GROWING INTENSITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1943, Page 3

GROWING INTENSITY

OF RUSSIAN ATTACKS IN NORTH RED AIR FORCE POUNDING GERMANS. HEAVY FIGHTING IN KIEV BULGE. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, December 15. The battle for the Kiev bulge has again flared up with renewed intensity. Reuter’s Moscow correspondent ;says heavy fighting went on all last night and today on the Kiev Highway, south-west of Malin, which is 60 miles westward of Kiev. Further south, General Vatutin, after the Russian evacuation of Radomysl, has grouped his forces along the east bank of the Teterev River on both sides and brought up reinforcements. The Germans at Smyela, which is in danger of being cut off by the Russians, are trying to rally the remnants of their forces. They are evacuating their wounded to Nikolayev by rail. The Russian thrust south-west of the Snamenka-Smyela Railway, toward Novomirgorod, threatens to outflank and cut off Smyela. The Russians further south are advancing on both sides of Kirovgrad. The Moscow radio, giving the first hint from Moscow of renewed activity on the northern front, said: “Airmen operating on the Leningrad front are raiding important enemy objectives, destroying dumps, batteries and defence fortifications. Night bombers were particularly active and successful in these operations.” The Berlin radio tonight stated that the Russians south of Nevel intensified their attacks and flung in five rifle divisions and three tank brigades. Von Hammer, the German news agency’s commentator, said the Russians in the Nevel area had breached the German lines.