The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-06-30
Russians
Forge Ahead

Continued from Page u
waters of the White Russian River
has engulfed thousands of corpses
of the doubly inglorious German
conquerors."
Rokossovsky's forces also were
pursuing the Germans westward
toward the Baranowicze Gay, rs
miles southwest of Minsk and an
cient gateway to the Polish plains
and Warsaw. At last reports, the
and Warsaw. At last reports, the
Russians were driving over the APP
proaches to Slutsk, go miles east
of Baranowicze.
On the northeastern approaches
to Minsk, Gen. Ivan D. Chernia-
khovsky's 3rd White Russian Army,
rolling down the main Moscow
Minsk- Warsaw highway, reached
the Berezina on a 37-mile front and
outfanked the east bank strong
hold of Borisov with the capture
of Bytcha, six miles to the north
west and 43 miles from Minsk.
Front reports placing the Soviets
within 40 miles northeast Of Minsk
indicated that Cherniakhovsky's
forces also may have driven across
the Berezina, either capturing or
by-passing Borisov, but they were
believed waiting for Col. Gen.
Georgi D. Zakharov's End White
Russian army pounding west from
Mogilev to reach the river before
launching a frontal assault on the
capital.
Elsewhere on the eastern front,
the Soviets outflanked Polotsk, on
the approaches to Latvia and
Lithuania from the southwest, and
cut the railway linking it with
Warsaw; captured Petrozavodsk,
capital Of the Karelian Soviet Re-
public, and completely cleared the
vital Murmansk-Leningrad railway
for the movement of supplies from
the United States and Britain.
At one point south of Polotsk. the
Russians were less than mile from
the old Polish border.
Front dispatches revealed that
great fleets of American trucks, roll
ing over highways pitted and Quilted
bv battle, were enabling the Sovlets
to maintain pace Of almost mile
an hour In their advance on Minsk
by keeping an uninterrupted now OF
supplies rolling westward.
The government newspaper lives.
tia asserted that Rokossovsky's LIST
White Russian army was moving
like an avalanche"
Everyone from soldiers to gen.
erals is counting the time by min
utes and hours, not by days" the
government newspaper 1zvestia re-
ported from the front.
Rokossovsky's advance was spur
red further by the liquidation Of
five encircled enemy divisions at
Bobruisk, now more than 40 miles
behind the front. Some 10000 Ger
mans were killed and $4,000 others
captured at Bobruisk.
When the Russians first entered
Bobruisk, dispatches said, they were
met by crossf1re from tommy gun
ners hiding in attics Of houses. The
city was cleared house by house and
in the last hours, some Germans
were found hiding in hospital wards
feigning wounds.
On the southern arm of the giant
pincers threatening Minsk,' newly
promoted Marshal Konstantin Ro-
sossovsky's First White Russian
army stepped up its advance after
completing the liquidation of the
remnants Of five German divisions
encircled in Bobruisk, already 40
miles behind the front.
Nazis Lose 125,OOO
Some $4,000 Germans were killed
and 25,300 captured in Bobruisk,
bringing the total number of enemy
troops KILLED or captured along the
whole Whoite Russian front during
the first week Of the greatest Soviet
offensive Of the war to at least
; 125, 900.
IN a frontal advance toward
Minsk, midway between the north
ern and southern columns, Col. Gen.
Georgi D. zakharov's Second White
Russian army pursued the fleeing
enemy up to % miles and reached
the Drut river on a 50-mile front.
------,---.--------
A