GOMEL & KOROSTEN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 November 1943, Page 3

GOMEL & KOROSTEN

NOW VERY CLOSELY THREATENED Position of Germans Increasingly Precarious ENEMY FORCES THROWN BACK ON PRIPET MARSHES GREAT TANK BATTLE RAGING IN SOUTH LONDON, November 17. The Russians are closing’ in rapidly on the two big 1 enemy bases of Gomel, at the southern end. of the White Russian front, and Korosten, north-west of Kiev. Both Gomel and Korosten are reported to be under Russian artillery fire. The position of the Germans in Gomel is described as more than ever precarious. The garrison is of considerable strength and the approaches to the town present the attackers with some difficult problems. The Germans have a still more difficult problem, however, with their main railway and road communications cut on the west and their only remaining railway, running north-west from Gomel, closely threatened. A correspondent says it would not be surprising if the Germans have already begun to pull out of Gomel. The Russians were last reported to be only six miles distant from Korosten on the north and five miles on the south, with cavalry and light forces closing in rapidly. Between Korosten and Gomel, the Red Army is pressing the Germans back on the almost impassable Pripet Marshes. It is thought, a correspondent says, that the enemy will be very lucky if he gets much of his material away from this sector of the front. . ; . „ In the vicinity of Berditchev, south of Jitomir, the Germans have been making repeated tank and infantry counter-attacks in an attempt to safeguard their main supply line into the Dnieper bend. The Russians have beaten back these attacks every time, but the enemy is now reported to be throwing m still stronger armoured forces and a great tank battle is raging. . A Moscow communique announces a renewal of the Soviet offensive in the Dnieper bend.' South-west of Dnepropetrovsk the Russians have captured two strongly fortified enemy positions, but on another part of the front they had to abandon some positions under enemy pressure.

ON GREAT SCALE

GERMAN' COUNTER-ATTACKS ON SOUTH SIDE OF DNIEPER BEND MET & SMASHED BY SOVIET GUNS (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright) (Received This Day, 10.50 a.m.) LONDON, November 17. While the Red Army is poised to smash its way into Korosten and Gomel the Germans have gathered themselves for their biggest counter-attacks since the opening of the autumn campaign. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent says General ’ von Mannstein, in a . stiff bid to thwart General Vatutin's westward drive, has thrown in 150,000 men and hundreds of tanks against the Red Army’s Jitomir-Fastov wedge. The battle is on a vast scale. Strong panzer formations and reformed mechanised units in the past few hours have joined in the struggle, which has been going on during the past six days. The enemy is desperately battling to keep open the lines of escape between Fastov and Odessa for the German armies still engaged in the Dnieper bend. The British United Press declares that General von Mannstein’s largescale attempt to halt the Red Army thrust west of Kiev has failed. The Germans in the Fastov area, after throwing in the biggest concentrations of tanks Seen since the summer battles, mounted repeated attacks against the Red Army's south flank, but the Russian artillery smashed the attacks and left hundreds of crippled tanks on the battlefield.