The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1943-09-26
AIMING AT 0RSHA
Soviet Forces Are Pressing
Along Famous Moscow
Minsk Highway ,
MOSCOW CELEBRATES
Most Important Enemy
Center OF Resistance
Freed From Nazis

LONDON, Sunday, Sept. 26
I-P)-Soviet columns pound
ed on past captured Smolensk,
the Red army's greatest 1913
victory, in pursuit of the
fleeing Germans, Moscow dis
patches said today, as some
reports said Russian spear
heads had cracked the great
Dnieper river line at a half
dozen points from Smolensk
to tottering Kiev.
An Associated Press dis
patch from Moscow said Gen.
VASTLY Sokolovsky's troops
which battered down the last
German defenses of Smolensk
and Roslavl, &C miles to the
south, pressed on Immediate
ly along the Moscow-Minsk
highway which Napoleon
travelled in and out Of Rus
STA.
They were aiming now at Orsha,
IS miles beyond the fallen central
front bastion, and also at Vitebsk
on the highway to Latvia. At
Vitebsk, rs miles northwest of
Smolensk the Germans have erect
ed powerful defenses around the
Vitebsk lakes.
Moscow Celebrates
Moscow shook with the thunder
of 224 guns saluting in the victory
and crowds cheered the broadcast
of Premier Marshal Joseph Stalins
order of the day calling Smolensk
''the most important strategic
center of German defenses in the
western direction"
A brilliant display of fireworks
lit up the chilly streets of TIE
capital as crowds shouted 'Smo-
lensk is Soviet
The Moscow communique, re-
corded by the Soviet monitor, said
Sokolovsky's troops dislodged the
Germans from the Notifications
covering the approaches to Smo-
lensk and then broke into the nor
thern outskirts Of the once vital
Nazi stronghold on Friday.
"Fierce street fighting ensued.
By the end of the day the whole
northern part of the city had been
cleared of the enemy. This morn
ing the city was carried by as
sault
''In this way Smolensk, the most
important enemy center of resis-
lance, has been liberated from the
Germans"
Flank Turned
| The capture of Smolensk turned
the northern flank of the Dnieper
river line the Germans once ex-
pected to hold as an east wall deep
| in Russia.
No natural obstacles bar a Rus.
sian westward drive in the area
and the Soviet army can continue
its advance without risk of a Nazi
counter-attack because the left
flank will be protected by the pr.
pet marshes.
Henry c. Cassidy, Associated
Press correspondent in Moscow,
cabled that the highway leading
west from Smolensk, the finest in
the Soviet union, was reported lit.
tered with beaten German troops
and broken machines.
The communique also announced
continuing Soviet advances north.
west of Smolensk where 60 town.
and villages were captured and
over 900 Germans killed. A break
in German morale in this area was
indicated when IS Germans came
over to the Red Army with their
arms.
Crossing Dnieper
Meanwhile London newspapers,
quoting Reuters dispatches from
Moscow, said that Russian troops
were fighting their way across the
Dnieper at several points. They
did not make clear, however, whe-
Their the west bank had been reach
ed and held. The capture of Smo.
lensk involved a crossing of the
Dnieper at its headwaters where
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