Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-09-24
Reds TakeParnu
On Gulf Of Riga;
Trap Thousands
Lotvion Capitals
Fall, Entry Into
Hungary Imminent
MAP on Page A-3.)
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sunday, Sept. a.
Russian troops racing across
Estonia reached the west coast
yesterday, capturing the port Of
Parnu on the Gulf Of Riga and
sealing of thousands of Ger
mans in a week-old offensive
which is estimated to have cost
the enemy eight divisions, or
10000 men.
The Red Army, aided by an
Estonian corps, captured Parnu in
another 2-miles-an-hour advance
from Paide, SO miles to the north
east, and its fall cut the land escape
routes for thousands of a bewildered
foe caught between Parnu and
Tallinn. captured Estonian capital
u miles to the north.
At sea. Red naval planes pursued
some German ships which escaped
from Tallinn with troops aboard.
During Friday the Soviet airmen
sank IL of these evacuation vessels,
and apparently thousands OF Ger
mans persisted in the Gulf of Fin
land.
Sensational Gains Made.
The fall Of Riga, Latvian capital
81 miles south of Parnu, appeared
imminent as four powerful Soviet
armies pressed the speedy cleanup
Of Estonia and Latvia in sensational
gains. Some Russian units were
fighting in Riga's outer southern
defenses, and Red artillery was lay
ing down barrages on Nazi positions
in the strategic city.
The Soviet victories in Estonia
and Latvia were regarded merely
as the forerunner Of great attacks
on East Prussia, in Poland and on
Hungary. They shortened the
front by more than 100 miles, gave
the Red Fleet new bases and the
air force fields from which the Rus
slams can control thirds of the
Baltic Sea.
Premier Stain. in an order OF the
day, announced the capture of Par
nu few hours after the Berlin
radio said that the Red Army had
begun major attack" near the
Hungarian annexed Transylvanian
capital of Cluj aimed at trapping
all Axis troops in Eastern Hungary
and Slovakia.
Reds at Hungarian Border.
Moscow dispatches also said that
an entry into prewar Germany was
imminent, and an unconfirmed
French radio broadcast said the
Red Army already had crossed the
Hungarian border and was "ad-
vancing in the direction OF Buda-
pest"
The fall Of Parnu represented
another 50-mile leap by Marshal
Leonid A. Govorov's Leningrad
Army forces in "a hours.
Marshal Govorov's troops were en-
gagged in race to envelop scores of
thousands of beaten Germans rout-
ed amid the lakes and forests of Es-
tonia and who are fleeing toward
the Riga corridor.
The Soviet daily communicate said
the Russians under Marshal Govo-
row had captured TOO localities for a
weeks bag of $500. while Gen. Ivan
Maslennikov's Sd Baltic Army cap
tured 80 villages in attacks radiat-
ing from Valga on the Estonian-
Latvian border.
East of Riga, Gen. Andrea I.
Yeremenko's I'd Baltic Army swept
through $50 towns and villages as
the Russians slowly hurled the en-
envy back toward the sea.
Both Towns Raided.
The Soviet communique said that
Russian aircraft attacked both Par
nu and Riga Friday night, sinking
ships badly needed by the enemy
for the evacuation of the troops
blowing up Nazi military dumps and
starting fires amid other installa-
lions.
Thousands of other Germans ap-
parently persisted at sea because
the bulletin said that Red navaI
airmen pursuing enemy ships which
had pulled out Of Tallinn ahead OF
the victorious Russian land forces