RAPID ADVANCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 November 1943, Page 3

RAPID ADVANCE

LIKELY FROM KIEV AREA RUSSIANS IN PREPONDERANT STRENGTH. WITH WELL-ORGANISED COMMUNICATIONS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.25 a.m.) RUGBY, Noevmber 8. The probable direction of the Russian advance from Kiev forms the subject of considerable speculation in informed military quarters in London. There are two main possibilities—a drive southwest, in the direction of the rivers Bug and Dniester, which would result in the Germans in the south being faced by even greater dangers, or a drive due west towards Lvov, with the Russian right flank against the Pripet Marshes, which would have possibilities of splitting the German front in two. Whichever of these advances develops, the Germans can only avoid, a considerable lengthening of their line and consequent thinning of their available front line manpower, by pulling right out of the Dnieper bend. Prospects of the Russians being able to continue their rapid progress from Kiev seem excellent. They took the Kiev bridgehead over six weeks ago. Since then they have had an opportunity to build bridges, organise communications generally, and concentrate stores ammunition .and food on tne west bank of the river, beyond range of German guns and without much interference from the overstretched Luftwaffe. Meantime, it is known that the Germans had to withdraw a number of divisions from the Kiev area in a vain attempt to hold the Russians m the south. These circumstances have given the Russians a preponderance oi strength west of Ki©v and the lapJGity of their advance in the last 48 hours suggests that this preponderance is oeing well maintained. A Soviet communique says trie mermans suffered huge losses during the Russian advance which resulted in the capture of Fastov. The Russians captured several loaded railway trains, large ammunition dumps, army depots, war equipment, artillery, mortars and machine-guns. A great number of prisoners was taken.