garrisons in them are completely cut off from all hope of relief but are obeying their orders to hold out to the last. The Red Army is maintaining and even increasing the tempo of its offensive, and is concentrating on bustling the enemy and not giving him time to gather himself again. The Red Army today captured Novotroiskoe, 10 miles north of the coast between Perekop and Genichesk, which was captured earlier, and they also took Novalo Eyevka, which is 12 miles north-west of Genichesk, and is the terminus of a branch line from Genichesk and the last important mainland station on the railway crossing the causeway over the coast of the Crimea. .

The . terrific ground battle which is still raging at Krivoi Rog is duplicated by mammoth battles over the beleaguered town.

A supplementary Moscow communique said that the Germans between the Dnieper and the Sivash coast (north of the Crimea) are suffering enormous losses in men and material. The enemy, using hurriedly-erected defences, attempted to consolidate his positions in order to gain time and regroup his disorganised troops, but the resistance was broken and the retreating Germans are abandoning artillery, infantry, weapons, ammunition, and equipment. Large numbers of prisoners were taken. The Germans in the Krivoi Rog direction are also suffering immense losses.

Now that the Russians have reached the lower Dnieper the next defence line left to the Germans for even a temporary stand is the River Bug, says' 1 the British United Press . military writer. The great Russian encirclement victory in this area which is now likely will force the Germans to pour in reserves along the Bug to prevent a

complete major break-through to the Balkans. It now appears certain, according to the “Daily Telegraph’s” Stockholm correspondent, that the German High Command will not immediately evacuate the Crimea but will fight to the bitter end in order to tie down as many Soviet divisions as possible and deny the Russian Black Sea Fleet the use of the naval base at Sebastopol.